Snowflakes {Traditions & Tutorial}

It's Day 18 in WeNdYs WiNtEr WoNdErLaNd !!

When you live in the desert you tend to get excited when it snows or even rains!  We never seem to get enough of that!  I can actually count, {using only two hands and less than 10 fingers}  the number of times I remember snow here in Las Vegas!  I remember two times, growing up as a child, when we actually had snow days!  Here is a rare picture of my house the last time it snowed and things went a bit crazy as we received 8 inches in one day!  The above picture was taken on December 17, 2008.

 The time before that was on December 6th for my daughters birthday, many years ago.  We didn't have regular top hats for our snowmen so my fancy lady hats had to make due!

On a snow day in the desert, you can bet that everyone is heading out for some snow fun!

Everyone is excited...

to see what kind of mischief they can get into!

You might run across some pretty strange characters in the neighborhood!

But there will definitely be no lounging by the pool on a rare day such as this!

The palm trees don't know what hit them!

And even the miniature roses are confused!

Since we can't enjoy real snowflakes often enough here in the desert we must make our own instead!

 At our house we have a tradition of searching for snow for Christmas!  Sometimes this takes us on grand snowboard adventures to Whistler, Canada or ice skating in NYC's Central park or maybe just a quick day trip to our local mountain,  but we can always count on coming home to our warm and never-melting snowflakes!  They line the stairway...

and dress up the windows!

You can draw your own design or get an easy to follow book with patterns.  I purchased this book in 1990 and just make photocopies of the patterns for years of snowflake making fun!

Cut your paper into a square and fold paper in half. 

Fold in half again.  Run fingernail over each fold to make them firmer and easier to cut.

Now fold that square in half on the diagonal and make a triangle.

Cut all dark areas out now.  Hold paper firmly so it doesn't shift while cutting.

Unfold and flatten out snowflake.  You can place it underneath a heavy book to help flatten it out.

 I use double sided tape to put up on both window and wood stairway.  I save mine from year to year by storing them on layers of wax paper so they don't stick together, and just leaving the tape on .

Warning:  Making snowflakes can be addictive!  This might become a tradition for you now, but don't worry because everyone will want to receive one from you!  Repeating symmetrical patterns cut from paper is a folk art more than 2000 years old!

So there you have it!  A quick, fun, simple, cheap, beautiful snow day activity, no matter what your weather might be like!  All you need now is some hot chocolate and some children to enjoy this tradition with!  Who will you make your snowflake for?