Snow is in the forecast- which means in Alabama we might not get a proper snowflake. We’ll look for the signs- the heavy low hanging clouds- snow clouds we call them, whether or not the ground is too warm or too dry or even too wet to stick. We’ll get in a flurry, making sure the pipes are covered, the wood is laid by for a fire, the candles are on standby and most of all we make sure we have milk and bread in the house- don’t ask me why we get these two things, but it is a boost to the local economies.
I also like to make sure there is at least a can or two of evaporated or sweetened condensed milk in the house, just in case we get to make a batch of Snow Cream. Southern Mothers pray the electricity will stay on, the pipes won’t freeze and that we can keep the little ones from tracking the snow into the house, not to mention warm and dry! The children hop from one foot to the other trying to ‘see’ when our Southern Daddies wake them up to look outside. We get so little snow here, that when we do get enough, we have to improvise makeshift sleds; one memorable sled was made from the hood of a car with a big rope attached- it might have been a prototype for the first five person sled. We’ve been known to use the lids of garbage cans, a piece of cardboard or even a small piece of lawn furniture to get the thrill of a lifetime sledding on home soil. There is nothing like getting out and making the first footsteps in new fallen snow, amid cries of ‘Oh don’t mess it up! It’s so pretty!’ 
Our Snowmen are notoriously small and misshapen and tend to hang around for just a short spell. Yet no one can deny the awe we feel looking out the window at a fresh glistening white blanket holding delightful magical possibilities.
Alabama is a true beauty covered in snow! We may only get a few flurries, but we know that Winter is the time to dream… 
A huge thank you to Jeremy Miniard, who once again has shared his photographic talents so generously!
Love y’all, Camellia
*All photographs are the sole property of Jeremy Miniard- visit his site at http://www.jeremy-miniard.fineartamercia.com – Most of these were taken several years back but we are so glad he shared them!
Famous Hotels like the Tutwiler even had floral bars off the lobby where my grandmother worked from time to time, Woolworth’s Department Store had a lunch counter and bargain basement which were all the rage, Pizitz had a mezzanine with a real elevator operator who said, ‘Going up! or Going down!’ as he turned the big crank and Burger Phillips had glass cases of fur coats- I know these cases inside and out because I got locked in one of them, hiding among the sneezy furs. My mother searched high and low trying to find me until a sales clerk saw a tiny hand inside the glass case! My track record wasn’t too good with Department Stores. To be honest, the whole Santa Claus thing was sort of frightening- I mean, a man dressed in a red suit, with reindeer landing on the roof and entering our house through our pristine fireplace which was for show but real, and then a big man that shook like a bowl of jelly either left a lump of coal or shiny new toys- dependent on whether or not my sister and I had been good or bad was scary, not to mention those mice that may or may not be in the house! But to actually go see Santa Claus in person and have to ask him di-rectly for presents, well that put me over the edge. Enter my sister who was dressed in a matching sailor coat and tam, but who was infinitely wiser and fearless, stood behind me in line prodding me along. I whispered I was afraid. She told me to stop being afraid. We were almost up to the front of the line, when she got exasperated with my whining and said- ‘Look, he’s not the real Santa Claus! He’s got on spats instead of real boots and he has on a Shrine Ring!’ That settled it, I went through with it, but to be honest? I was still worried to death about the whole thing.
Christmas actually starts months ahead of December in the South… lots of folks started Christmas Club accounts at their local banks last January, or put things on layaway back in the summer. Folks put up pickled peaches, preserves and cracked pecans for days on end looking forward to pecan pies, toasted pecans, pecan tassies and topping those sweet potato casseroles. And then there are a very few women who start their fruitcakes- real ones made up back in early Fall, when the mixing it all together, baking and the soaking with likker starts in earnest. If their faith teaches against the evil spirits of alcohol, the fruitcake making women enlist a man or a friend who is of another persuasion to ride over at least two counties to the ABC store to buy the Bourbon or the Dark rum- with a warning, ‘For heaven’s sake, please don’t let a soul see you buying this! -it’s for fruitcakes not for drinking!’ These are the Southern Spirits of Christmas. Truth be told most like to put a nip in their eggnog too and the menfolks generally have a spot where they can slip outside and imbibe. Can’t stand either fruitcakes or eggnog, never developed a taste for Strong Spirits myself, yet-I freely admit that it is nearly impossible to cook Southern food without some Spirits accompanying the other ingredients. For instance, after Hot Pecan Pies come out of the oven, a sizzling sprinkle of Bourbon raises up a Pecan Pie like nothing can. One could argue that Rum aids and abets many desserts, a Bread Pudding or the accompanying Hard Sauce really does need to be Spirited, flavored extracts just won’t get it done. Some of the best beverages in the world were conjured up right here in the South. Co-Cola (yes, that’s, how we pronounce it) Bourbon, Sweet Tea, Buffalo Rock and Jack Daniels are just a few. It is the moderation of these Southern Spirits which is key. And while strong drink might be evil to some- it does bring a certain Southern Comfort to some with a bittersweet heartache and even a Festive Spirit to the holidays. Now, about those Bourbon balls…don’t get me started!
Whether you can make them or not- give the gift of Christmas Rolls. One of the most thoughtful things you can do is provide good rolls. Southerners love yeast rolls, especially during the holidays. Old Holiday Menus set our mouths watering with visions of hot yeast rolls and melted butter dancing in our heads. We cut our teeth on yeast rolls made for special occasions. The best memories are conjured up when we smell fresh baked rolls.
Camellia's Cottage 