With the winter well underway, many of us are dreaming of beach days, lying in the sand, splashing in the waves, and snorkeling and diving to check out the amazing sea life that inhabits our oceans. While there’s no way to speed up the seasons, we can try to enjoy the cold weather while it’s here. One way to make the best of it? Snow sculptures!
We’re all perfectly familiar with the classic three-sphered snowman and the tried-and-true snow fort, but why stop there? A school of snow fish or an adorable snow octopus will remind us of warmer times, and are sure to put a smile on the face of anyone that happens by. Check out these pictures for inspiration, and then let your imagination run wild!

credit: Good Housekeeping magazine

from the magazine, edited with updated ages:

“Every winter since 2012, three brothers from New Brighton, Minnesota, take to their snow-laden front yard and transform it into a massive thing of beauty. Collecting their material from all over the neighborhood, Austin, 23, Trevor, 22, and Connor, 19, spend 12-hours days for 2 weeks of their holiday break crafting it into enormous sea creatures.
While the snow sculptures have always been popular, Austin said that the media attention was bigger than ever this year.
‘Thousands of people came by our house to take pictures and admire the sculpture,” he said. “The weather channel did a live broadcast in our front yard even!’ ”

The brothers have taken the attention from their sculptures and are putting it to VERY good use: they’ve set up a donation box for One Day’s Wages, a charitable organization that works to provide clean drinking water to communities throughout the world. Last year, they surpassed their $25,000 goal, and they’re well on their way again this year, having already raised over $1,800, even though the winter snow season has just begun!

If you’d like to donate, please follow the link HERE, or, if you’re in the area, you can view the sculptures in person and donate with a check or cash at 2777 16th Street NW, New Brighton, MN.

And if you’d like to connect with the brothers themselves, visit their facebook page. They are very responsive to messages,and I’m sure they’d be happy to answer any questions you have!