The Winter

Saratov winter streets

The winter. This word makes me feel shiver. It isn't by association of ideas with the cold, sometimes really hard frosts and snowstorms. I clearly remember my eternal fear of falling walking the slippery road. In winter all roads are slippery. By sure there were some pleasant moments connected with this season but that image is the brightest of all. The short way up to school became impassable after a warm day and a cold night. Ice-covered ground made every one look like a clown, if it would be as funny as in the circus. After climbing the school hill poor creatures were tired and glad, a kind of alpinist's happiness. Every day's little victory didn't fill me with the joy, there was only constant fear of the falling and grave consequences. I couldn't allow myself "the luxury" to have the fracture. It could stay me without moving and my muscles would die forever. So many people have come to the wheel chairs thanks to the consequence of their fallings. Even an ordinary cold or flu could kill a person with such disease. 

Well, that time I wasn't afraid of catching the cold, on the contrary if it was too cold weather for going to school and they said on the radio that the lessons are cancelled we still took our sledges and went for a walk. It was great to have a free day and next morning everybody waited by the radio with the hope to hear the same good news. Unfortunately, the winters were not so generous for presenting us many days with temperature lower than -25C. If it was warmer the schools worked and the short winter days were spent in class rooms. And after lessons there was homework and if you went to sledge so only for a bit of time.

Little 'ballerina' by New Year Tree

My less loved season has the favorite holiday, I guess not only mine but the most of Soviet children. It isn't Christmas as in all other countries, we celebrated New Year. Our Santa Claus's name is Father Frost. He also brings presents but as I remember in our family like in all families of my friends there wasn't tradition to put presents under the New Year Tree. We got small bags with sweets and fruits at our kindergartens and schools. At home there was the smell of the holiday: the pine (always true one), oranges and tangerines, which we usually saw only this time of year.

It's hard to explain why every year the strange mood came just this only day. It seems that something very good should happen and bring a lot of joy and happiness. Even grown- ups became like children and let themselves to believe the fairy-tales at least a little. There is a kind of magic in this border between two years. All bad things and events sty in the past and the future must be better, nobody could stay why must it be such but just must. The life without illusions would be so dull and gloomy! I guess, it isn't important that nobody knocks at your door just this magic night, no good news come, and a lot of no, no, no... Dreams are needed just to make our life more beautiful, it would be stupid to wait of their realization.

      During my childhood there weren't many TV. programs for children and we ran home from the street to watch a short cartoon which lasted only 10-15 minutes. I still remember my dream to buy such TV.set which would show only cartoons for all day long, it seemed as impossible as a magic stick. Well, but during New Year holiday and till 11th of January when our winter holidays finished a lot of movies for children were showed. My mother put a warm cover on the floor in the middle of our living-room for me and two my little sisters and we had a great time watching T.V. and eating something tasty. And what a pleasure it was to have right not to go to bed at the usual time but stay with parents at the table even after midnight!

Only for having all this I was ready to stand the winter.