Re: Do I need a comma to separate these two time clauses?
Hi
It could be argued that omitting the comma marks the before- phrase as restrictive by implying that there are several winters, but it's only the one before the snow falls when I am going to buy new boots.
Of course, we know there can only be one winter, but inserting a comma does serve to remove any ambiguity by marking the phrase as non-restrictive, which it clearly is.
Though I can't see a problem with logically processing the information in the way it was clearly intended, i.e. without a comma, on balance, I'd say that the before-phrase is probably best set off with commas.