‘Tis the season for snow, at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in Canada, many places are bound to be buried in a blanket of the fluffy stuff any day now (and some already are!). So we figured we’d take a look at the fascinating physics behind the crystalline wonders of winter, snowflakes.

Grab a cup of hot cocoa and learn some frosty factoids you can use to impress coworkers at office parties or family members while you’re home for the holidays.

Watch Kenneth Libbrecht’s 2012 Perimeter Public Lecture, The Secret Life of Snow: