Father Frost was a fraud.
Miriam knew that now. Because today in class her teacher had taught them about snow and how it was like rain but frozen into tiny ice crystals that fall from the sky when it’s cold enough, but not too cold. Her teacher had said that when air climbs higher and higher it gets colder, which didn’t really make sense to Miriam because it was getting closer and closer to the Sun, but whatever. Her teacher said that cold air can’t hold as much water so it all starts sticking together and then when the temperature gets to 0 °C the water turns straight into ice crystals. Each crystal grows a unique, beautiful shape, like little six‑pointed stars.
Miriam’s teacher said we were like the beautiful crystals, all unique and beautiful but part of a wonderful collective. So naturally Miriam raised one hand straight into the air to ask why snow was fluffy if it was frozen water, because Miriam would add ice to her drinks and that was frozen water and it definitely wasn’t fluffy.
Her teacher explained that each crystal is so tiny that millions of them pile up together and because they’re so teeny tiny and light there’s a lot of empty space between them, which Miriam supposed was true enough. When she stepped in the snow it would get all flat from her boots so there must have been space between the snowflakes. But her mama had always told her that Father Frost made it cold and the Snow Maiden made it snow.
Oh shoot!
Did that mean the Snow Maiden was a fraud too! Miriam crossed her arms in her seat on the tram to think about how everything she knew was a lie. Father Frost and the Snow Maiden were both frauds because everyone knew that teachers didn’t lie and if the snow came from water freezing and falling then that had to be the truth. So why had mama lied to her?
Miriam looked out the window at all of the snow on the sides of the road and in people’s yards, and clinging to the tree branches when mom tousled her hair and asked her how school was and what did they do today. So Miriam told her they learned about snow, but she didn’t tell her mom that Father Frost and the Snow Maiden were frauds, instead she turned her bag over in her lap and undid the metal clasps to pull out a paper snowflake she had made in class after they learned all about snow and showed it to mom. Her mom said the snowflake was beautiful just like Miriam.
They took the tram all the way until they reached a really busy corner and mom told her they were going to get off the tram to make a stop at the store to buy some candles because mama had forgotten to get them the other day and we needed them for the menorah. Mom let Miriam go through the spinning door first because Miriam loved going through the spinning door because if you went fast it went fast and if you were quick enough you could trap someone halfway through which Miriam thought was funny but also, maybe it was dangerous, so it was a good thing she only ever stopped the door long enough to make mom laugh.
There, just inside the door of the store Miriam saw the frauds, a stuffed Father Frost and a stuffed Snow Maiden, they looked so soft and so squishy. Miriam knew better. Mom saw them too and exclaimed how cute they were and how if they were lucky the Snow Maiden wouldn’t let it snow until after they got home to light the menorah. Miriam didn’t have the heart to tell her mom that the Snow Maiden didn’t actually make it snow.