How to Make a Snow Lantern

Last January, after a heavy snowfall, my Finnish neighbor knocked on my door and asked if I'd like to learn how to make a snow lantern. I said yes before I knew what one was.

You roll snowballs, about the size of grapefruits, and stack them in a ring that narrows toward the top, like a little igloo with gaps. You put a tea light inside. That's it.

We built six along our shared walkway as the sun went down. When she lit them, the snowballs glowed from the inside, soft and orange, like something from a fairy tale. Cars slowed down. A family walking by stopped and built one of their own on the corner.

She told me her grandmother made them every winter outside Tampere. I've made them every snowfall since. My neighbor says it's the best thing about the cold. She's right. The cold has never looked so warm.