Maybe it didn’t come exactly in time for Christmas, but the snow that covered Suffolk in a blanket nearly a foot deep on Sunday was right on time for many of the folks in the city.

Despite the mess that it created on area highways and the headaches it may have caused some people who had plans to travel on Sunday or Monday, it’s hard to deny the transformative nature of the storm that hit the area during the Christmas weekend. When Suffolk awakened from its slumber on Sunday, the world had been changed. Things that once seemed mundane and unremarkable had overnight taken on an entirely new character. It was all but impossible to step outside and see things in the same way that we were used to looking at them.

Families that might have been tempted to spend the day inside playing their new video games or watching television suddenly found a reason to be outside together. Snowmen, snow forts, igloos and all sorts of other creations sprang up around the city. Neighbors helped each other dig out, and for a couple of days life was simple again.

It can be hard in today’s world to find a reason to justify slowing down. We all have commitments that seem to have a right-now quality that makes taking a break seem to be a luxury we cannot afford. Every once in a while, though, nature steps in and forces us to do just that. And what better time to force the issue on us than the day or two after Christmas?