Friday dawned slate gray, as if nature had drained all color from the landscape. As light broke over the Vineyard the first flakes began to fall.
 By mid morning snow was falling and the Island was transformed into a Currier and Ives world: fresh, silent and white. Fluffy snow blanketed woodland paths and pond edges. Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs was frosted like so many gingerbread houses. And downtown Edgartown lured photographers from the warmth of their homes. That the snow fell on Christmas Eve was just the right touch.