No, that’s not a reindeer caught in our Syracuse backyard. It’s Ellie B, aka Dogamous Pyle, happy to welcome our first sticking snow of the season.
‘Tis the season in Syracuse, N.Y.
I opened my eyes this morning to our first snow, bright white on a gray day. It’s sticking stubbornly on the lawn, not melting away a bit, just two days after I played golf while wearing shorts.
Somebody up there knows something.
Santa Claus is coming to town today, too.
The welcoming signs at Destiny USA trumpeted the big guy’s arrival as I visited the huge mall for a Thursday morning walk.
Santa will make his first appearance in the Syracuse shopping center at 5 p.m. today. I suspect there will be more than a bit of fanfare.
A family at Destiny USA in Syracuse takes photos in the spot ready for Santa’s arrival for the season this afternoon.
Already Thursday, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” was repeating over and over on the background music in the huge collection of stores, restaurants and recreational facilities.
The decorations already were out in full in the downstairs area in the new addition where for the next seven weeks, Santa will welcome the little boys and girls to sit on his knee and tell him the gifts they want and deserve for being good.
The trees were up and decorated. Festively wrapped packages were here and there on the floor, some stacked and some singly. Lights were strung, twinkle ready to be reflected by garland and tinsel.
A family had already decided that this Thursday, exactly three weeks before Thanksgiving, was the perfect time to sit their little one down on a matriarchal knee to take pictures with all those wonderful decorations as the backdrop.
Yup. At Destiny USA, the holiday to be happy arrives today. Even if the snow melts away by this afternoon.
Mark Bialczak 
Love the photo, but am mostly jealous of the snow. 😛 We’ll be in New Jersey for two weeks in December and I can’t wait!
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Are you ready for your allotment on Northeast winter? Short-timers can enjoy it more than the rest of us.
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I’m originally from New Jersey, but will definitely be a “short-timer” on this trip. I miss the seasons, but it’s been so long since I’ve lived there that I’m now a total wimp in the colder temps.
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I should have remembered from reading that you are a Jersey Girl. Have a great return trip and enjoy the season. Bring a warm jacket!
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Bring ’em back to Santa’s lap once a week until Christmas and tell them it’s the guy in the red suit who decides when the presents get there …
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Wow – I hope those parents realize that once the kids have given Santa the list it’s going to be a major job explaining that Santa won’t actually be coming for 7 weeks. Night after night….
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We had some rainy snow today…it didn’t stick, thank goodness..soon enough though..lol
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Yes, Mer, we are almost to the snow-shoveling portion of the program. I had to brush the snow off the cars this morning because it did not melt quickly enough. It didn’t stick on the driveway, thankfully.
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All I have to say is…
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Ha! Thanks for the video gift, Chris.
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So Santa brought snow along for his grand entrance to Syracuse. I knew I loved that man.
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Sure makes for a smoother landing, right C&C?!
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Yes! That man knows what he’s doing!
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My husband is doing a roofing job in Syracuse right now. I got an email this morning that just said, “Burrrr” and had a pic of the snowy ground attached.
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No, even with the snow melted, I would not want to be up on a roof today here in Syracuse, Kim! Brrr indeed.
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Ha ha…I just called him. They tried doing detail work for a couple hours this morning, no go!
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Love the picture of the snow – good thing you made the most of the sunshine the other day. Have a great weekend.
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Yes, Rachel, once we get snow flying like that, I doubt that it will get nice enough for me to want to play golf again until late March or early April! You have a great weekend, too.
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I’m glad the world hasn’t done away with mall Santas yet. I’m sure some group will find it offensive for some ludicrous reason and make it a thing of the past some day. I just hope it’s not in my life time.
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Kids of all ages and backgrounds seem to love visiting Santa. That alone should be enough to keep the tradition. Thanks, Don. Have fun bringing your three lovelies to see Santa soon.
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