let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I have fond hopes for fresh snow this Jan. 1. Not so much that driving to the church in far-away Glenrosa is a risky proposition - just enough to give a winter wonderland backdrop to my wedding. Being, you know, Jan. 1 and all, it seems somewhat appropriate. As Billy Idol so poignantly put it, it's a nice day for a white wedding.

Those of you NOT native to the Central Okanagan are probably thinking, "Well, duh, you're in Canada - don't you have snow about 10 months of the year?" Ah, no. Some years we're lucky to get any at all. I think it was about three years ago that even the ski hills were struggling to stay open for a lack of white stuff. Brown Christmases - and, yes, New Years - are not rare in these parts. Last year came pretty close but, in storybook-like fashion, we all woke up amazed Christmas morning to lashings of white all around.

I have a really good feeling about this year, and of course I'll tell you why. Despite the fact that summer seemed to hit early - in, like, April - and spring decided to grace us closer to June, it's been a quintessential July and August in the Okanagan - beautiful days in the low to mid 30s C, without actually reaching that dreaded 40 C mark like it does some years. There were a few days of rain, but not enough to mar the season - just enough to keep the forest fires down.

Aug. 30, though, something changed. Just like that, it seemed like fall was in the air. I put my duvet back on the bed, and pulled the socks back out of storage. No Indian summer for us this year - which must bode well for winter.

Even if I wasn't getting married this year, I must admit - I like my seasons distinct. Crisp, colourful days in autumn, snowy days in winter where you have to bundle up, rainy days in springtime and long, lazy, balmy days in summer. Sometimes I think the seasons are getting themselves mixed up - what, with global warming and etc. Last year's summer hardly showed its shining face - not just here, but all over Canada. That, after a scorching summer that almost destroyed select areas of my town with wildfires. But this year we seem to be on track. That gives me hope that maybe - just maybe, I'll get my wish for a white Christmas. A white wedding day.