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If you’re someone who dreads the cold and dreary winter months, the prolonged mild temperatures that lingered into early December were warmly welcomed. For those of you who embrace the chilly early mornings spent scraping ice from a windshield, get excited because it looks like winter is finally here to stay.

The first big snow dump of the year brings families outside to enjoy the many winter activities. Building snowmen has remained a winter trend since the 1400’s; however,the history of the snowman isn’t particularly cheery. Snowmen were used to communicate frustration within communities during times of despair. The city of Brussels used snowmen to illustrate political and religious discontent during several months of subzero temperatures in 1511. Bob Eckstein’s article “Beyond Frosty: The Bizarrely Important History of the Snowman” explores more of the historical significance behind the snowman.