I find Chicago during a night time snowfall to have a mystical quality. The streets have a hush about them as the lights filter through the quietly falling snow.

Words by COLLEEN AUFDERHEIDE, Visual Arts Faculty/Fine Arts Department//Loyola Academy/Wilmette, IL
Before it snows in Chicago, its smell can be sensed hours before snowfall begins because the skies act as a plenum, accumulating snow long before it comes within eyesight. I suspect Chicago snow gets its distinct smell from the infamous lake as its moisture builds in the freezing air giving fair warning, like a lightning storm can alert everyone to an impending rainstorm. Then the atmosphere, tinged with metallic notes, dust and pollen, bursts, releasing its lofty filling, slow at first and then becoming a deceptively calm onslaught, a beautiful invasion. But a welcome one, leaving few able to resist being mesmerized if not self-reflective. For instance, snow in Chicago may remind one of the mazes their father dug in the backyard of their homes during the blizzard of ’79; keeping children busy and laughing with friends, forgetting for a short time all the other worries and fears little ones have. Snow in Chicago reminds many of One Magnificent Mile during the holidays, where all the people would go for the ultimate shopping experience and get a fill of the sounds and spirits of the season. It can be a fresh reminder of one’s first kiss and how the serene setting helped mask their nerves as they leaned into the kiss, unable to resist the magical spell of the snowfall, and the chilling air makes it easy to draw one nearer for warmth. Snowfalls during the day can remind men of their days as young boys during the height of their creativity creating landscapes of exotic worlds for their toys. Snow tends to remind older parents of a more flexible time scurrying and laughing through slushy paths to meet potential lovers and friends at bars and dance clubs, without a care or worry about colds, loss of sleep, or deficiency in fund--when the snow wasn’t even considered a challenge. And the snow can remind many of the countless nights they made it to their homes, feeling damp, fatigued, and tired but exhilarated; and when every indoor building, whether the heating system was good or not, felt like a reward when they first stepped inside the dry refuge. And once the winter garments are doffed and they settle in for the evening, they succumb to the warmth and relaxation of their muscles, and as their winter accessories dry on radiators and emit one last reminder of the day’s dampness, reminding them of the snow still falling silently outside their windows, their eyes slowly close.

Words by PETER SNIDERMAN, Code Enforcement Officer/Township of Derry, PA

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I find Chicago during a night time snowfall to have a mystical quality. The streets have a hush about them as the lights filter through the quietly falling snow.

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