“A little elfin magic goes a long way.”   Keebler Cookie Sign

“A little elfin magic” – isn’t that a gift we can all use more of? A little pixie dust sprinkled on our day to reveal to us just how beautiful and magical this old world really is? Pixie dust from heaven: that’s how I think of snow.

When I was a kid back in Upper Manhattan, in my old neighborhood of Washington Heights, snow days were huge. No school! Hot chocolate! Goofing around! Reading!Well, today, we’re having a snow day right here in my hometown of Monclair and the same is surely true for many another writer. You may be one of them! Snow is falling right outside my door now and creating a contemplative mood.

So what are we scribes, snowbound literally (or metaphorically), to do? Some of us have to make our way through the snow, which can be fun or challenging depending on our point of view and the day’s demands. And some of us are lucky enough to be able to enjoy the coziness it creates — to feel cushioned and mantled by it.

Whether we are snowbound literally or figuratively, let’s take a few moments to “play around” in it — as if we enjoyed an old-fashioned snow day — and think of the ways in which it might add a little magic to our day and enliven our creativity:

We can make snowmen and ladies: We can walk in it, scoop it up, taste it, play in it, and even give ourselves the gift of a true snow day and make a snowman the way Alex and I used to when he was little. We can see it as an opportunity to sharpen our senses –- to taste, touch, and to see the world with fresh appreciation. To hear a different quality of silence.

We can see it as a “time out” – a joyful, fruitful retreat: We can revel in that sense of being “snowed in” – cushioned, protected, and separated from the rest of the world for a while. We can decide to let the world roll on as it will and slip into a small, cozy pocket of time that gives us permission to slow down, to savor, to turn inward and listen for the soft murmurings of a new idea or an inventive angle for our work.

We can add a sprinkling of magic to our work: With the snow literally transforming everything around us outside, we can “bring it home” – let that feeling of pixie dust falling from the sky somehow infuse and color our work – adding extra sparkle to it.

Many are the uses of what the world brings us if we can take a little time to savor its gifts. So if you’re having a true snow day – enjoy it! And if you are having a make-believe one – enjoy it! And let’s remember that a little elfin magic goes a long way as we all write on!