If there’s one thing a North Pole Elf is an expert in, it’s how to build a snowman. Living in a place with year-round snow means our little elves get plenty of practice!

So, in honour of World Snowman Day on January 18, Elf for Christmas will share our top tips for building super snowmen…

What is World Snowman Day?

World Snowman Day is celebrated every year on January 18. This particular date was chosen because a figure ‘8’ looks just like the shape of a traditional snowman! The ‘1’ represents his stick, obviously…

Started in 2010 by Cornelius Graetz – a German who is a snowman fan in a big way, with the world’s biggest collection of model snowmen – World Snowman Day aims to celebrate all that is wonderful about snowmen.

How to build a snowman – Elf for Christmas’s top tips

1. Use the right snow: As soon as the first flurries start to flutter down, we all can’t wait to get out there and start building, right? But wait! You might think you can build a snowman with any old snow, but if it’s too cold, the snow can actually be too powdery to stick together.
   Fresh snow that has fallen in temperatures around 0°C is ideal for holding your snowman’s shape.
   If temperatures plummet and your snow is a little too powdery, fear not. Just spray it with water and get building.
2. Get kitted up: Building a snowman is no job for the faint-hearted. If you’re in it for the long-haul you’ll need to be wrapped up warm with some good thick, water-proof gloves. Skiing gloves are the ideal weapons of choice.
   If your kids are anything like ours, they’ll be particularly bad at keeping themselves warm and dry. So keep an eye on them to make sure they keep those gloves and hats on – the last thing you want is weeping little ones who got too cold before they could finish the job! (Speaking from experience…)
3. Use the snowball method: Elves find the easiest way to build a snowman is by starting with a good-sized snowball, then adding more and more snow to it. Once it’s big enough, you’ll be able to start rolling it around the garden to pick up every inch of available white stuff. Once you’ve got a snowball big enough for your snowman’s body you can repeat the process to make a smaller ball for the head. If there’s enough snow, you could even make a third ball to sit in the middle of the two.
4. Get the head on the body: If your snowman’s head is quite large it can prove tricky lifting it high enough to put on the body. Our clever little elves have a good trick for this – poke a good strong stick or garden cane right through the very centre of the head and use this to lift it up. Watch your back when you do it! You may need two people for this step.
5. Accessorize! Now’s your chance to get creative! Your little ones will love donning your lovely snowman with a hat, scarf, walking stick, and anything else you can find around the house to dress him up in.
   A carrot makes a traditional nose, or you could use a satsuma, à la Raymond Briggs. Not many people have lumps of coal lying around to use for eyes these days, so buttons or pieces of fruit can be a good alternative, or simply use stones you find in the garden.

Send us your pictures!

If you do get to build a snowman this year, we’d love to see your pictures at Elf for Christmas! Tag us on Twitter or Instagram, or post them on our Facebook page.