Christmas lights

True to the season in this winter wonderland. Across from city hall trimmed with lights, the Olympic Plaza glows with holiday cheer. The city lights as a backdrop only enhance the festive feel. So far Calgary has been the best place to spend Christmas.

Happy holidays to all!

To touch winter's breath

Libby is ready to face Jack Frost.

Stepping out, leaving my cozy climate-controlled townhouse, the air was chillily deceptive. The air surged crisply snapping against my ears. Walking down the stepped to the bus stop, Jack Frost circled my head, kissing my cheeks. Fallen snow crunched beneath my boots as I hurried, but not too fast though. The manmade (womyn constructed?) breeze of my own movement bit elite patches of bare skin: the slowly form crow’s-feet lines around my eyes, the peak of nose, apples of my cheeks, and tips of my ears.

The crisp air turned abrasive, crawling at my throat. Scarf, I have to keep my scarf over my mouth I reminded.

While I struggled to remember to keep my scarf up, my hat over my ears, and my coat buttoned all the way up, Libby followed me to the bus stop without complaint. Waiting for our ride, I asked Libby if she was okay and under the two scarves, coat, sweater, heavy shirt, shirt, undershirt, pants, pants, and pants, she nodded an affirmative.

We didn’t leave the townhouse out of necessity; rather, like moving to Calgary, going out was an excuse in will—to prove to myself that I could. To be trapped in my house because it’s too cold outside is unacceptable, especially after moving 12oo miles away from my mother and my friends, which essentially were the only social network I’ve ever known.

So Libby and I ventured out. We went to a nearby strip mall, via bus and train. Standing still with no wind, the frost-creased atmosphere seemed bearable, approachable even. However with rising wind, the frost-creased atmosphere turned hostile and we had to hide in a Starbucks to warm up.

Amazingly, the world around me appeared sharper, as if the air was thinner—even more transparent.

Even at -20f or -30c, the city kept moving.

A shower of icy flakes graced my sleepy gaze as I woke up recently. Before consuming my first cup of coffee, I started to ponder the importance of our first significant snow fall in Calgary.

In the aftermath of receiving a 10 cm snow blanket, I was surprised how deserted the city seemed. Buses ran extremely late, people avoided the streets, and trains never arrived to empty platforms.
We were explorers treading across virgin country. Navigating the sideways and trying not to stumble ignorantly into the streets, we paved a path for others to follow. Adventure was at hand.

Of course, these weren’t the first Canadian snow flakes I watched fall. Mid October, about six weeks ago, I first encountered a short-lived taste of winter. Libby and I had been out grocery shopping all afternoon, and shortly after dusk the weather turned. Crossing the Real Canadian Superstore parking lot (think Fred Meyers in Calgary), we faced a dry, skin blistering wind, yet on the return to our car the wind stilled and in its place—ashen powder littered my car.

Then in a blink of an eye, the hush gave way to a howl. To my marvel, flakes rode the swirl current echoing an aura of carefree delight. At three degrees Celsius (that’s about 36 degrees Fahrenheit), the roads remained clean with scrap snow melting or crumbling under car tires. In the wonder of nonchalantly falling October snow, drifting to my wind shield, the adventure of moving far, far away from my home town to steak a claim on a new life.

Now six weeks later, the novelty of snow has faded to a sense of seriousness and general respect for the elements. Leaving the townhouse means facing Mother Nature and praying the beautiful deceit of snow isn’t our demise.

Under the spell of mystic and delight, we left our cozy, climate-controlled apartment to touch winter. The desire to roll snow balls in our gloved hands, and feel Jack Frost’s kiss upon our cheeks drove us out. Out at the mercy of the elements, the air held magic. We hallucinated ice cream joy until the snow melt, the sun set, and the breeze turned into a wind chill warning.

Stumbling home—thank you Calgary Transit—we slipped from the trance of snow to be wrapped safely in the sweet embrace of hot chocolate.

Stripping wet layers of clothing off, we are satisfied with the white capped trees and pure clean crisp carpet enchanting the senses from afar. Through double-paned windows, the landscape is clean, cold, purified. For today, we are happily caged.