5 Fun Ideas for Grown-up Snow Days

Snow days are often equivalent to birthdays for children. No school? The opportunity to play outside in a winter wonderland and pelt each other with snow balls? Sounds like heaven. On top of that, your mom might make you some hot chocolate, and there is very little chance that she will force you to do any homework.

And then you grow up...and guess what? Snow days aren’t so great anymore. First of all, snow days are much harder to come by...and sometimes you’re forced to take a snow day just so you can be home with your child who has off school. But even if you don’t have kids, a “snow day” is usually synonymous with a “work from home” day.

But who says it has to be that way? Grownups deserve a real snow day every once in awhile too. And if you live in a warm climate where snow does not exist, take off a day of work and call it a snow day anyways. You earned it.

1. Begin a movie marathon

You can certainly enjoy a TV show marathon on Netflix if you want to, but we prefer a good, old-fashioned movie marathon. Yes, with actual DVDs. Pull out all of your favorites from home, or stop by your local Redbox or movie rental store(surprisingly, these do still exist in many parts of the country). It can be lots of fun to pick a theme, such as “Julia Roberts movies” or “winter movies.” You could pick a bunch of your old favorites, or grab all of the new releases you’ve been dying to watch!

And if you need some help finding the right movies, we are here to help with our GREENLIGHTReviews movie rental podcasts. If you’ve never listened to them before, they are funny, short, informative movie reviews by our Hollywood movie reviewers, Ann Elder and Les Roberts. You can listen to the full review of a movie, which is never longer than 10 minutes, or you can just listen to the quick 30 second review! This way, you won’t waste time watching movies you know you’re not going to enjoy.

And if you need a place to start, try listening to our recent podcast episode about (500) Days of Summer! (Especially if you need a little sunshine in your snowy life right now)

2. Bake anything and everything

For a snow day to be considered a true success, it requires cookies...and brownies...and cake. We suggest that you bake all day, in fact! The key here is to avoid leaving your warm house to go to the grocery store, so get creative and use up the random ingredients hidden in your pantry or fridge. You can utilize websites such as Supercook.com or MyFridgeFood.com, where you simply put in the ingredients you already have and it magically spits recipes back at you!

If you have children, they would most likely love to help you bake, which makes for a fun bonding experience. And if you don’t have children, you can simply enjoy this creative leisure time in your kitchen. We highly suggest making yourself a cup (or two) of your favorite hot cocoa to sip while you work. There are lots of fun hot chocolate recipes if you are feeling more adventurous as well.

3. Listen to music or podcasts while organizing the house

If you are a “doer,” and absolutely must get things done on your day off, you can at least have some fun while organizing your closet and cleaning out your fridge. Turn on some dance music (whether that be ABBA or the greatest hits of 2016) and use that ketchup bottle as a makeshift microphone.

Or, for a slightly less wild but equally fun approach, turn on some podcasts and enrich your day with some awesome and entertaining content! There are podcasts for just about everything under the sun these days, from podcasts that teach you how to cook to podcasts about aliens to podcasts that tell original stories.

If you are performing menial tasks, however, we suggest that you go with a lighter, funnier podcast to boost your spirits and keep your energy level up. Our What’s So Funny! podcast show is both extremely entertaining and hilarious. Here is our latest episode, about Dick Gregory.

4. Enjoy an old (or new) hobby!

We are usually so caught up in the daily hustle and bustle of life that we often neglect our hobbies and our passions. This is really a shame, because cultivating hobbies has many health and personal benefits. We often consider our hobbies to be luxuries, when they are really necessities. They offer stress relief, give us motivation, and increase our confidence, which makes us overall happier people.

A snow day is the perfect opportunity to foster a favorite hobby, or to cultivate a new one! Whether that be taking up knitting, drawing or dancing, you will not regret spending your “lazy day” doing something that you love. Maybe you used to play piano but it has been years since you’ve last played...if this is the case, dust off your old sheet music and see what you still remember! (You just may surprise yourself.) Or maybe you’ve always dreamed of being a writer, but you are scared and don’t know where to start...if this is the case, start now! You may have to restart 10 times, but that’s okay! A snow day is the perfect day to pursue something you’re passionate about.

5. Cozy up with a great book

And speaking of hobbies, one of the most universally loved hobbies (for good reason) happens to be one of our favorites here at Evergreen Podcasts: reading! Nothing in the world compares to getting lost in an amazing book. For many, reading a book is a rarity and a luxury, as it is hard to find the time and to justify sitting down and unwinding with a book in your lap.

Therefore, we firmly believe that a snow day is a day to give yourself permission to read a book! Skimming the newspaper (or, more commonly now, the news apps on your phone) on your morning commute to work does not count as real reading. We suggest you read a real (preferably print) book. There are many benefits of reading a book, including mental stimulation, stress reduction, and memory improvement. In addition, reading allows the brain to grow and adapt, it increases your attention span, and helps you to become an overall well-rounded person. Now, how many activities can you do at home in your pajamas that have that many benefits? (Yes, you read that right...stay in your PJs. If you have kids, let them stay in their PJs too and this Snow Day will turn into a real Pajama Party!)

So go ahead and cozy on up on the couch with your three B’s: a book, a blanket, and a brewed beverage. We hope you have a wonderful, enjoyable, and relaxing snow day!