For Harry’s first Christmas, we bought Elsa Beskow’s Ollie’s Ski Trip. The book follows a young blonde boy on a snow adventure; Jack Frost by his side. Jack is a bit harsh to Mrs. Thaw, a bent over, haggard woman with a corn broom who shows up sniffling and sweeping the pristine snow; turning it to a messy slush. When spring approaches, Ollie realizes that Jack misjudged Mrs. Thaw. Where once he could only see stark white, her hard work eventually yields a spring bounty of sunshine and flowers.

After a few days of icy roads and bitter sea winds, the snow melted and we reveled in a sunny evening; leaving our coats at home.