How to Build the Perfect Snowman

Okay, I don’t know how to build a perfect snowman. I was born and raised in Florida—Fort Lauderdale to be exact, which is on the southeast coast. Now I live in Texas—Dallas/Fort Worth area. Neither of these places get a lot of snow, therefore I haven’t had much opportunity to practice my snowman making skills.

I did live in Connecticut for a few years, but didn’t have a yard of my own, so again, no chance to practice.

Because snow is one of my favorite things in the world, I’ve done some research, and I have seen enough snow to have a little bit of experience.

My first attempt to build a snowman came several years ago here in Texas. We’d only had a few inches of snow, and it only lasted a couple hours before it started melting away, and I spent just about every minute of that time scraping the snow together trying to put together a base for my snowman. It wouldn’t stick together and after a while it was filled with dirt, grass, and small twigs.

It was nearly impossible, and I was finally confronted with the fact I didn’t have enough snow to make any kind of snowman, much less the perfect snowman.

I had wasted my first attempt to build a snowman. But this failure led me to the most important thing I learned about snowman construction.

Here it is:

ROLL the snow. Start with a little ball and roll it, adding more snow as you go.

Once I had this technique, things were easier the next time it snowed and I had a chance to work on putting together the perfect snowman.

These snow people—one male, one female—were my first successful attempts! Not perfect, not even attractive, really, but made of snow, featuring the classic three parts (at one point), with hat and scarf. Snowmen!

What I learned in their construction was to make sure that I got far enough away from where construction was going to take place so that I’d have a big enough ball to make the snowman I wanted to make.

Now, I’m a (blah blah)-aged woman who has only made a couple snowmen in her life, and the last one was several years ago, and I have to admit I don’t remember all the details. I have the pictures, I remember putting to use what I had learned about rolling the snow, but not much else.

I wish I could remember how to get each of the balls on top of each other to make my snowman. I wish I could remember if they were really heavy or awkward, but I can’t.

Right now that’s vitally important because as I write this, it’s February 15, 2021. It snowed all day yesterday here in my part of Texas, and now I have a beautiful snow-filled yard.

I am also, with some friends, involved in a snowman making challenge. Building the perfect snowman is important to me.

I’m not usually very competitive. At all. But what with all my talk about loving snow and praying for snow, and wanting to make snow angels, and have snowball fights, I feel a bit of pressure to get out there in the yard and build a snowman. Not just any snowman, but the perfect snowman.

I’m going outside now to do just that

So, I’ve just come in from making my snowman for the challenge. It’s bad news, I’m afraid. The snow isn’t sticking. That means no rolling the snow to get a nice big base or any other snowman part. I had to resort back to my packing it on style, which doesn’t make for a really good looking, much less perfect snowman.

Here is my not-so perfect snowman. He’s about two feet tall. I used those colored stones that go in vases for his eyes, mouth and buttons. The snow is so flaky (I guess that’s how to describe it), that positioning, then repositioning them was really difficult. A couple times as I pulled one out to move it, a big chunk of my snowman went with it.

I’m telling you thin so you’ll understand why the mouth looks like it does (it almost looks like it belongs in a horror film!).

I found a few twigs in the yard for arms, so that part’s not bad, and the scarf is one I crocheted, so that’s pretty good. The nose is sunflower seeds I took from the bird feeder. I had a hat that I was going to use when I thought I’d be making a much bigger snowman, but with this little guy, that was a no-go, so I had to improvise. I don’t know if I’m embarrassed or proud to admit that the hat is one of my dog’s dishes.

When the dog finally broke down and came outside this morning, he headed straight to my snowman. I watched in horror, holding my breath, terrified he was going to contribute to the project, and paint him (or at least part of him) yellow. All he did was sniff. I guess he had the right, since it was his food dish on top.

I was the first one to get my snowman completed for the challenge. I braved 7° weather (-15° with wind chill) to do it, though I have to honestly admit it didn’t feel that cold to me. Once I get focused, I’m all about the end result. This is what my pants looked like when I came inside.

So, this snowman building experience was pretty much like all the others: not a complete success, but fun anyway. And just like the last time I didn’t do such a great job of making a snowman, I learned something from this attempt as well.

If I want to build the perfect snowman, I need a kid to help me.