Whether gazing from a hilltop or guarding the front yard, snowmen announce that winter is here-and all is well. While their presence as symbols of the Christmas season may date back only to the early part of the nineteenth century, the urge to shape snow into life-size figures probably stretches back farther, to the first time humans saw snow. Like clay or cookie dough, snow practically demands to be shaped. Who can resist? So bundle up and get rolling.

As snowmen go, there is nothing wrong with the classic three-baller, but snow is such a versatile medium you can easily coax it into more unexpected shapes. The most elaborate snow creatures require wooden skeletons for support, but these structures needn’t be fancy-a few scraps of wood screwed or nailed together will usually do the trick.

The best time to build a snowman is when the thermometer hovers at thirty-four degrees, and the snow is neither powder nor slush. You can simulate these conditions on colder days by spritzing warm water on the snow until it feels light and moist and packs well. After that, dress up your snowman with anything from your house or yard: vegetables and cookies, berries and pinecones, tinsel and tinfoil. A snowman, after all, will thrive wearing just about anything, except a suntan.

Snow Bear

Build a six-foot wooden skeleton to support the bear from two-by-twos using an electric drill equipped with a screwdriver bit. Screw skeleton to a two-foot-by-two-foot plywood base, and bury the base in the snow to keep the bear from toppling under his own weight. Dampen the wood using a spray bottle filled with warm water so the snow sticks. Pack snow around the wood; spritz each layer with warm water so it freezes. Once you have built a sufficient base of snow to flesh out the bear, leave the sculpture to freeze overnight. The next day, add the final coat, and sculpt the bear’s generous proportions more precisely. Add the bear’s vest by poking sprigs of pine into the snow. To create his lederhosen, wire pinecones to wooden dowels (below left), and insert them into the snow. An old black fedora with a pine-sprig feather sits on his head; his eyes and nose are made of dried prunes. Although carrots and coal are the classic choices for a snowman’s features, you can use almost anything you like, especially biodegradables that will blend into the ground as gracefully as your snowman.

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