My granddaughter called this morning, and we talked about building snowmen. Since we are both living in a snow globe, it seemed a perfect topic. However, I did experience a pang of guilt upon hanging up.

Remembering the years of stuffing children into snow gear — and out — and in — and out — and in, ad infinitum, I could just imagine some of the dialogue going on at Immy’s house and in houses all over the snowy states. It begins with, “Mom (or Dad), can we go out, pleeeeeeease?” And it often ends with one more trip to the door.

However, if you’re surrounded by snow, and the snowsuit thing is driving you batty, here’s an alternative. I enjoy the “oooh, ahhhh” kind of crafts as much as anyone, but indoor snowmen are not exactly art. They have to be quick. And easy. And doable with whatever is on hand. If you have more stuff at hand than I did, yours will be much cuter.

I made the ones above in less than five minutes, speedier than I normally would because I discovered I no longer own play gloves, and snow is COLD. Here are the ingredients I started with:

One cookie sheet with a lip, spray bottle to set snow that’s too fluffy, and veggie strips for embellishment.

Creating indoor snowmen

• Gather cookie sheet, spray bottle (if your snow is light and fluffy), and embellishments.
• Use the cookie sheet to scoop up a mound of snow. You will need more than you think.
• Bring it inside, and start forming snowballs. Spritz with water if snow doesn’t stick together.
• Frequently dip fingers in warm water and dry them if working without gloves.
• Add embellishments. This would have gone better for the model if I had not kept absentmindedly eating the veggie strips. I ended up adding whole cloves for eyes, and a few sad cherry tomatoes for color.
• Take a picture of your indoor snowmen or village, and then set it out for the birds to enjoy.

Making a village

I would have liked to make an entire snow village on the cookie sheet, but the no gloves problem (and snacking on the limited supply of embellishments), made me decide to go with quick and done. It could be a lot of fun to make a little village, with buildings, paths, people, animals, or whatever. You could even build Hobbiton or something from Star Wars, if that’s where imagination takes you. Kids have endless imaginations, and a tray of snow is a quick and easy starting place.

And now, time for some chili and southern cornbread!

One more look at the indoor snowmen before they go out to commune with the birds.

See the deer lying in the snow? This little herd of eight visits daily, but I’ve never seen any of them lying down. Snow kept falling on them, so perhaps it was like a blanket. It’s not the best quality photo, but I didn’t want to open the door and frighten them away.

We keep party lights on the deck all year, just because I like sparkly lights. They looked so pretty in the snow!

If you’re in a snowy place, I hope you will stay warm and dry. And enjoy the moment—it won’t last forever!