Commentary

Best Ways to Spend a Snow Day

Jonathan Ji ’24: The best way to spend a snow day is to first go outside and play in the snow. Depending on the snow, different activities are better than others. Right after a snowfall, when the powder is fresh, is the best time for sledding. But if the snow is just starting to melt and it really packs together, a snowball fight would be better. When the cold becomes unbearable, it’s time to go back inside and eat a hot meal and drink a warm beverage; food and drink are several times better when it’s cold outside.

Yasmine Tazi ’24: Be a child. I think the best way to spend a snow day is to come back to a 3 year old mindset, run, be silly, fall and laugh. Throw snow at your friends, even – or should I say especially – when it annoys them. Do not feel stupid: act stupid. Open your eyes to the cold elegance of the white immaculate snow. Listen to the peaceful – yet powerful – wind blowing, the naked trees’ twigs creaking, the sound of your heavy boots. Feel the squirrels hiding, nature sleeping and yet never more alive under your feet. And when your fingers turn red, come back home with a sigh, put on your pajamas and make tea.

Arim Lee ’24: Throw your phone out the window and into the snow. Don’t ask why—just do it. Done? You have no idea how happy that makes me! It’s one less snow picture to see out of two bazillion. If you really, really wanted to post that boomerang of the snow falling in front of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library (OWHL), I’m sure others will overcompensate with their own masterpieces. It’s like they forgot the rest of us have eyes, and can step out our doors and see that it is snowing! In my humble and correct opinion, there is truly no point in posting a picture of the snow unless it is polka-dotted and strawberry-flavored or, at the very least, hot pink. Whether it be your Instagram story, Snapchat, WhatsApp status, or Facebook (are you okay?), I can guarantee you that no one will miss that exceptionally unexceptional image you so wanted to share. Besides, if you follow these steps, you’ll make some stranger’s day when they find your phone in the gross pile of snow! Of course, this is all irrelevant as we live in the heart of New England and we go to a boarding school and the intersection of those two facts means that snow days are about as probable as snow in mid-July, but less so.

Solar Lu ’24: The best way to spend a snow day is to wake up before noon just to snuggle into my blankets again. I’d order delivery and set up a Netflix show in the background. When my belated brunch arrives, I’d stroll downstairs in my fuzzy socks and soft pajamas to retrieve my food. I’d call some friends while I eat and make plans to go outside in the afternoon. We would go sledding, build a snowman, and have snowball fights until we can’t feel our fingers. Then I’d come back to the dorm and warm myself up with a hot cup of Hong Kong bubble milk tea. Once it gets dark, my friends and I would blast music in the basement common room and feast on ramen noodles and tubs of ice cream until we’re full, tired, and ready for bed.

Dorothy Swanson Blaker ’24: There are two ways to enjoy a snow day to the maximum. Most of it’s up to personal preference, but once you have these two basics down, you’ll enjoy everything else more. First: Go to sleep disappointed. Get ready to wake up to an empty, brown world, and stuff any and all hopes of snow deep down inside. Then, when it snows, you’ll be nothing but surprised! ‘Where did all that snow come from?!’ you’ll ask yourself. And indeed, the blinding white blanket will be a thing of pure beauty. You may have set yourself up for disaster, but this time your dreams aren’t crushed! It’s actually snowing! And second, you MUST prepare yourself for the great outdoors. Though it may look innocent, the second that nice white fluff touches a millimeter of bare skin, you’re done for. Good, thick socks; long sleeves, the kind that goes all the way over your wrists; waterproof boots; and of course, a coat. Anything less, and prepare to become more Frozen than Elsa and Anna. And that’s all: keep snow a surprise and stay bundled.

Shreya Bajaj ’23: I think the best way to spend a snow day is to either curl up with a book I’ve been wanting to read forever or watch a movie or binge a TV show. And then when it stops snowing outside, I like to play in the snow with my siblings or go sledding with friends who live nearby. Afterward, I like drinking hot cocoa. Baking cookies while blasting music is also a lot of fun. And of course, I have homework, so unfortunately I do have to do that throughout the day. But it’s okay, because when I finish, I get to eat the cookies that have just come out of the oven!