Dean Smith thought it was just a bit of fun when he threw a snowball at policewoman as he was Christmas shopping with his family.
But three days later cops arrived at his house to arrest him. They handcuffed him, took him off in a white van and charged him with common assault.
He has appeared before magistrates in Derby and now faces an anxious Christmas as prosecutors decide whether to go ahead with the case against him.
'It's pathetic. I threw the snowball as a joke. I'm not even sure it hit her. The police have been telling people not to call them about snowball fights and then I get arrested for throwing a snowball.
Uncertain Christmas: Dean Smith is facing a common assault charge for throwing a snowball at a police officer
'I was with my fiancée and my five-year-old stepson. I was going to buy him a sledge and we'd been having a bit of a snowball fight.
'I had one snowball left in my hand and I threw it at the police officer as a joke. I was just having a bit of fun. And I thought nothing more of it.
'Three days later they came to arrest me for assaulting a PC. I was busy cooking in the kitchen, in my pyjamas. I saw the van at the front of the house and had no idea why it was there.
'They said they needed to speak to me about an assault on a PC. I was handcuffed in front of my girlfriend and son and taken away. They wouldn't even let me go the toilet.
'I think it's fair to say they weren't very friendly. They told me they don't take these things very lightly.'
Dean, 31, an unemployed welder, was shopping in Swadlincote with his fiancée Carly Bradbury, 23 and his five-year-old stepson.
Magistrates at Derby adjourned the case for two weeks for the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to go ahead with case, or give Mr Smith a caution.
Magistrates at Derby adjourned the case for two weeks for the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to go ahead with case, or give Mr Smith a caution
Stephen Chittenden, defending, said: 'Smith admitted throwing the snowball at the police station.
'Is it in the public interest that he appears here today? I hope common sense will prevail.'
After a short break to allow Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) solicitor Syma Akhtar to consult senior colleagues, magistrates adjourned the case for two weeks to give the prosecution time to reconsider whether or not to continue criminal proceedings against Mr Smith or to give him a caution.
A spokesman from the Crown Prosecution Service was unavailable for comment.
Mr Smith was granted unconditional bail. If the case proceeds he will reappear at Derby Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, January 12.
However, if the CPS decides to drop the charge the defendant will receive a caution and will not have to appear in court again.
Speaking outside Derby Magistrates' Court, Mr Smith said: 'The police came round three days after it happened. I couldn't understand it.
When they took me to the police station I thought it was a joke at first.
'My solicitor was in absolute pieces. He says that it's a story he will be telling all his family on Christmas morning.
'How much has all this cost the taxpayer? I should just have been given a caution in the first place rather than wasting all this time and money.
'If they do decide to caution me I expect an apology for wasting all this time.'
The hearing came only three weeks after the neighbouring Staffordshire and Nottinghamshire forces pleaded with the public to only dial 999 in 'genuine emergencies' after being inundated with calls connected with calls about snowball attacks.
Earlier this week, video footage of a prolonged snowball fight involving several officers in the car park of a police station in Kingston upon Thames, South London, became a massive hit on YouTube.
