Last year in Minnesota there was no winter. No, really. None. I went for a run in short sleeves on a sunny 50 degree Christmas day. It rained all day on New Year’s. The grass was green and the garden growing by March, and for a region in which snow in May is commonplace, spring actually arriving in March is an anomaly.
So Minnesotans were collectively happy last Saturday, when a good old fashioned snowstorm dumped 15 inches on us in an all-day shower of beautiful, thick, wet snow. I stopped at the grocery store to stock up on staying-home goodies and it appeared half my neighborhood was doing the same. But everyone was delighted and delightful — the guy at the deli gushed “isn’t it so great! I can’t wait to get out there!” and I even saw a couple in snow-dusted coats and hipster hats kissing in the cereal aisle.
My front door half way through the storm.
Last Saturday was also the day of one of our family’s holiday traditions: seeing The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at SteppingStone Theatre, a children’s theater just blocks from our house in Saint Paul. Parking there is a challenge under good conditions, so we did what any Minnesotan would do. We put on our boots and walked. There was no question that snow boots (or stocking feet, if you leave your boots by the door) would be acceptable theater attire.
The boys were thrilled with our six-block adventure and were covered in snow and soaking wet by the time we got there. No matter. They were enraptured by the performance (especially Noah) and I, once again, cried when Imogene holds the baby doll all alone on the stage. It’s a short, kid-friendly play, super-affordable, laugh-out-loud funny, and sweet enough to put you in the perfect Christmas spirit.
Noah had the best ride, but with the snow above his knees, this was a much faster solution.
The play runs through December 23, and there are still tickets available. (And if there’s enough snow, I recommend parking five or six blocks away and walking.)
Shazaam!
