The weather outside is frightful. But here’s how snow days can be delightful

Many residents of Utah stepped outside their homes on Wednesday morning to see several inches of snow outside.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for most of Utah. Residents can expect several inches of snow. Salt Lake City residents might even get nine to 13 inches on Tuesday night. As of Wednesday at 8:30 am, Ski Utah reported that Sundance got 22 inches of snow in the last 24 hours while Snowbird and Alta got 19 inches.

Tomorrow’s morning commute likely won’t be the best, which means many people will be working remote. Many schools in Utah have switched to remote learning or delayed classes.

That’s where this enters in: a very relevant guide to snow days. If you want to enjoy a pleasant snow day, here are some tips.

Working from home? Read this

For some, working from home is great, but for others, working from home is a struggle. Here are some tips on how to make it more productive. Designate a workspace for the day and get dressed as if you were going to work. This can help you differentiate in your mind workspace from relaxation space. Be more deliberate about taking breaks. Taking a break every now and then can help you with your productivity. At home where it feels that there are more distractions, try scheduling some breaks and staying focused when you can.

Have fun while shoveling snow

It’s going to be snowing all day, so it’s probably best to stay inside. But there are some things that can’t be avoided. Shoveling, for example, will likely mean that you have to step outside. If your whole family can shovel snow together, turn it into a game with a certain number of shovels equaling a point. Winner gets to pick the evening movie.

Build a snowman

I know what I just said, but building a snowman is a classic activity that you don’t get to do very often. Go outside and build a snowman for a little while. Spend some time telling stories about the snowman. Then, go inside and drink some hot chocolate to regain some of the warmth that you lost.

Help a neighbor out

There’s likely someone around you who could benefit from some help. Whether that looks like shoveling their driveway (see above for a fun game to make the time go by faster) or dropping off a warm meal, it’s important to help people out when you can.

Make some soup

After you shovel snow in the morning and afternoon, chances are you’ll be cold to the bone. Plus snow days feel like lazy days. Even when you still are working, there’s something about a snowy day that causes many people to slow down. One of my favorite things to do on snow days is to gather all the vegetables that have seen better days and are on the brink of being bad but not quite there yet and make a soup with them, a good broth and some rice. This will help you use up some vegetables that may have gone bad and will also be a nice warm meal for you on the cold day.

Write some notes

When you are working remotely, you’ll likely spare some time on your commute. One thing that you can do with the extra time is write notes to your family members and even some friends. Give them the notes to express your love and appreciation for them. This is a great family activity as well.

Build a fort

Building a fort is a great family activity and your children will likely be happy for a while. Spend some time building the fort together and put some board games in it as well as books and other fun toys. Play together in the fort because after all, even the most simple of games is more fun in the fort.

Go on a mini-cleaning spree

This one doesn’t sound as fun, but it might be helpful. Wake up a little earlier than usual and quickly clean up your common areas like your kitchen and living room. Having a clean space may help you feel better as you spend all day inside.

Tell stories

There’s just something about telling stories on a snow day. Gather around a fire or around the kitchen table with a warm drink or a fun snow day treat and tell some stories. Tell stories of your family or people you admire. Ask your kids what their favorite stories and maybe read their favorite stories to them.

What else?

There are plenty of other things to do.

Whatever you choose to do on this upcoming snowy day, stay safe.