Snow season is coming for the Northern Hemisphere and with it comes a deep desire to hibernate, seek heat and warmth, and even play and romp in fresh snowfall. If you want to claim an adult snow day, here's a great plan -
I keep Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate on hand because it's not that pale-tasting stuff you usually get, but truly really chocolate tasting. But, I also like punching it up with some spice. I add a sprinkle of ginger powder, cinnamon, and a dash of cayenne for some heat - it does magical things.
When it's snow season, consider having some homemade stirrers on hand. I make my own.
Take a plastic spoon and dip into peanut butter or melted white chocolate, milk or dark chocolate and then sprinkle with chips, mini marshmallows, or candied ginger. When they are set, I wrap up the ends in saran wrap with a ribbon tie and stand them up in a coffee mug at my coffee station. These make great gifts with a cocoa mix in a Mason jar and can work for cocoa or coffee!
Decide - are you an innie or an outtie? Do you want to stay warm and safe and tuck in or do you want to go out and explore and be a child again?
INNIE
Mix coconut oil and granulated sugar into a very thick paste and use this to scrub your body. Inhale the bath's steam, enjoy the flickering lights and music, feel your muscles just melt. When you get out of the tub, rub yourself down with a good lotion. Now, it's time for fluffy jammies and warm socks and a trek into the TV room.
A teapot and some teas, honey and sugar spread out on a table with a cloth napkin might be just the thing for today. If you have some cookies, a plate of those would be a good accompaniment. If you know you like to be an Innie during the winter months, keep supplies on hand for a fine tea time. You can add some little triangle sandwiches using cream cheese and deviled ham with crusts cut off or the childhood standby of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dipping. Keep a loaf of sugar cookie mix in the fridge, they are great for dipping.
The movie lineup for the day could include snowy movies like "The Shining," "Dead Snow," "30 Days of Night," or "Dr. Zhivago," or escape the cold for a while with warm beach movies like "Couples Retreat," "Dead Calm," "Captain Ron," or "The Other Woman."
Keep pillows and a blanket on hand in case you grow drowsy. Adult naps are a precious and valued commodity. Take advantage of it, knowing that you are safe from the icy slippery world outside.
Consider re-exploring your love of music, especially instrumental music or even opera. Play it and feel it throughout your body. Pull out a sketchbook or a pile of unread books and dig right in. If you're feeling particularly lazy, try a jigsaw puzzle or crossword puzzle.
If you have a fireplace, keep it going and enjoy the crackle and heat. If not, light some candles and get the ambiance in your room. This is all about the cozy cocoon retreat you are creating.
You may not go out in the snow this day, but consider sitting at the window and watching the world come and go in it, the birds that still stick around, the footprints in the fluff, the children riding sleds, the black and white colorless silent world of snow.
Appreciate the beauty of nature bound in ice. I subscribed to artist Jonna Jinton's YouTube channel where I can get my Swedish Lapland blood fired up by the stark and haunting beauty of that region -
and, as an innie, you might practice some lipsyncing -
Consider pine-scented incense or a candle that smells of sugar cookies for an added depth to the cozy feel. A vaporizer with Vick's decongestant fragrance might create a warm and sentimental tucking-in feel to the room. You could even heat water and cinnamon sticks and cloves in a crockpot with no lid to fragrance the place.
Or, use the crockpot for some cooking stew, pot roast, soup, or chili is a dream way to intensify the olfactory senses and prepare for the cold dark night. Consider some hot cookies from the oven to nibble on as you watch "Christmas With the Kranks," "Home Alone," "Krampus," or "Elf" in the quiet evening that comes early in the winter months.
OUTTIE
You want to be the first to plunge into the snow and have fun and frolic like a kid. I highly suggest a good thermos of hot cocoa, as you are not completely impervious to snow.
Bundle up in layers so you can come back in and shed. Also be sure if you have a fireplace, to put the wood nearby. When you come back in to warm up, you might to run a hot bath and heat a towel in the dryer for after.
You are, by no means, required to make a traditional snowman. Think outside the box on this one if you are a horror lover -
Sledding, snow forts, snow angels, snow sculpture and the like are all great possibilities. Why not consider making a bar out of snow and making an ice luge to have a little impromptu party?
If you're not ready for snow sculpture or parties, consider good old-fashioned sledding, but be creative in what your ride down the hill on -
Don't want to go back in to get warmed up? Make a neighbor gathering place - a bonfire -
This can be a fun idea at the top of a sledding hill. Everyone can warm up before they jump on the sled and head down.
Take your camera on a hike through the woods and capture the untouched beauty with the lens. Instagram them and share a walk in the woods with others....
Help build a snow fort for the kids.
Don't forget to reinforce it. Some folks like to make blocks with Tupperware bins or shoe boxes -
This is fine if you want a fort to hide behind while doing a snowball fight, but if you want a little igloo, you might try the way we made them as kids. Start with a tight snowball about the size of a basketball and roll it downhill or around on the round, picking up more snow until it's about the size of a car tire's height. Make a circle with a space for an opening. Stack alternating balls atop them and use 2x6 boards across the top in a square shape, to support further balls and more boards to hold the very top balls.
As cool as this fort is (below), be sure to reinforce the interior against collapse.
No matter what you decide to do when it snows, if you get a day off or you give yourself a day off, hibernate or explore, but be sure that whatever you do, you thank the snow for an excuse to remember what it's like to hear your school district is closed for the day!
Don't want to go back in to get warmed up? Make a neighbor gathering place - a bonfire -
This can be a fun idea at the top of a sledding hill. Everyone can warm up before they jump on the sled and head down.
Take your camera on a hike through the woods and capture the untouched beauty with the lens. Instagram them and share a walk in the woods with others....
Help build a snow fort for the kids.
Don't forget to reinforce it. Some folks like to make blocks with Tupperware bins or shoe boxes -
This is fine if you want a fort to hide behind while doing a snowball fight, but if you want a little igloo, you might try the way we made them as kids. Start with a tight snowball about the size of a basketball and roll it downhill or around on the round, picking up more snow until it's about the size of a car tire's height. Make a circle with a space for an opening. Stack alternating balls atop them and use 2x6 boards across the top in a square shape, to support further balls and more boards to hold the very top balls.
As cool as this fort is (below), be sure to reinforce the interior against collapse.
No matter what you decide to do when it snows, if you get a day off or you give yourself a day off, hibernate or explore, but be sure that whatever you do, you thank the snow for an excuse to remember what it's like to hear your school district is closed for the day!
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