It’s been snowing off and on since Tuesday; at first just a dusting, but now, in droves. There’s a substantial amount blanketing the ground outside; cars look like marshmallows. Since our first snow several weeks ago, I’ve been patiently waiting for its return (as a native North Carolinian, snow will always be pretty magical to me).

The timing is good, because snow makes the dark season immensely more cheerful. And today, the dark season, mørketida, officially begins. November 21st marks the first day of the year in Tromsø when the sun doesn’t rise above the mountains in the south. We’ve said goodbye to the sun until January 21st! The middle hours of the day will be filled with twilight, which means that on a clear day, for a few hours the sky will be filled with the most beautiful colors – an hours-long dramatic sunrise/sunset (for it is both but neither, of course).

Christmas lights have started going up around town, too. For an American, it can feel like holiday lights before Thanksgiving is too early – but Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in Norway, of course, and as the sun disappears, lights around the city are a welcome sight. Tromsø’s holiday street lights are absurdly charming: garlands of evergreens strung with soft white lights framing huge red hearts. It’s hard not to love the warm glow.

The city is also preparing its Christmas tree. This tree was brought in by helicopter just a few days ago; next weekend, the lights will be lit in a celebration. It sits in Stortorget (“the big square”) in the middle of town. I remember the tree lighting in Debrecen, so I’m looking forward to seeing the lights go on next weekend. With any luck the snow will stick around.

If it’s cold where you are, I hope you’re keeping warm! I’ll be mostly snuggling up indoors (lovely) working on term papers (less lovely), but I’m also working on that blog post about making modifications for Aspen. It should be up soon!