I’ll skip the intro and get right to the point: get off your butt and go play in the snow. Scratch that- you don’t even have to play, just go on a walk, take an artsy picture for some social media account that otherwise consumes your life, do something! I won’t pretend that I’ve been outside every second of every snow day. I’ll be honest, my enthusiasm towards it has decreased severely since my younger days. The tragedy is partially due to my middle of the year, fatigued brain and partially because I’ve (slightly) matured. Snow angels just don’t cut it anymore. A poll in a recent issue of our beloved Newsstreak has drawn my attention to the apparent mentality of my peers. 27% (the largest percentage recorded) favored a day inside, completely isolated from the ice outside? Pathetic. Or maybe they just don’t know the correct way to go about it.

There are hills everywhere. Utilize them.

No matter how old you are you’re never too old- or too cool or too busy or too tired- to sled. The great thing about sledding is you don’t even have to know how. It’s a phenomenal way to bond with your friends, and with a little creativity you can even create games out of it to keep from boring yourself. Also, I strongly encourage an effort to go night sledding. The lack of visibility adds to the thrill and it’s not hard to find a really nice view of the town- the hill at 1001 Garbers Church Road is a prime spot.

After you’re done sledding, go skiing, snowboarding and tubing….all at once!

Not really all at once, but I’d bet a large sum of money that your future child will at some point ask to do at least one of the three. Tubing is pretty basic- sit down and let gravity take over- but skiing and snowboarding are different stories. I’m not capable of stopping when I ski, so I tend to avoid it, but talk to anyone else and they’ll go on a ten minute tangent about their thrilling adventures up at the Nut. Speaking of, Massanutten! It’s right around the corner and fully equipped with both ski/snowboard slopes and a tubing track, and also offers lessons for the former. Like sledding, it’s an awesome place to spend the day with friends and take a break from school.

Build a friggin snowman.

Snowmen. Don’t get me started, I’ll be ranting til’ next winter. Big or small, fat or skinny, acorn or rocks, classic carrot or an innovative pinecone. Damn, the combinations are just endless. Shout out to my main (snow)man Cornelius.

Play with your dog, dawg.

Still looking for that Instagram-worthy picture? Look no further than the mass of fur and slobber at your feet. Some of the most fun I have in the snow is with my dogs; they don’t get mad when snow is thrown in their face, are wildly photogenic with a little white stuff sprinkled on their nose and definitely won’t run out of energy before you. If you don’t have a dog, don’t fret, a neighboring canine or a younger sibling should get just as many ‘likes.’

Embrace your inner hippie, go on a nature walk.

Green grass, green leaves, black streets, black roofs. A good 345 days a year this is what you see, so I understand the argument against walking, but when everything is different and white and smooth and pretty it’s totally worth it. This means that you could walk through downtown or into the thickest of forests and be amazed. If you time it right, you’ll find incredible peace, as commotion is at a minimal when roads are slick and the normal middle aged passer-byers are at home tending to their kids. Never is there ever a time a city will be so quiet as when a fresh coat of snow is on the ground.

You thought the nature walk was good, now do it at night.

It’s phenomenal, everything’s brighter and more peaceful.

If none of these convinced you to brave the cold, you must speak a different language. Don’t worry though, I know what will sway your opinion: post-snow  hot chocolate. We done here? I think so. Good talk. See you in the snow.