Home » Travel » Texas » Turning White Into Gold

Turning White Into Gold

© Joy Butler

Every year, heavy snows bury most of the north as strong winter storms plunge temperatures and wind chills into single-digit and subzero temperatures. Blizzard winds pile drifts over streets, sidewalks, cars, and lawns. Shoveling and shivering, most northerners develop a dislike for snow. Not so in Texas.

Many south Texans don shorts for Christmas and yearn for one good snowfall. They can usually recall from the deep recesses of memory, a day off work or school because a few swirling flakes dusted the ground way back when. And while folks in the north dig out from under deep snowdrifts and curse the white flakes, many Texans are willing to pay hard-earned money for the opportunity to frolic in icy manmade crystals.

Snowfest traveled to Austin, Houston, and Dallas during November, bringing tons of machine-generated snow. Like a giant snow cone machine, Snowfest created winter wonderlands in the Lone Star state. For two days, thousands of guests entertained themselves with hours of snow play. They bundled up in their warmest clothing and turned out to build real snowmen or slide, ride, and glide on snow tubes, snow boards, and snow skis, take a whirl on ice skates, or to pound each other with snowballs. Those with minimal snow experience received lessons in skiing and snowboarding and were introduced to the new sport of snow skating. They met representatives from snow resorts and registered to win a winter vacation in the mountains of New Mexico. And for a really authentic touch, rescued husky sled dogs were available for photos.

Of course the whole idea was to hook the southerners on snow fun so they will shop for the latest ski gear and plan winter vacations to the supporting resorts. With southerners' craving for snow, that may not be a difficult thing to accomplish. It's quite ironic that northern snowbirds pack up and leave the thrill of snow skiing and snowtubing to migrate to warmer southern temperatures while southerners save their money for vacations in the icy cold. Guess folks are just never satisfied with what they have.

I would love to see real snow falling and the ground glistening with white because somehow Christmas lights don't have the same magical effect when you're sweating. Freezing temperatures do visit south Texas once in awhile, but a white Christmas here would be nothing short of a miracle! We'll be lucky if we don't have to run the a/c. I guess Snowfest is the next best thing.

The copyright of the article Turning White Into Gold in Texas is owned by . Permission to republish Turning White Into Gold in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.