The Daily Campus

Issue date: 12/10/07 Section: Finals Extra

Media Credit: Jordan Cooke

he perfect snowman is one that can withstand the wind, makes its creator proud and makes its viewers smile. But there are some things that no snowman can do without.
"When I think of a snowman, I think of the top hat, the carrot for a nose - Frosty, basically," said Christine Lutian, a 5th-semester French and German double major.
And though the classic "Frosty the Snowman" song has influenced much of the thinking on what a snowman should be like, there are so many more possibilities.

Frosty's Body:
There are two schools of thought as to how to create the body of a snowman, though both agree on the kind of snow required to start. Fluffy, powdery snow will not work. Snowmen require wet, sticky, heavy, dense snow in order to have a fighting chance at staying up for more than a few hours. In the classic movie "Frosty the Snowman," the children create palm-sized balls of this sticky, wet snow and then keep packing them until they get too large to hold. They then roll the snowballs across the grass so they become large enough to become the bottom segment of the snowman's body. However, that is only one way to build a snowman. Another method suggested by AllAboutLawns.com, could be helpful for those without gloves and involves use of a bucket to collect snow.
"Dump it out and slap it around until it looks like a person," according to the Web site, encouraging creators to aim for a "fairly symmetrical, large, round ball for the snowman's bottom section."
Each section of the snowman - and there can be two or three - should be smaller than the one below it.

Frosty's Wardrobe:
Classic snowmen have three buttons, a scarf and a hat of some kind. The buttons can be real if you're "splurging" or just have a lot of spare buttons lying around, or can be created from bits of coal, pebbles, drops of food coloring or bits of round, colorful candy.
Not wearing a scarf? Frosty could use one. It is cold out there, after all. Wrap it around where the head snowball meets the body snowball and tie it snugly so it doesn't blow away. However, make sure not to tie it too tightly or you could end up breaking

the head snowball, and a headless Frosty is creepy.
Hats give Frosty personality. In the "Frosty the Snowman" movie and song, Frosty wears an old silk hat that brings him to life. But what college student owns an old silk hat that would last through a few New England winter days? Why not make Frosty a fan of your favorite sports team by putting him in a baseball cap? A cheap costume top hat or fedora tells people that Frosty's a classic snowman. Try out different personalities with hats such as princess crowns, witches' hats, cowboy hats and sombreros.

Continued...

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