I Saw Ded Moroz on New Year's Eve!

Yes, I saw Dedushka Moroz, Grandfather Frost, on New Year's Eve! I had stepped out of my condo's back door to place a couple of bottles of bubbly on my patio to chill in the cold winter air. It had just gotten dark, and the edge of a cold front had arrived, soon to bring flurries of snow. I looked up and saw an amazing sight. The clouds had formed a perfect image of Ded Moroz, his big fluffy beard, nose and cheeks filling the eastern sky in perfect symmetry. And the timing was just about right because he had finished delivering gifts to all the boys and girls in Armenia, Russia, and other Eastern countries, and was by now headed West. There was no sign of Snegoruchka, the Snow Maiden. My own Snow Maiden waited for me inside: my wife, Irina. The magical visage of Ded Moroz lasted but a few minutes, then blew away as snow clouds began to cover south-central Indiana, and in the morning the snow would almost cover the ground. It was a magical experience, and a fitting end to the old year. Today we will celebrate with a New Year's feast, in the Armenian tradition of opening our home to guests on January 1st. I hope old Ded Moroz passed over your house, too. Happy New Year, S'Novim Godim!

Viktor Kuprin

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