-Originally published December 2017-

Here in South Mississippi, a white Christmas is a pipe dream. My younger children, the three year old especially, are still hopeful that it will happen. My nine year old is much too wise and practical to believe in such an idea. It’s a beautiful thought, though.

So, if you live near the tropic region of the world and wear short sleeves to Christmas dinner, what’s a mom to do?

I loaded up my little crew.

We drove through the “bottoms” our affectionate term for our best piece of crop land.

I had all the kids stand up on the tractor and squint.

Voila! Instant fields of white.

No, it isn’t frosty and you can’t ski on it but we did pick it, pile it into balls and I can say they have thrown it at each other.

Cotton is beautiful in it’s many stages of formation but it’s final stage is perhaps it’s most glorious.

-Amanda Roberts