Aprill Brandon: A Yankee seeks to find out why snow is so exciting
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Nothing as a Yankee makes you feel more superior than when it snows in South Texas.
That is, of course, unless you happen to be a Yankee when it snows in South Texas and work at a newspaper.
For the past couple of days, all I've heard is people geeking out about the possibility of snow. And then when it did snow, the level of geeking out reached Trekkie convention levels, even in the newsroom. Having grown up in Ohio (motto: It snows here...A LOT), it was simply fascinating to watch.
Of course, in a place where you're lucky if it snows once in a century, Friday's snowfall was news. Big news. And so, in a blatant display of regionalism, my editors picked me as the plucky reporter to go out in the snow and get reactions from people around town.
Naturally, my first journalistic instinct was "seriously?" As our Yankee intern, Drew Stewart, succinctly put it, "You know what we call this kind of snowfall in a Midwest winter? Tuesday."
But I decided to be a good sport and head out anyway.
Wanting to get the perspective of a child who was seeing snow for the first time, my first stop was at the Victoria Mall, where I accosted a young mother and her 4-year-old daughter.
"It's cold," the little girl, Elsie Bright, said.
When further pressed for details, she added "and wet."
When pressed for even more detail, Elsie finally opened up.
"I'm getting Elmo for Christmas!" she exclaimed.
Luckily, her mother, Shannon Bright, was a bit more excited about the snow.
"Oh, I'm loving it," Bright, 28, said. "It happens so rarely here that it's really exciting when it snows."
Fellow mall shopper Teresa Lopez was equally excited about the snow.
"There's nothing like snow to put you in the Christmas mood. It's great," the 63-year-old grandmother said. "And I finally get to wear this fur-lined coat I got last Christmas from my husband."
Just before leaving the mall, I decided to talk to the biggest Yankee of them all to get his perspective on the snow.
Santa Claus.
"Well, this snow is really kind of minor compared to what we have at the North Pole," Santa said in between listening to the wish lists of children. "We have really big snows up there. But this is nice. It's beautiful."
Farther on in my journey around town (and after the 164 ounces of Red Bull I drank that morning), I decided to pull over at a convenience store to use the facilities when I ran into Victoria native Ashley Richard. She kindly agreed to answer my professional reporter's question of "Why is everyone geeking out?"
"Of course they are. Snow is rare all the way down here, and it makes it feel like Christmas," she said. "You never hear any Christmas songs about it being 70 degrees and balmy. Even if it's just for a day, it's nice to have a Christmas season like you see in the movies."
Most of the people I talked to also fondly remembered the time it snowed on Christmas 2004. You have to admit, for a place that never gets snow, Victorians hit the jackpot this decade. And perhaps that is the biggest reason why people are geeking out. Simply put, they'll get to rub this into their future grandchildren's faces for years to come (although the last person I talked to put it much more kindly).
"People will be talking about this forever," Mario Cano, 20, said. "These are the stories you can tell your grandchildren."
Aprill Brandon is a reporter for the Victoria Advocate. You may reach her at abrandon@vicad.com or at 361-580-6514.
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Zorro..."I saw the blizzard in the Midwest on the news and thought about our snow last week."
Does it make you glad you live here where snow is a BIG deal? I know I LIKE living where a freeze lasts a couple of days instead of a couple of months and snow -- ANY snow -- is headline news because in only happens once every several years.
December 9, 2009 at 7:40 a.m.I saw the blizzard in the Midwest on the news and thought about our snow last week.
"A fierce winter storm was leaving dangerous ice, heavy snow and vicious winds in its wake as it slogged eastward Wednesday, threatening to wreak havoc on commuters in the Upper Midwest and closing schools" AP
December 9, 2009 at 7:13 a.m.rofl
So glad us dumb rednecks could make you feel superior. Hee-haw!
j/k
December 6, 2009 at 2:48 p.m.why are you your own favorite subject matter ?
why isn't this in your personal diary instead of the newspaper ?
December 5, 2009 at 4:19 p.m.Are you people for real? Seriously. If you can't see that this was done in fun, then go back to your panic rooms. To think that anyone would take offense to anything in this story is completely ridiculous. I don't care if it's typed or spoken....the intent of the article is beyond obvious. Come on.
December 5, 2009 at 2:35 p.m.Didn't someone say something about running around a building buck naked if it snowed?
December 5, 2009 at 2:26 p.m.AprillBrandon,
I don't think you are culturally illiterate or a bigot. However, I do believe that the words Yankee and Hillbilly are often used in a pejorative way by people north and south. The terms can also be used to poke fun, with the right inflection and a smile. The right inflection and smile are difficult to convey in the printed word and when you get it down you might be Pulitzer Prize material.
