Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow?

White stuff finally falls and sticks around, but is it here to stay for winter?

While other outdoor enthusiasts are eager to hit the ski slopes, mountain bike riders Mason Palmer of Cadillac, left, and Michael Hunter of Grayling take to the trails Thursday behind the state hospital. The avid bikers were eager to break a trail in the first real snow fall of the winter season.

Tom Scott helps build a snow fort with his children Boaz, 4, and Theresa, 8, in the front yard of their home in Traverse City.

Patiently awaiting Christmas Day, this shepherd from a nativity scene across from Immaculate Conception Church in Traverse City wears a coat of accumulated snow.

A string of colorful Christmas lights still shine brightly beneath a blanket of snow.

Usually hidden beneath fall leaves or summer grass, these well-worn wooden steps stand out in the first real snow fall of winter.


Above: New fallen snow gathers on a cluster of berries clinging from this tree just off US 31 in Traverse City. Below: With old man winter still seemingly slumbering, this sign pleads for a winter wonderland of snow.