It may not always feel this way, especially come February, but how can you live in Wisconsin and not feel that winter is a magical time of year? And, unless you just arrived in town, you know that it came early this year.
There is just something magical about the first snowfall of the season. We are truly blessed to live in such a beautiful city and Monroe never shines brighter than during the holidays. While we have a guaranteed white Christmas, there is also something so endearing about surrendering to the colder and unpredictable weather, even when it forcibly arrives. Winter has a way of reminding us that the season’s magic often comes quietly, without structure.
The adventures I wanted to chase at the start of the season included the Christkindlmarket in Chicago and the one in Green Bay when I was home for Thanksgiving. I also envisioned getting to Galena to see the decorations on their cobblestoned streets.
Because of timing, I didn’t make it to Green Bay’s market and, now, Galena and Chicago seem unlikely. My zeal for these trips had to do with wanting to capture the Christmas season; as short as it is again this year.
All of the snow and proper winter weather we have received over the last couple weeks has done that more than any day trip could. I recently read that the Icelandic language has 85 words for snow. How is that for embracing it?
No matter which way the weather turns, I think we are especially good at living in the moment; recognizing every moment. It may be my Scandinavian heritage swaying me, but I don’t think so. We may not have 85 words, but we embrace it by getting cozy inside at a warm table looking out onto the street and layering up and chasing adventures one decorated window to the next, from block to block.
I don’t quite remember the first year I got my own Christmas tree; it has been a while ago now. And while it is still an adventure, now I believe that I’m picking trees like my mom used to for our family. Studying them? Of course. But not analyzing every single branch like I once thought I had to in order to find the perfect one. Because like winter itself, the point has never been to make it perfect.
We are just under two weeks until Christmas. But I am reminding myself that the day itself is not always the thing. It is everything leading up to it. What you hold onto are the moments you have not perfectly planned; maybe trekking through the snow. And the heat from a latte you buy yourself as you notice your grandson’s glasses fogging up after both shuddering at the elements when leaving with a new sweater you hope will be just a little bit warmer than an old go to. One new Christmas ornament you see in a shop and purchase every year means that future you will have a box full of all those memories.
I would have still liked to have seen Green Bay’s Christmas market, but I am not missing those plans. All the snow has been my reminder that it is not the big or even bigger plans, it is the small adventures, in our own neighborhood, and how we view them.
As always, wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas and magical moments downtown.
— Jordan Nordby is the executive director for Main Street Monroe. He can be reached at MonroeMainStreet@tds.net. Complete details on Main Street Monroe and its efforts can be found at mainstreetmonroe.org.
