This newsletter is all about snow. This idea was prompted by an email I received on November 18th from a customer in Denver. She sent me a 28-second YouTube video from the local Channel 9 evening news saying, "Hawaii gets snow before Denver," and an AccuWeather video entitled "Snow in Hawaii before Denver or Boston?!"

Hawaii Island, also called the Big Island, is the southernmost of the Hawaiian islands. Mauna Kea (13,803 feet) and Mauna Loa (13,679 feet) on the Big Island of Hawaii are Hawaii's tallest peaks. They typically get snow every winter above 11,000 feet. And Haleakala (10,023 feet) on Maui gets snow every few years. The photo above shows one of the nine observatories on the summit of Mauna Kea, surrounded by snow.

Here's some information from the climatecontroljournal.com website. 
"Mauna Kea generally witnesses the most snowfall, with remarkable weather events, such as a 2016 storm that delivered over two feet of snow. On average, Mauna Kea receives approximately 7.41 inches of snow annually, with significant yearly variations. Snowfall primarily occurs from December to February, and occasionally as late as April."

The Kilauea volcano on the Big Island is one of Earth's most active volcanoes. It has been in the news recently due to 38 eruptions since December 2024.

I live on Kauai, the northernmost island. It never snows here because our highest peak, Mount Waiʻaleʻale, is only 5,148 feet. Although it doesn't get snow, Mount Waiʻaleʻale is one of the rainiest spots on Earth, averaging over 373 inches of rain per year. In 1982, it set a record with 683 inches of rain!

Over the past few weeks, much of the continental U.S. has been experiencing unusually frigid temperatures and snow. I hope you are all staying safe and warm.

Happy Holidays to one and all.

--- Sylvia

I lived most of my life in La Crescenta, a town just north of downtown Los Angeles in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. It snows in the mountains every winter. But approximately every seven years, it actually snowed a little at our house! It was a huge deal whenever it happened. Schools closed, and everything came to a screeching halt.

These photos are from 1957, when I was six years old. The first one below shows me with my mother and our small snowman. The second includes my sister, Sheryl, and our neighbor's dog, Pickles.

Here are some of the PDFs I've recently added to harpcenter.com.

Kathleen Blackwell-Plank

Song of the Wren - This Celtic Suite for intermediate harp players includes two polkas from Ireland, a Breton An Dro, and a lullaby from Shetland, Scotland, all featuring the wren. The PDF includes four of Kathleen's watercolor paintings of wrens.

Rhett Barnwell

Angels We Have Heard on High - This is Rhett's lyrical and expressive arrangement of the beloved French Christmas carol.

Brook Boddie

Silent Night: Seven Carols, Volume 1 - This collection includes seven beloved Christmas carols, beautifully improvised by Brook Boddie in his unmistakable style. 

Please note: The PDFs in this section are not part of the monthly sale.

50 Christmas Carols

including

Snow Lay on the Ground

by Sylvia Woods

Book or PDF

CD or mp3

15% off with Snow code

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Four Holiday Favorites

including Frosty the Snow Man and Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

by Sylvia Woods

Book or PDF

15% off with Snow code

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Music from Disney's Frozen

including Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

by Sylvia Woods

Booklet or PDF

15% off with Snow code

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Amid the Winter Snow

including 20 carols for lap harp

by Suzanne Guldimann

PDF

15% off with Snow code

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Saxtons River Suite

including First Snowfall

by Carol Wood

PDF

15% off with Snow code

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The Iowa Rivers Suite

including Snow on the Iowa

by William Mahan

PDF

15% off with Snow code

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Harp Moments, Vol. 2

including Snow Queen

composed by Anna Dunwoody

(both volumes are on sale)

PDF

15% off with Snow code

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Christmas Lullaby, Vol. 2

including Snow on the HIlls

and two more "Snow" songs

by Kim Robertson

PDF

15% off with Snow code

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Falling Snow

an original composition

by Meg Robinson

PDF

15% off with Snow code

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Manx Music

including

The Sheep Under the Snow

by Charles Guard

PDF

15% off with Snow code

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A Rose in Winter

including

Dancing on Snowflakes

by Sharon Thormahlen

PDF

15% off with Snow code

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Welcome the Christ Child including See Amid the Winter's Snow and The Snow Lay on the Ground

by Douglas Beck

PDF

15% off with Snow code

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15% off select sale items when you use the code word Snow

Our newsletter promo codes are redeemable online and are only valid for the products listed above in the monthly sale section. They are not valid for phone or email orders. This month's code word is Snow.

Here's how to get your newsletter discount at harpcenter.com:

#1. Put the items you want to purchase in your cart.

#2. On the page where you view the items in your cart, type this month's code word Snow in the "Enter Promo Code" box and click "Apply."

The actual price of the featured sale products on this page will then automatically change to reflect the discount. For example,

   Unit Price: $9.95 (the original price)

   Total Price: $8.46 (the discounted price)

You'll also see a note below the Promo Code box stating the name of the promo code you entered and the percentage discount amount.

REMEMBER: You must enter this month's code word Snow in the Promo Code box and click "Apply" on your shopping cart page by December 31, 2025, to get the discount!

If you forget or have trouble adding it to your order, email Sylvia immediately.  

This offer expires at the end of the day on 12/31/2025.

Sylvia Woods Harp Center

Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii