“I’m from the upper midwest, where we can get several inches of snow and a few feet of drifts from one storm. I like snow for the first month or so, and then, I just get tired of it. The first few snowfalls are always kind of exciting and I can admit that it’s pretty neat: the untouched snow sparkling in the morning, the way it settles on the trees, watching the flakes fall in the evening, but after that, it’s just cold, it turns grey and slushy and it can be a pain to drive in. After months of snow, it just gets a little old for me, but I do understand why other people really love it. It’s not my favorite, but I can deal with it, if needed. If you can’t tell, this is one of a few reasons I chose to go to school in South Florida,” said Madelyn Rinka, co-editor-in-chief.
“I’m originally from New York and I grew up in New Jersey, so I think it is fair to say that I have seen enough snow for my lifetime. From black ice on the roads, to dirty slush on sidewalks, and even the pretty first snowflakes, I believe I have seen snow in all its forms. However, living down in South Florida the past three years has definitely made me nostalgic for the Hallmark level beauty of snow fluttering to the white blanket below while I stay inside bundled up with some hot cocoa and a Christmas movie. Sorry Floridians, but it being too hot to even wear a long-sleeved thermal jacket in December is something I will never get used to. As we get close to winter break, I feel like the pandemic has made me more excited than ever to be freezing cold when I land in New York, thoroughly unprepared for it’s icy embrace. For once, this December, I won’t complain that I am too cold. Well, I will still complain, but maybe this time I will secretly enjoy it,” said Christina McLaughlin, co-editor-in-chief.
“The first time I saw snow, I was 14, in Tennessee, and thought it was the most magical thing. Although that day I only saw flurries, it made me excited for all the snow I would one day see in my life. Since then, I have experienced a lot of snow and in different ways. From catching snowflakes and having snowball fights to making snowmen and snow angels, I absolutely love it. Living in South Florida my whole life, I’ve only experienced snow when on vacation in the winter months in places where it snows. With that, I’ve been extremely grateful to witness it since we lack seasons here in sunny South Florida. While snow has its beauty, it also has its ugliness, like turning into slushy, making driving difficult and putting a damper on your plans — although COVID-19 seems to have done that now, too — but it’s all a matter of perspective. At the end of the day, I’d love to experience at least one snowy day every winter,” said Flor Ana Mireles, copy editor.
“When I was little, my one and only dream was to see the snow. For some reason, even though I have never celebrated Christmas before, I just loved the idea of being cold and ‘celebrating Christmas’ in the snow. I’d been in the snow when I was very little, but I don’t really remember it. My dream of spending winter in the snow came when I was 12 and my family and I went to ski trip to Beaver Creek, CO. I would love to move to a place where I can see all the seasons and to just be in colder weather.” said Farhan Shaban, chief of visual design.
“I’m from western Maryland, so while we get snow every year, we rarely get over one foot of snow at any one time. I have very fond memories of snowfall, snow days off of school and building tiny snow sculptures in the front yard. Shoveling snow was a hassle that I hated as a kid, but in recent years, we’re completely shoveled out of our driveway in half an hour. Most of the snow will melt by the evening, too. In Florida, I miss the snow and winter season, but when I visit home over winter break, I have my opportunity to build fires on snowy evenings and play snowball fetch with my dog. While I like snow, I can get tired of it quickly, so I’m glad that I only have to deal with it for about one month a year,” said Erin Cowan, visual and multimedia assistant.
“I honestly have no strong feelings about snow, one way or the other. I spent a majority of my life in New Jersey, and as such, I’ve experienced quite a bit of snow in my lifetime. While I can handle the cold that comes with the snow, there are some experiences that I would be more than happy to never experience again. For instance, shoveling a long driveway when it has snowed just so you can get your car out is the closest thing to torture that I have felt or when the snow mixes with the dirty ground and brown slush is created. I would rather never step in that stuff again. However, I am grateful that I know how to drive when it is snowing, which is a skill that not everyone learns,” said Rick Esner, news editor.
“I grew up in a small town in the mountains of Colorado, so snow was pretty much a given for eight months out of the year during the first 18 years of my life. Winter activities like skiing and sledding were always fun growing up, but they were never quite enough to balance out my strong dislike for cold weather. When I moved down to Florida my freshman year, I never thought I would think back fondly on my days of trudging through the snow to my front door or waking up in the dark before school to scrape ice off my car, but the longer I live in Florida, the more I miss it. I can’t wait to go home and snuggle up next to the fire with a good book while it snows silently outside,” said Emma Heineman, features editor.
“Growing up in South Florida, the only chance I ever got to see snow was the one Christmas I spent in New Jersey. I woke up the first morning to fresh snow on my aunt’s lawn. As the day progressed and the snow accumulated, my brother, cousin and I got to work on our first snowman. I was only 6 years old, but I remember it being a magical experience. It has been a while since I have gotten to see snow again, but I know it’s in my future. Despite the current state of the world, I am hopeful that I still have a few more snowmen (and snowwomen) to create in my lifetime,” said Siena Berardi, sports editor.
“I didn’t think I would ever miss snow. I grew up in northern Wisconsin, where four to five feet of snow was pretty normal in the depths of the winter season. My school wouldn’t close until it was around negative 25 degrees outside and ice had coated the roads, and even then, sometimes, it would reopen during the day. If I think hard enough, I can still hear the unique sound of the giant puffy snow pants I wore swishing as I waded through the snow. When I moved to Florida, I was thrilled that it was considered winter when the temperature hit the mid 50s, but as I’ve moved into my junior year at NSU, I do kind of miss the snow. I miss lots of things about winter; I miss wearing sweaters and cute little beanies, drinking warm drinks all the time, but mostly, I miss watching the snow drift slowly down in the night time. While I don’t miss shoveling ore dirty slush that inevitably forms after a few days, there is something truly tranquil about watching that first snowfall. I do miss snow a little bit and am hoping for some when I return home for winter break,” said Sofia Gallus, arts & entertainment editor.
“Snow? Huh? What are you talking about? Isn’t that that frozen rain stuff? I’m from South Florida, which means that a cold day for us is a nice and low 72 degrees. We put on sweaters when it gets into the high 70s; if it were to snow here again we would lose our minds. And yes, it has snowed in South Florida, but only once in Miami during the early 1970s and it didn’t last long,” said Alexander Martinie, opinions editor.
