The first snow of the New Year fell Friday on Martha’s Vineyard.

Snow has a way of inviting us to see anew as it opens new vistas, decking them in white. But this morning, what strikes us as most marvelous about the snow is its awesome acoustics. We step outside in morning to break its deep silence with our small human noises — the scrape of the shovel against sidewalk, the rhythmic sweep of brush on car windshields and windows. Later, the hills will ring with the squeals of sledders careening downhill at Tashmoo and Sweetened Water Farm and other favorite Island spots.