I like snow. And I like skating, too—as long as the jacket’s warm and the wind smells faintly of eucalyptus, ocean, or whatever impossible blend makes this state feel like a dream stitched together with contradictions.
In the end, California offers us a winter built not of necessity but desire. And maybe that’s the sweetest kind: the one you seek out, the one you choose, the one that you let yourself believe in—even if it melts the moment you get back to the valley floor.
December—stretching itself across our days like a lazy cat that won’t get off your lap. And yet, for those of us who grew up imagining snowflakes drifting from a pewter sky, there remains a peculiar ache: the desire for a season we never really had.
I like snow. I always have. Maybe because it feels like magic—quiet, impossible, transformative. Snow is the world taking a deep breath and holding it. But here in California, unless you’re winding up into the mountains like you’re spiraling into another dimension, snow is something that happens “somewhere else.” It’s a visitor, not a resident. A cameo appearance, not a starring role.
But ice-skating—ah, that’s our loophole. That’s how we borrow winter without fully committing to it. There’s something enchanting about stepping onto a rink in a state where palm trees sway like bored supermodels. The air is crisp, your breath turns a little visible if you stand still long enough, and as long as you wear something warm—something that suggests winter even if the thermometer doesn’t—you can almost trick yourself into believing you’ve been transported.
There’s a peculiar type of joy in gliding across a sheet of frozen water while the rest of the world is sun-washed and golden. It’s theatrical, like performing winter on a stage set built by Californians who have only seen it in movies. Kids wobble, teens twirl, adults cling to the railing with the kind of determination usually reserved for New Year’s resolutions. And all of us, for a moment, share the fantasy.
Living here means accepting that winter is not a season—it’s an option. You can drive to it, flirt with it, dabble in it. You can snowshoe in the morning and return to iced coffee weather by afternoon. You can ice-skate in a sweater while someone across the street shops for surf wax. It’s absurd, and very cool .
On Monday, December 1, at 4:30PM, join us for a 90-minute skate session & ribbon cutting ceremony with the West Hollywood City Council, AHF President Michael Weinstein, and local businesses.
Date: Monday, December 1, 2025
Time: 4PM – 5:30PM
Location: West Hollywood Park, Great Lawn, 647 N San Vicente Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Parking: 2-hour Validation will be provided for the West Hollywood Library Parking Structure
