Whenever a snow day is announced, my mind always goes to one thing: Disney Channel intros. Growing up, my mom always had the weather channels running to stay informed, whether it was through WBZ or Channel 5.
My six-year-old self would carry a silent frustration. I wasn’t interested in a convenience store in Lynn selling a lottery ticket worth four million dollars. Instead, I wanted to seize the remote and hear the glorious words, “I’m Debby Ryan from Jessie, and you’re watching Disney Channel,” knowing that I would be entertained while watching the Ross kids get themselves out of yet another mess. Most of the time, my mom would give in, wanting to enlighten me after seeing my face twisted up in knots while staring at the wall.
However, there was a time when she didn’t submit to my pleading and made me watch to see the news anchor breathe the joyful words, “There’s a chance for a snowstorm.” In an instant, these six words made me forget all about a swirling wand carving out the Disney logo, and made me realize exactly what I had to do. I ran upstairs, put a spoon underneath my pillow, quickly put my pajamas on inside out, and grabbed a bucket full of ice to flush down the toilet, believing that this would make my snow-day-filled dreams come to fruition.
Looking back, these superstitions seem silly. Snow days were announced because there were five inches of snow on the ground, not because I flushed ice down the toilet the previous night. Although I know this is the truth, I still have the persistent urge to perform this ritual when I hear those words, hoping for them to come true. Moments like these, are when I am brought back to my early childhood.
Snow days, can be inconvenient. They can delay previously scheduled exams, disrupt lesson plans, and add another school day to the long-sought-after summer vacation we are granted in June. Yet they also serve as a reminder that efficiency does not always have to be of the utmost importance. We as humans are allowed to see where the next day takes us. Soon enough, the tests will be taken, the classes will catch back up to speed, and the heat of the warm months will invite us into summer once the final bell rings.
In a culture where perpetual busyness is ingrained in our system and relaxation is seen as a weakness, snow days act as nature’s way to hit the pause button. For just a day, productivity loses an argument to the weather and day-to-day stressors silently evaporate.
Snow days serve as a simple way to enchant our lives during the blisteringly cold winter by coating asphalt streets in fluffy powder and preventing people from leaving their cozy homes. Suddenly, leftovers and homemade meals are as special as fine dining, hot beverages poured straight from the stove warm the soul, and the smells of fresh-baked goods envelope kitchens, creating a much-needed sense of comfort that’s difficult to find anywhere else.
According to Omaha Children’s Museum, playing outside, especially in the cold, can be beneficial for one’s physical and mental health. Instead of spending time doom-scrolling on social media, one can explore the outdoors and make a kingdom out of snowmen, sledding slopes, and snow angels. While this may sound childish, revisiting traditional snow day activities reconnects us to a simpler version of ourselves whose only worry was how to make up with an angry friend still reeling over tag at recess.
As global warming continues to harm the environment, the number of snow days we receive continues to decrease according to a report conducted by Climate Central. Getting a day off from school is a reminder of a time when snow storms were a part of the norm in New England, not something that varied from year to year. A feeling of excitement pulses through me when I know that I’ll wake up the next morning with inches of snow on the ground, a sentiment that has become more and more uncommon over the past few years.
Snow days remind us that child-like joy does not have to be planned or a reward gifted after an arduous week. I implore you to use this snowstorm and any incoming ones to remember the lost art of truly having fun on the snowflake-filled time off given to us. Whether you spend it cozying up on your couch or throwing snowballs at your siblings, use this time to reconnect with your inner child and never forget to put a spoon under your pillow.
