The lyrics of a wintertime tune may come to mind for some when there is any hint of snow in the forecast for Chattanooga:
"Oh the first snowfall of the winter
What a joy for a boy to behold.
In each house you'll find a sleigh
That was waiting for this day
And of course, down the road a hill
For each Jack and Jill."
Well, by the time they awake this morning, local Jacks and Jills will know whether predictions of a chance of snow late Thursday and early today panned out.
To the likely disappointment of children who might have been hoping for a day off from school -- but to the relief of adults who may have to drive to work -- there wasn't expected to be any significant accumulation. Indeed, in Chattanooga's generally mild climate, big snowstorms are not unheard of but are not common.
And yet perhaps for that very reason, young and old alike often thrill to even a possibility of waking to find a blanket of snow that seemingly has washed the whole world clean -- to say nothing of the prospect of mugs of cocoa to knock off the chill of building a snowman.
Alas, unless yesterday's forecasts were really off, it looks as though we'll all have to wait at least a bit longer for a winter wonderland.