Friday, January 10th, of 2025 was a snow day. {Technically, it was the second one of the week, but this one contained snow, not ice.} Snow days never get old to me. I know it’s because they’re a rarity, and if I lived farther north, I’d be sick of it by the time winter was over, and that’s why I live here, but I digress. As a child in the South, I was accustomed to the yearly letdown by the local weatherman. We would wait by the window as children, praying for a singular flake, ultimately knowing it wouldn’t happen. Who knew moving 4.5 hours north could make such a big difference? Our first winter in Franklin, we didn’t believe those predictions out of old habits. We figured they’d be wrong. Our bad, since we couldn’t get out of our icy 1970-something driveway, and all the bread and milk were gone by then. {Imminent death is around the corner without it, and we definitely risked our entire family’s life.} So along those dramatic lines, I thought I’d share The Five Best Things About a Snow Day in the South.

our first snow day circa 2017

Last year, my one wish before the oldest left home was one more snow day.
It was pure magic, and we had a blast even though they were over it when we took this one…

1. The shutdown: 
Clearly, it’s the single most amazing thing. Locally, a woman named Carol Birdsong makes those phone calls in a phone tree recording once the decision is made, letting us know if school is off in our county, and she’s a local hero. Never mind that she’s not the official decision-maker, but that’s the best part. You can feel the level of excitement in the air, practically crackling in joyous electricity around the house when we see her number appear. I have her saved under “Carol is Calling,” and I need a mug or a sweatshirt, {probably both} with “Carol Called.” They even celebrated Carol Birdsong Day recently, and kids write odes and poems to her on social media. In short, most of us take it very seriously here. Maybe it’s because I know our school days are coming to an end, with one in college and two in high school, so I’m trying to soak them up while I can, but when I hear an occasional complaint from someone, I’m all… do you despise your children? So the given rule is, stay put, people. This is the South, and we are incompetent drivers. I don’t understand why this concept is so hard, but we also saw how 2020 went, so it’s a toss-up. To the people careening through my neighborhood at 30 mph on the road early Saturday morning, I restrained myself from hurling snowballs at your cars. Where are you headed at this hour, a soccer game? Unless you’re a medical professional, experiencing or assisting with an emergency, or going sledding, {see below} stay home. It’s not that hard. You’re ruining all our chances for another snow day opportunity by wearing those roads down. How dare you. {Yes, I am equal parts passionate and entitled.}

Someone actually hosted an open house on Saturday. This was left in our yard. A. You’re part of the problem B. Did you provide booties for all the nosey people, or do you have your floors destroyed by a bunch of look-sees with chunks of mud and ice all over their feet? This isn’t Colorado. You only had to wait a few days. So many questions. So much second-hand anxiety.

2. Calories Don’t Count: 
A friend who moved here recently asked me a few days before the expected impending weather if the grocery stores actually get that bad. For a moment, I’d forgotten that we all act like psychopaths here. Short answer: yes. Long answer: You should already be there because you’ll be beating down all the elderlies purchasing their milk and bread. Just kidding, I don’t beat down elderlies; I will soon be one; plus, there was that time when the worker in the grocery store called me ma’am, and I realized I’m no longer of age where people do not call me such. {Is it time for a ma’am haircut circa 1985 so I just naturally age out a-la the Golden Girls? How does this work?} I don’t know if people plan to make loads of French toast casserole or what, but for some reason, it’s always milk and bread. The stores were absolutely desolate by the time Jamin circled back for chili ingredients on Thursday. So what I’m trying to say is that snow days are the best days to bake all the things and eat them… if you can prove your worth by surviving the grocery apocalypse. It’s full-on panic mode, so I guess we might as well panic-eat. Those calories definitely don’t count.

3. The Perfect Couch Potato Opportunity: 
Do you know what pairs well with panic eating? Pajamas. It’s called balance. I made sure my comfiest jammies were clean, and I wore them all day Friday while we joyfully watched the snow all day. My daughter and I also watched about 3.5 entire movies before we moved around to alleviate our bedsores in search of food. No, I see nothing wrong with this. I also think I’m still recovering from this, so I’m grateful for our soft release back into the wild this past week. {Those 5:30 am daily wake-up calls for football may be the death of us.}

4. Document Everything: 
Snow is a novelty here. Therefore, are you even southern if you don’t go outside like a lunatic and film/photograph everything until your fingers are numb? No. You’re not. And you probably drive in the snow with zero medical expertise, too. There’s something beautiful about the stillness. The way our dogs frolic happily. A snowball to the face. I’ve always cherished capturing our kids in the snow. With one freshman at college this year, my only consolation was that they got snow with a shutdown, too. {We had to remind him to go to the store before things got crazy.} He sent me videos of hoards of students sledding down a hill in Tupperware containers and jeans. There’s nothing that makes me happier. Which brings me to…

5. Sledding:
Jamin morphs from “cherished father figure” to “absolutely unhinged” on a sled. I never know if he’s going to veer off a cliff with a final O’Doyle Rules or apply some cooking oil a-la Clark and land in the next state, but we definitely need helmets. So, sledding is basically required. There’s an official priorities list somewhere of must-dos on a snow day, and snowmen are probably tied with sledding, but snowmen are actually labor-intensive, whilst sledding is all fun once you make it up that hill and burn off those French toast calories. I think I burned 50 calories hauling a sled up a hill per my Apple watch after an iconic faceplant. Whether you {cleverly} use a Tupperware container or a cardboard box, go slide on something. I mean, when else are you going to do it? One Christmas, we invested in the fancy sleds with the steering wheels and brakes. We mean business, and we even have ski goggles. I’m always shocked by how many people live here and don’t own a sled. Someone’s always panicking on Facebook the day before, asking where to purchase one like they’re really caught off guard. Sir, this isn’t a Wendy’s. It snows here every year. We’ve decided we’re buying an array of sleds in bulk and selling them each winter when people do their bread and milk panic-buying. I think if the whole designer/renovation/writing/website/social media thing doesn’t pan out for us, I can definitely make a living preying on desperate people. Wheeee. 

And that’s my top five. We’d love to hear yours! 
Obligatory disclaimer for those with rabies: If you drive in the snow and are not a medical professional or experiencing an emergency {running out of milk + bread do not count} douse those angry mob torches. You know you’re guilty. All joking aside, I was glad to see the sun on Sunday. 

Have an inspired day!