Snow is a great leveller, a sanitiser of people's frantic everyday lives, especially in this globally technological 21st century.
Unfortunately, with the infrastructure that this country has, with most transport and communication services deregulated since the 1980's to allow for greater profit and ease of use, essential services are no longer a requisite, private car-based transport has become the norm, and we have become spoilt by mild winters. It seems that there are still certain things in this world where we are still at the mercy of the elements - yet there are those who feel this should not be so.
In previous wintry times it was difficult but we coped. I well remember once travelling on the school bus as the only passenger - but the schools stayed open. The braced, bruised, and I confess rather boring British have revealed themselves to be more Scrooge-like than they realised, if snow is meant to be a symbol of Christmas spirit. "Nice to look at, not nice to be in" is a phrase often rendered; another way of putting that is things are fine in principle but not in practice.
The only true downside to the snow is the hurt, the damage and sometimes death caused, particularly to the sick and the elderly, for which sorrow and sympathy are required. For the rest it's really just a case of putting up with it.
Happy White Christmas.
