Snow used to mean something. The kind that shut things down, slowed time, and made the world feel quieter on purpose. Ice-cold days when the forecast didn’t matter because you could see it falling, thick and serious.
Kids disappeared into it for hours: red cheeks, wet mittens, boots that never stayed dry. Snowballs flew with wild accuracy. Inside, houses stayed warm in their own way. Radiators hissed. Windows fogged. Cocoa waited. The TV hummed low. You watched the storm like it was a show.
These photos will give you cold hands, warm rooms, and the feeling that nothing else is expected of you today (just how it felt back in the day). Snow was the plan. And somehow, it always felt exactly right.
1
Heads Bare, Hearts Brave
"Early ’90s family skiing. Not a helmet in sight. I’m in the white pants."
2
Winter Didn’t Scare Her
"My mum playing in the snow in the early ’70s."
3
When New York Froze Solid
"Times Square during a snowstorm, 1978."
4
First Snow, Core Memory
"My big sister and me the first time we saw snow, circa 1993."
5
Cold Hands, Big Ideas
"Young snow sculptors, 1985."
6
Spring Gave Up
"Me during the last snowfall of the year, April 27, 1987, Upper Michigan."
7
Wyoming Freeze Frame
"My mom posing in the snow on a trip to Wyoming, 1993."
8
Fortress of Winter
"Two girls standing outside a snow fort, 1910. Photo by Jeanette Bernard."
9
Alps, Attitude Included
"Me with snow in 1993, 19 years old, Aosta Valley, Italy."
10
Banjo vs. Blizzard
"My dad playing his banjo during a snowstorm. He was 42 years old, 1987."
11
Buttoned Up Against the Cold
"Child dressed for winter, circa 1960."
12
Denver, Don’t Rush Me
"My grandfather just chillin’ outside in the Denver snow. Date unknown."
13
Before Gretzky Was Gretzky
"1971, Brantford, Ontario. My partner’s stepdad grew up playing hockey with Wayne Gretzky. Here they are at age 10, playing out in the snow."
14
DIY Winter Engineering
"My dad in the mid-1970s with his snow bong, made out front of his grandparents’ house."
15
Peak Snow Realness
"My niece and I serving early ’90s snow realness."
16
Snow Day With a Hero
"My dad and me on a snow day, probably winter 1989."
17
Moon Boots, No GPS
"Middle of nowhere in Indiana. Snowsuits, moon boots, and Freezy Freakies, 1983."
18
Top Ten Tough
"My dad in the 1980s. He competed in the 1988 Winter Paralympics and finished in the top 10 in his race. His left leg is fused, and his arm was amputated due to a motorcycle accident."
19
Winter Was the Playground
"Boys having fun in the winter of 1958."
20
Ice Cream, Because Why Not?
"Russian children enjoying ice cream in winter, 1970s."
