- WARD – December 24th

It begins to snow overnight. There's only a soft dusting on the estate when we wake up on Christmas Eve, but the flakes continue to fall steadily. After lunch, when there are four inches of white powder on the ground, Lou bundles Ramona up in her winter gear and takes her outside for her first real glimpse of one of the season's greatest wonders.

Our daughter won't remember it, of course, but that doesn't matter. I can hardly see Ramona's ...