Snow Day Rules

I had a (very rare, almost never happens) snow day a while back, and I was thinking about how some people react to snow days. I knew a person who used them as a way to get caught up on laundry and cleaning. Now, if that’s what you like, go for it, but I think that person rather missed the point. In order to help people like her, here’s a tentative list of rules for snow days. (These might also be helpful for sick days and mental health days).

1. You do not have to get dressed. Snow days are the perfect time to remain in your jammies. Perhaps you prefer to wear “lounge bottoms” with a t-shirt or sweat shirt or a robe over lazy day clothes. This is fine.
2. Eating something carb-heavy is ideal. This might be hot chocolate or popcorn. If you’re feeling energetic, you can certainly make mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese. Something yummy to keep you warm.
3. This is an excellent time to re-watch movies, take in a light movie that’s been on your list, or binge watch a show. This is probably not a good time to watch deep, dark, foreign films (unless that’s your thing). Horror, comedy, romance, and cheesy action movies are your best bets.
4. If you can nap, do nap. This is made even better by your choice of pets. Personally, I like a warm, heavy, purring cat for maximum snuggles and relaxation. Do not steal said cat from the neighbors–that’s bad snow day etiquette. You should have a pet on hand for these situations.
5. The last two things should be done with a warm, preferably soft, blanket.
6. That magazine/book/graphic novel you’ve been meaning to look at? Browse through it, but don’t pressure yourself. If it doesn’t hold your interest, that’s okay. It will be there later.
7. If you craft, this is a good day to work on a non-stressful project. Start something fun and easy.
8. If you are a game person, play a game. Don’t pick something that will frustrate you or the people you are playing with. If you have people who are overly competitive, perhaps a puzzle might be better.
9. In fact, this is a good day for puzzles of all kinds: jigsaw, sudoku, crossword and word search, or a casual puzzle-solving game on your favorite site.
10. This is very important: Do not check your work email, and if your friends and relatives stress you out, don’t check your social media. YouTube and its like are fine as long as you limit yourself to frolicking animals and funny or sweet videos.

You can add or subtract rules as you see fit–after all, the point of a snow day is to decrease your stress level, not add to it.

What are your rules for days off?