Not Just a Corn Cob Pipe and Button Nose The Surprising History of the Snowman
The Schenectady Massacre Not all snowmen have an innocent history. In 1690, former Fort Schenectady in upstate New York was home to a remote Dutch settlement, which was under the constant threat of attack. Soldiers guarded the gates at all times because they were frozen open, but during a blizzard, they left a pair of snowmen to protect the gates while they sought shelter. That's when 200 French Canadian soldiers and Native Americans approached. Naturally, they were unfazed by the snowmen and ruthlessly invaded the settlement. Building a snowman seems like a simple and charming activity, but after learning about its surprising history, you might find those piles of snow seem a little more complicated and a lot more meaningful than before.
Building a snowman is one of the most picturesque winter activities, which is why snowmen have become a wintertime cultural icon. A snowman appeared on the very first postcards, was the subject of some of the earliest photos, and even starred in silent movies. Frosty may be a happy snowman now, but his ancestors have a much more varied — and sometimes dark — history. The Middle Ages Snowmen were a phenomenon in the Middle Ages. They were constructed with deep thought and great skill because, during a time of limited means of expression, snow was a free art supply that literally fell from the sky. These artistic feats were popular winter attractions for well-to-do couples who wanted
to get their fix of temporary art. Snowmen were often created by famous artists, including 19-year-old Michelangelo who, in 1494, was commissioned by the ruler of Florence to sculpt a snowman in his mansion’s courtyard. The Miracle of 1511 In Brussels in 1511, during six weeks of subzero temperatures called the Winter of Death, the city was miraculously adorned with hundreds of snowmen. The spectacle told stories on every street corner — some political and some demonstrating anger with the church, many too risque to speak of. For the people of Brussels, this Miracle of 1511 was a defining moment of artistic freedom. But when spring came and the snow thawed, the Belgians were left with damaging floods.
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HEALTH ROAD MAPS: Achieve a Better, More Restful Night’s Sleep
With respect to wealth, maybe you have some goals or outcomes, but you aren’t sure where to start. Reach out to your wealth manager for a brainstorming session — or to discuss anything that may be on your mind. They can help you put together a road map for your wealth goals, or even help you establish new goals. If you’re not a client, you can always call us to set up a meeting to see if we’d be a good fit for you and your goals. As for fulfillment, go back to your bucket list. What can you do in 2021? What do you want to do? Pick out bucket list items you want to cross off in 2021 and put dates next to them. Use those dates to plan out your year. As we turn the page to another year, I want to thank each of you for having faith in us as we navigated the challenges of 2020. In the end, it was still a good year. Now is the time to plan for a better 2021. If you want to call it your reset year, do it. Figure out what you want to do to make 2021 an incredible year! And have a happy New Year!
Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your mind and body. One study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found that the quality of your sleep is much more important than quantity if you want to feel rested. Since we all want to feel rested, what can we do at home to improve the quality of our sleep and get the rest we need? Listen to your body. This, above all else, is crucial to a good night’s sleep. Your body knows when it’s time for bed. Generally, you want to go to bed when you feel tired, whether that’s at 8 p.m. or 1 a.m. No matter the specific time, make a habit of going to bed at the same time each night. The more consistent you are, the better your sleep will be. Wake up naturally. Jolting yourself awake with an alarm or radio isn’t doing your brain and body any favors. It can be stressful on the body and even elevate blood pressure, which is not good first thing in the morning.
If you do need an alarm, consider a wake-up light. Wake-up lights mimic the sunrise, slowly brightening any room, waking you up in a natural, easy way. Kick the screen habit. You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again. Looking at a screen — a TV, a computer, a tablet, a smartphone — before bed is detrimental to sleep quality. Light from these devices is disruptive to your brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a part of the brain within the hypothalamus. The SCN helps regulate your circadian rhythm and screen time before bed can throw off normal SCN function. Put your excuses for staying up too late to bed. Say no to “one more episode.” And all those emails? They can wait until tomorrow. Not getting enough quality sleep is harmful to your mental and physical health. When you can get into these three habits, you’ll soon find yourself feeling rested, refreshed, and on your way to improving another aspect of your health and wellness.
Kelly Campbell
2 • CampbellWealth.com
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