It’s Sunday night. I’m sitting in front of the fire, beneath the glow of the Christmas tree, a cup of hot chocolate in my hand. I just finished watching “Home Alone” with my little guy and am listening to the quiet of my babies sleeping. The snow is falling outside, and … I am secretly wishing for a snow day!
As a teacher, one or two snow days throughout the year equals perfection – and, in my opinion, if they come before Christmas break, even better! A snow day before Christmas provides a ready-made reason to stay home during a far too busy holiday season. It gives us a reason to slow down when it feels like everything is moving at a fast-forward pace. So, as a nod to my wishful thinking, I thought I’d share a few tips for how to enjoy the perfect snow(ed in) day …
- Have snow boots, snow suits, heavy coats, mittens, and hats ready! Although my children are little, we definitely make time to play in the snow. Some of my best memories growing up involve sledding down hills – hills that seemed monstrous at the time! I want to provide those same opportunities for my little people.
- Stock up on hot chocolate and marshmallows. You can never have enough hot chocolate on snow days. (We are really into the hot chocolate mix from Target’s Archer Farms these days. I highly recommend the dark chocolate and salted caramel flavors!)
- Get your craft on. I love to make things, especially if they can be used in my home. If we had a snow day before Christmas, we would definitely make graham cracker “gingerbread” houses! Or, I would have my kids help me make popcorn garland, or paper Christmas chains.
- Prepare your pantry. About this time every December, I stock my pantry with Chex cereal, pretzels, Cheez-Its, and party peanuts to make Nana’s party mix (basically, it’s the recipe from the side of the Chex cereal box – but for the first twenty-some years of my life, my Nana made it every Christmas. Now, it’s my turn to carry on the tradition!). I also buy rolls of Pillsbury peanut butter cookie dough and Hershey’s kisses to make Peanut Butter Kisses, my husband’s holiday favorites! Lastly, I buy even more Chex cereal, along with powdered sugar and peanut butter to whip up some good ol’ puppy chow, another family favorite.
- Be sure to have all of your wrapping supplies. I am almost done with my holiday shopping, but haven’t begun wrapping yet. An unexpected snow day would provide the perfect opportunity to wrap (during nap time, of course)! There are so many fun gift wrap ideas to try. I try to have my ribbon purchased and my gift tags designed ahead of time, as well.
There you have it – my perfect snow(ed in) day. After running through my list, I’m now wishing for a snow day even more! As I look out the window, I’m realizing my chances of that happening tomorrow are quite slim. 😉 However, I’m armed and ready in case my wish comes true! In the meantime, I will continue to soak up the magic of the holiday season, the beauty the new-fallen snow and be sure to take in every memory I can of this most wonderful time of the year.
I hope, even if you can’t have a snow(ed in) day with your little ones, that you CAN make time for some of the ideas above during this season. Happy holidays!
