Winter

By Leah Martinez

Winter is a beautiful season. Winter is a season that brings togetherness with the holidays; it’s a time many look forward to, seeing relatives they don’t often see, as well as continuing traditions. There are many things associated with winter, such as peppermint and snow. All symbolic things of winter appear like we know so much about winter, and yet there are many things that many don’t know about it!

There are many fun things about winter. First off, there is snow, one of the most beautiful parts of winter, but it is also a very important part of winter. We all connect snowstorms with the cold weather, when the snow’s influence on the weather and climate actually continues long after the storm has ended. Since snow is very reflective,an extensive amount of sunlight hits the snow and is reflected back into space instead of warming the planet. The ground would absorb four to six times more of the sun’s energy without the snow cover. Not having snow and having snow control the heating and cooling patterns over Earth’s land surface more than any other single land surface feature.

There are many things associated with many different seasons/ holidays. For winter, it is peppermint, and it is also associated with Christmas. The big question is, why is peppermint the flavor of winter/Christmas? The reason lies within peppermint candy canes, according to The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, a local confectioner created a special hard candy for the children to stay busy with for a while. The candy was shaped like a cane. The companion also stated another reason, being that the candy cane was meant to form a J for Jesus’ name.

Winter is a season that many love, but most don’t know many facts, like these two facts. Winter is a beautiful season with the snow and peppermint all around. During winter, you can sense the snow coming with the way the air becomes crisp and the first few snowflakes start to fall. And it is even better when you go out the morning after a night of snowfall.