MC students share winter break experiences from cold climates

Barring the unusually snowy start to 2026, many Maryville College students consider a white Christmas a rarity. However, for students from colder climates, the holiday season is not complete without snow on the ground.

This is definitely the case for Declan Priddy (‘29) and Madison McDonald (‘27), both from Anchorage, Alaska.

“Having spent a few Christmases with family in Texas, I feel Christmas is incomplete without snow,” Priddy said.

McDonald echoed this sentiment.

 “It would definitely be weird to not have snow on Christmas for me,” she said. “Last winter we barely got any snow. I hated that because, although you don’t want to deal with snow, it looks depressing outside when there isn’t any. And I love the way that the trees look when they are covered in snow or frosted over.”

Both Priddy and McDonald were born and raised in Alaska and are accustomed to heavy snowfall. As a New Englander myself – I grew up in Vermont – I know how they feel. The first few Christmas seasons I spent in Tennessee didn’t feel like Christmas at all. My first Christmas here, I remember playing street basketball with my family, and the temperature was in the 60s.

While it was a drastic change at first, I have become accustomed to a warm and mild climate, though I still cherish the sprinkle of magic that comes with a white Christmas. 

Kalli Wilson (‘27) was also born in a cold state – for her, it was Michigan. She moved to Tennessee just before turning seven, but traveled back to be with family this holiday break. During her visit, she went skiing for the first time, enjoying the few inches of snow on the slopes.

“Depending on where we were, there were about four to six inches,” Wilson said. “It was really fun, I was better than I thought I would be,” she added, saying that she only fell a few times.

Wilson also added that she had the chance to go sledding with cousins on the same nostalgic hill that she remembers from when she was younger.

In Alaska, six inches of snow is nothing!

Priddy said that for the last two weeks of break, they got “dumped on,” with two or three feet of snow. With this large gift of snow, Priddy went backcountry skiing and snowmobiling.

Priddy explained that for backcountry skiing, “skins stick to the bottom of [your] skis and give you friction to walk uphill,” differentiating it from crosscountry, which is done on mostly flat – or at least groomed – terrain.

Priddy described the winter climate in Alaska as “dry, always below freezing [and] lots of snow.” 

The dry and cold climate added a challenge for Priddy this year, his first season playing soccer for MC. It was an adjustment for him to exercise in the heat and humidity of Tennessee when he was used to the dry Alaskan climate.

McDonald said that she didn’t get a chance to ski this holiday break. Instead, she said, she went tubing, which she explained as “sledding but in a big tube.” 

“[It] was really fun and the view from the mountain was really nice.”

Another winter activity for McDonald this break was snow management, in the form of snow blowing and shoveling.

This year, I traveled to Connecticut to visit family, and I can attest that my main winter activity was shoveling my grandparents driveway – a harder task than it may seem. 

Despite the annoyance of managing the snow, my white Christmas was a lovely treat and a reminder of what I grew up with, as I’m sure the holiday break was for many MC students who returned home, whether it was snowy or not.

View of mountains from the top of a sledding hill, where Madison McDonald (‘27) and boyfriend Matthew Crawford went tubing over the winter break. 

Photo courtesy of Madison McDonald.

Golden retriever Lila sits on the snow, smiling up at Declan Priddy (‘29) as they enjoy the Alaskan sunset. 

Photo courtesy of Declan Priddy

The Chugach mountain range in Alaska pierces the ombré horizon with snow-covered caps. Photo courtesy of Declan Priddy.

Kalli Wilson (‘27) smiles for the camera, bundled up and holding her ski poles on the slopes of a ski mountain in Cadillac, Michigan. 

Photo courtesy of Kalli Wilson

A snow-covered driveway leads to an illuminated house in Norwich, Connecticut. 

Photo courtesy of Maddux Morse.

Snow-covered trees add to the magic of the holiday season for Madison McDonald, and inches of snow pile up on her deck in Anchorage, Alaska. 

Photo courtesy of Madison McDonald.

A window looks out on a backyard; a red barn stands out against the white landscape and clear blue sky in Connecticut

Photo courtesy of Maddux Morse

A moose stands outside at the Anchorage Zoo, unbothered by the cold temperatures and snow underhoof

Photo courtesy of Madison McDonald