Winter Wonderland State of Mind

Let’s talk about snow misery (sneeuw ‘ellende‘). You hear it everywhere: on the radio, in the news, in passing conversations. Endless snowfall. People stuck at home. Flights canceled. Airports closed. Traffic jams stretching into eternity. What a disaster, they say. What an inconvenience. What an ordeal.

Honestly? I don’t quite get it.

All week, I have been on hold. Waiting. Watching the forecasts and listening to the live streams of Noodweer.be . Ready to go the moment the snow would finally fall. Living so close to the seaside, I’ve learned not to expect too much—snow here is always a question mark, a promise that may or may not be kept. Still, day after day -for 5 long days that seemed like an eternity-, I go out chasing it. Here, there, further inland. Just following the white.

Then this little sentence landed in my mailbox, perfectly timed:

“If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in life but still the same amount of snow.”

And really, that says it all.

How can anyone deny the quiet magic of this white gold? The way it transforms the world—softening edges, muting noise, wrapping everything in a gentle white blanket. The world turns into a fairytale. Trees sparkle. And suddenly, if only for a moment, we are all walking through a true winter wonderland.

The snow feels like an invitation. A rare one, especially here in the Benelux, where snow doesn’t come often and never stays long. That’s exactly what makes it precious.

Day after day, the chase continued, until the final reward: a shoot in the Hoge Venen. And there, it wasn’t just snow. It was rijm—delicate frost covering everything, transforming the landscape into the most breathtaking winter wonderland imaginable. More beautiful than this? Impossible. Pure visual poetry. Total ecstasy.

I come home completely exhausted, frozen to the bone—and utterly happy. Heavenly.

Snow asks us to pause. To step out of the daily rush. To look. To breathe. To let the world slow down, whether it wants to or not. Snow doesn’t ask for permission; it simply arrives and gently suggests that maybe—just maybe—we can slow down too.

Make a warm drink. Wrap yourself in a blanket. Go outside and let the cold kiss your cheeks. Listen to the silence only snow can bring. Feel it crunch beneath your feet. Let your thoughts wander.

Snow is not a burden. It’s not a curse. It’s a temporary miracle. A reminder that beauty doesn’t always arrive on schedule—and that convenience is definitely not the highest goal in life.

And just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone. We had just left the winter wonderland of the Hoge Venen, heading home, when the rain started—pouring nonstop for the entire three-hour drive. By the time I woke up this morning, it was all gone. Just like that. Storm Goretti had swept in, turning the white world into muddy puddles, dissolving the winter wonderland, and with it, the magic.

Let me know in the comments if you are a snow lover or hater.
Photo taken by me in Hoge Venen.