Snow days are pure 24-hour periods, held in untouched regard in the thoughts and hopes of children across the Midwest and Eastern United States. Yet, having grown up without snow days promising a reprieve from the monotony of school, my first full snow day experience was undisturbed perfection, filling me with carefree and languid thoughts as I giddily completed each snow day tradition the night before, akin to the Christmas Eves of my childhood.
Overall, I’d give an FHC snow day a 9.5 out of 10. Besides the extra few hours of sleep and lack of school work, the anticipation and rituals that surrounded my first snow day were part of the experience within itself, with only a few drawbacks.
Having heard of the snow day traditions a few days in advance, with confusion and unjustified judgment running through my mind, I was thoroughly unprepared for how diligently I would be running around my house to complete each and every task the next night. So here are my likely unqualified opinions on each of the Midwestern snow day traditions (that I know of) that I will undoubtedly be doing each night before an alleged day off from school.
Placing a spoon under my pillow: 5/5
A fairly simple task, I feel like this tradition is easy for everyone to do and was a simple yet unique way to usher in a snow day.
Flushing ice cubes down the toilet: 4/5
I loved this task, and it was unexpectedly fun to run from bathroom to bathroom with ice cubes clutched in my hands and a trail of flushing toilets in my wake. This tradition took a little extra work, and it was messier than some of the others but exciting nonetheless.
Wearing pajamas inside out and backward: 5/5
As my favorite snow day tradition, I loved the distinct mark of participation and the joy of changing up my nighttime routine, as well as picking out my favorite pajamas to wear backward.
Placing a white crayon in the fridge/freezer: 3/5
Placing a white crayon in an unusual location was the most debated of the snow day traditions. Some of my friends didn’t accomplish this task at all, with others swearing it belonged in the freezer, not the fridge, and vice versa. A white crayon was the hardest item to find, and we had to settle for a white marker that my sister placed in the ice machine, a location I had never heard of at school, and one that left the marker soaking.
Putting a penny on the windowsill: 4/5
A little simple compared to the other traditions—it was no issue to procure a penny, and an easy task to finish—but it didn’t live up to the other tasks.
After completing my snow day traditions, I carefully weighed whether setting my alarm for the next morning or not was the right call, debating if not setting it would jinx my tentative hopes of a snow day. Was it worth setting it, if only to allay the superstitions resting in my mind in exchange for the chance of being woken hours before I would wish?
I eventually decided not to take any chances and turned my alarm to ring at 6:35 a.m. the next morning. Next snow day, however, I will absolutely be taking a different course of action. I wish I had either not set my alarm or had requested my parents to turn it off in the morning, rather than waking me up to inform me of the delightful news and a reminder to turn off my alarm.
Despite a few learning opportunities, the elation of my first FHC snow day will always stay with me, especially as I complete the traditions going forward, impatiently awaiting the news of “school being canceled due to inclement weather” or the begrudging disappointment of waking up early.
