A good place to read in summer and a treat to see in winter! Snow pavilion image courtesy of Koan, Morguefile.
Having a snow day? Getting stir-crazy from being stuck inside? Not to worry! The Editor is here with some answers! I’ve compiled a list of the top 20 activities to do during our current Snowmageddon 2015. (New Englanders, this is for you in particular — we only got a measly few inches down here in the DC area. Quit hogging all the snow for yourselves, okay?)
1) Make like an Indy 500 driver, race to nearest grocery store and frantically empty the stove shelves of all vital supplies (such as milk and bread — French toast for breakfast, anybody?).
2) Shovel, shovel, shovel and shovel. (Did I mention shoveling?)
3) Take an outdoor snow-ga class. They’re wonderful for increasing flexibility and you’ll lose the soreness gained by all that snow shoveling. That’s provided you don’t freeze up first.
4) Read snow books. For kids: Harness up the sled dogs, mush over to the library and check out Gertrude Chandler Warner’s Boxcar Children in Snowbound Mystery. For older people, it’ll be Lost In The Barrens (a.k.a. Two Against The North) by Farley Mowat (adventure) or Smilla’s Sense Of Snow (mystery) by Peter Høeg.
5. Calculate how much money Starbucks and Panera are going to make from sales of coffee and tea in the next 24 hours.
6. Watch snow movies — “Smilla’s Sense Of Snow” with Julia Ormond is an excellent movie, and so is “The Day After Tomorrow”. (Question: How did the animals on the cargo ship survive if their masters didn’t? I always wondered about that.)
7. Do I even need to mention the movie “Frozen”?
8. Get out your snowboard and commute to work. (We’ve got a few hills around the DC area — we could make it happen.)
9. Read some of the hilarious tweets on Twitter about #blizzardof2015 and #Snowmageddon2015.
10. Foodies: This is a golden opportunity to make snow cream! Here’s a snow cream recipe at allrecipes.com. It’s just a gallon of fresh snow and a few ingredients.
11. Gaze out your patio doors, hot beverage in hand, and enjoy the beauty of animals romping around the backyard.
12. Gaze out your front windows, hot beverage in hand, and enjoy the fun of watching the kids build a snowman or go sledding.
13. Plan your Super Bowl party for next Sunday: the New England Patriots vs. the Seattle Seahawks. (Dilemma: Who do I support? I have blogger friends in both areas. HELP!)
14. Fix Mexican food. It tastes even better after you’ve been outdoors and gotten thoroughly chilled from show shoveling. (I’d love to munch on some empanadas or chimichangas right now. Yum.)
15. Make snow marbles to decorate your walkway. Fill up balloons with water, add some food coloring and set outside. Once the water has turned to ice, cut off the balloons.
16. Mini-series marathon! Catch up on that mini-series or those seasonal episodes you haven’t watched yet since you’ve been busy with other things. (Murdoch Mysteries, now there’s a thought.)
17. Watch your Facebook friends’ snow videos of vehicles/people tipping over (don’t worry, nobody gets hurt) and pets jumping around, or admire their snow selfies.
18. One word: contest. I’m thinking Wii tournament, neighborhood snow sculpting or snow ogre contest. (A snow ogre is the opposite of a snow angel — you have to make it look as hideous as possible.)
19. Read your fellow bloggers’ posts about snow and Snowmageddon2015.
20. Enjoy the snow video below. STAY WARM, EVERYBODY!
Eagle-Eyed Editor 
Good suggestions but the snow missed us too in Philadelphia area!
Some wag on Twitter said that it wasn’t a Nor’easter, but more like an Ignor’easter. Hahaha.
Did you see the story on the Today show about the guy announcing a snow day to the tune of Frozen’s “Let It Go”?
That is BRILLIANT! Thank you!
I’m adding the link for other readers to see. (How long do you think it took to make this?)
I thought it was pretty cool. No doubt this guy is in tune with his kids and what they care about. He took a strictly administrative act and turned it into fun.
Now, I’d like to see the principal do this at my sib’s school…..
Regarding #13 GO HAWKS!! Definitely! Guess where I live 🙂
Hmmm….I’ll have to ponder that. Maybe I should support Seattle — hawks, eagles, birds of a feather and all that. 😉
There is an actual travel ban in force in Massachusetts, so even if all the shelves hadn’t been cleared over the weekend, you can’t get there from here. You can’t even get past the bottom of the driveway. Even the normally snow loving dogs seem to think napping is The Thing. Got the hot beverage. Got a small apple strudel. And my computer. The snow just keeps falling.
And I expect to see some dazzling snow scene photos later, young lady!!!
Yesterday here they were showing a Frozen pix saying the authorities were looking for this woman who they suspected was to blame for the blizzard. (Mexican food is always a winner in cold weather. Those “marbles” are so clever!)
Somebody on Twitter had the same image. The caption was something like: “She is mad. Brace yourselves.”
Snow art. Fill up squeeze bottles with food coloring and create masterpieces of hue and wonder.
Rereading favorite childhood series–Nancy Drew? The Hardy Boys
Begin a massive puzzle of difficulty and whim
Great suggestions! I particularly like the puzzle idea.
Fine advice, Editor! (Except for watching Frozen. Isn’t the world sick of that awful movie yet?)
I would also add Fargo to your movie list and The Snowy Day to your children’s book list.
Otherwise perfect.
Would you believe that I haven’t seen “Frozen” yet? I’m curious now because I’ve seen only bits and pieces on YouTube.
Spare yourself. I can recommend at least four dozen other animated features for you to watch instead.
I like “Hercules” and “Mulan” myself. My younger relatives made me watch ’em and it gave us something to talk about.
I’ve recently become partial to Wreck It Ralph. Though as far as princess movies go, Tangled, whups Frozen seven ways to Sunday.
And there’s a blog post for you — comparing Disney princes & princesses. 😉
I like it! But those princes are almost universally bland. Except for Flynn in Tangled. He’s got pizazz.
Hmmmmm….. *nods thoughtfully*
Fun list. We got 27″ here with more on the way!
Hoo boy. Be careful out there, Marcia!
How about look out of the window and enjoy the beauty of the falling snow? 😉 It doesn’t stay white forever!
Yes, indeed. Isn’t it amazing how the snow makes even the most ordinary of scenes more fun to look at?
Absolutely!