 Why are Bal and Ethaniel so cold?
A gentle fancy for the Christmas Season—an oft-told tale with a wistful twistful of Something that left the Earth with a wing and a prayer. Earth was so far away that it wasn't visible. But this vast distance did not mean that isolation could endure forever. Instruments within the ship intercepted radio broadcasts and, within the hour, early TV signals. "I can guess," said Ethaniel, who had spoken first. "It's not what they've done," said Bal, the second alien. "I may remind you that in two months twenty-nine days we're due in Willafours," said Bal. "A week," said Ethaniel. They've had two world wars in one generation and that the third and final one is coming up you can't help feeling in everything they do." "It won't take much," said Ethaniel. "The wrong diplomatic move, or a trigger-happy soldier could set it off. A meteor shower could pass over and their clumsy instruments could interpret it as an all-out enemy attack." Except for the one thing they lack, and that's quite odd, they seem exactly like us. "It is. "There is. "In a week we can't negate their entire history. "You can't tell," said Ethaniel. "Very little," conceded Ethaniel. "And when we get to Willafours we'll be busy. There's nothing in this region of space our people want," said Ethaniel. "And how long can Earth last? They went much closer to Earth, not intending to commit themselves. For a day they circled the planet, avoiding radar detection, which for them was not difficult, testing, and sampling. Atmospheric analysis showed that as far away as we were." "What's worse is that I now find they also have missiles, range one thousand miles and upward. "Bad," said Ethaniel. There's so little time," Ethaniel said. "A flat yes or no," said Bal. We can't help them," said Ethaniel. "Sure, I knew it before we started," said Bal. "It's happened before. The southern plains were green, coursed with rivers; the oceans were blue; and much of the northern hemisphere was glistening white. Ragged clouds covered the pole, and a dirty pall spread over the mid-regions of the north. "I haven't thought of anything brilliant," said Ethaniel. It's their winter."
 Bal and Ethaniel are cold because it is winter where they have landed on Earth.
 People are mistaking them for the types of angles seen in Renaissance paintings. It is likely they are wearing little or no clothing.  They are cold because the clothing synthesizer on their spaceship was not equipped with the materials needed to make cold-weather gear.  They are cold because the planet they come from has a much warmer climate, and they were not prepared for cold weather.  Bal and Ethaniel are cold because it is winter where they have landed on Earth.