December 5, 2009 at 11:34 a.m.Oh good grief. For cryan' out loud what is the big deal about this article. It's very well written, the comments by Santa Clause at the mall are creative. There was no obviously no malice intended. The superiority analogy was solely in reference to someone who grew up in frequent and abundant snowfall areas to the reaction of those for whom snowfall is rare. In no way do I interpret it as "I'm better than you". People! Laugh more in your lives, teach yourself to enjoy life instead of looking to pick what others say and do apart. Not one of us amongst these posts and blogs is perfect. We all have our PIQ's (Personal Issuses & Quirks). None of us need to casting stones!
December 5, 2009 at 11:33 a.m.Bottom line the word "superior" was not acceptable to most of us who have read this article and in no way was it an innocent joke to those who take being a Texan seriously! Your choice of words could of been better and then maybe we would of picked up on your as you like to call it "light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek" a little better.
December 5, 2009 at 11:10 a.m.My hubby was born on Minnesota and his family is there. I enjoy picking on them because of their funny accents and their tiny fish. =D I went ice fishing once and kept throwing the "crappies" back because I thought they were baby fish.
December 5, 2009 at 10:43 a.m.Thanks Matt and Rebecca. And if it makes anyone feel better, I have also written several articles in the past making fun of myself as I've tried to cope with the heat and humidity down here and the giant Texas insects. It's only now, after being down here four years, that I can make it through August without curling up in the fetal position and sobbing on a daily basis. :)
December 5, 2009 at 10:36 a.m.I love your humor!
December 5, 2009 at 10:29 a.m.Just to clarify, I didn't mean to offend anyone with this article. It was meant to be light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek. I don't really feel superior to anyone. My editors and myself just thought it might be fun to do an article from the perspective of someone who grew up surrounded by snow and talk to people who typically don't see snow.
December 5, 2009 at 10:08 a.m.It was never my intention to offend anyone.
zorro,
Did you just call Aprill Brandon "culturally illiterate" and a "bigot"?
You do know that namecalling other members, especially staff members is a no-no and violates the Advocates Terms of Service?
December 5, 2009 at 10:04 a.m.The word Yankee is used as a pejorative term down here occasionally, just like hillbilly is used as a pejorative term in northern states. The people who incorporate those words into their vocabulary for the most part are culturally illiterate or bigots.
December 5, 2009 at 9:27 a.m.Man, the nerve of her to write something such as this. That really light my fire after reading this, "I'm better than you because I lived where it snowed all the time." OMG....did you mess this one up. If there is ONE thing you DO NOT do to us Texans...it was this Girl. A "Yankee" telling her "SUPPOSED" superiority to us and our exsperinces. GIRL, you just lost some freinds on here I'm sure of it! Man, what were you thinking?!
December 5, 2009 at 9:25 a.m.I like to thank the Victoria Advocate and April for making our snowday important and sweet to the many of people around here who found it the same. The answer is so simple, when you don't have something so pretty as snow your desire is great, when you have snow all the time it will lose it's desire.
December 5, 2009 at 9:11 a.m.Well bless your heart! Sorry the beautiful experience "geeked you out!" We happened to like it...But if that's what makes you feel "superior", knock yourself out!
December 5, 2009 at 8:32 a.m.I've never lost my childhood joy over seeing snow - even after living through three Canadian winters. (Canadian winter is like, 11 months long.) I enjoyed your take on the snow in Victoria because that is how all the Canadians reacted to me! "What? You're excited about this white stuff?" (They asked as they packed their bags for Jamaica.)
December 5, 2009 at 4:05 a.m.Aah, who's raining on whom? Try and develop a sense of humor of your own, f'cryin' out loud.
December 5, 2009 at 2:33 a.m."Trekkie convention levels" - snorf!
On the other hand, how often does Ohio get hit by a hurricane?
December 4, 2009 at 9:14 p.m.After reading this, I canceled my ski vacation outing to Vail and booked a ski trip to Cleveland,Ohio. Who knew? Thanks!
December 4, 2009 at 5:47 p.m.Enjoy your short lived feeling of superiority. I have a hunch it will be difficult to locate next August when it's 102 out with no breeze and the humidity up in the 85-90% range. Hopefully they'll see fit to send you on a hike around the mall parking lot asking the locals what they think of the heat? A tip - most of them probably won't want to hear the question "hot enough for youse guys?"
December 4, 2009 at 5:23 p.m.