Sleigh rides on a field of snow take the chill off winter during Winterville 1986 festivities in Streamwood. (Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com)
A winter storm covers the bare trees and farm fields with snow back in 1973. (Daily Herald file photo)
A “Sun dog” appears over the morning traffic Jan. 13, 1969. (Daily Herald file photo)
Bare trees cast shadows over a snow-covered field in Lake County in 1979. (Daily Herald file photo)
The “Blizzard of 1978” was just another of many blizzards to swirl through the aging boards of this Palatine Township barn. (Daily Herald file photo)
Snow falls over the historic Long Grove bridge in 1981. (Daily Herald file photo)
Cross-country skier Bob Denholm of Elk Grove skis in the winter wonderland of Busse Woods on Jan. 14, 1991. (Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com)
Winter snow falls soft, wet and silent over a Rolling Meadows pond in 1979. (Daily Herald file photo)
Trees, snow fence and semi truck are silhouetted against the winter sky and a snow covered field in Barrington in 1983. (Daily Herald file photo)
Icicles hang from a shop in Long Grove in 1984. (Daily Herald file photo)
Weeks of snow and accompanying cold weather in 1985 turned urban parks into shining white winter wonderlands such as Butler Lake Park in Libertyville. (Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com)
An elk calf and a full-grown male rest among the snowcovered trees in the Busse Woods forest preserve in 1978. (Daily Herald file photo)
Ice weighted down the branches of this evergreen bush in West Chicago in 1994. (Jeff Knox/jknox@dailyherald.com)
Woodland Trials Park in Mount Prospect is a great place to enjoy all the pleasures of the winter season in 1985. (Daily Herald file photo)
A crowded horse-drawn sleigh emerges from the woods at the Danada Forest Preserve in Wheaton in 1990. (Daily Herald file photo)
A cold, steamy Fox River runs along Water Street in East Dundee in 1992. (Daily Herald file photo)
A horse heads out to the pasture on a 5-degree day at a northwest suburban farm in 1977. (Daily Herald file photo)
The footwork of roaming youngsters was all that remained on a sunny day in January 1978 on the frozen Des Plaines River in Lake County. (Daily Herald file photo)
A snow-covered plants along Midlothian Road at sunset in 1983. (Daily Herald file photo)
A snow-covered trail and lake near Route 25 and Bartlett Roads in South Elgin in 1985. (Daily Herald file photo)
It’s hard to be neutral about winter.
Some simply dread the cold, storms and long, long nights. Others see its beauty, from the softly falling snow to the glistening icicles to the striking tree branches silhouetted against a wintry sky.
Many of us who grew up in the Snow Belt have fond memories of playing in the snow, skating on frozen ponds or just gazing in wonder at the season’s beauty.
Each winter is different, of course. Some bring more snow and cold than we can handle. Others are so mild they almost slip past unnoticed.
According to “The Old Farmer’s Almanac,” this winter “will be warmer than normal, with above-normal precipitation. The coldest periods will be in late December and early to mid-January and from mid-January into early February. Snowfall will be above normal in Illinois and below normal elsewhere.”
Only time will tell if that’s right, although predicting that it will be cold in Chicago from mid-January to early February is a pretty safe bet even if you don’t write an almanac.
We hope you enjoy this #TBT Gallery looking back at some scenic winters images from the ’60s to the ’90s.
Got an idea for a suburban #TBT Gallery? Share your ideas and photos with us at tbt@dailyherald.com. Share your favorite and memorable #TBT photos with us on Instagram using #tbtsuburbs.
