Hi everyone! Since Alabama is scheduled to get snow/winter weather tomorrow – which i'm acting like a kid on Christmas about – I wanted to post a round up of ways to deal with snow(& winter generally) when you're living in the South! Personally, I love snow days, but I know a lot of people who don't look at it quite so favorably. If you're having trouble embracing a Southern Snow Day, check out my tips! 

1.     Get Cozy. If you come into my house, I have a ton of blankets. I’m a cold natured person, it could be 75 degrees inside but if I get chilled, it takes FOREVER for me to get warm. When it’s cold out, I like to curl up near a window with a blanket and coffee and watch the snow! It’s especially great when I’m sitting by my giant West-facing dining room window, and the sun peaks through the clouds – the whole space lights up! If you have a fireplace or a space heater ­– that’s a bonus!

2.     Scents. A few months ago, I did a post on Best Scents for Fall; I’m working on one for Winter, but here’s a preview. Candles are literal bright spots in a cold gray world that can happen during winter months. Visually they’re great, and olfactorily they can give you a huge mood boost! I got an oil diffuser from my boyfriend for Christmas, and I’ve loved trying out different oil scents! I love using Orange, Cedarwood, and sometimes peppermint or pine – they’re so cozy!

3.     Buy Groceries. No, I don’t mean bread & milk. Everybody says to do that but I don’t think its really all that practical, for two reasons. A) A lot of things close down when we get snow here in the South, so stock up on foods that will last for a few days. B) When its cold outside, I’d prefer to have soups and other warm foods rather than sandwiches or toast. The nice thing about soup is that you can heat it up by the fireplace if the power goes out. You could also get a small fondue pot (like this one at Target). 

Other suggestions from some of my favorite Southern Snow Survivalists include: Smore fixin's & wine, and salt & vinegar chips. Also: Coffee, soup fixin's, flannel pjs, fuzzy socks, and a warm fire!

4.     Slow Down.  If you’re not a “native” Southerner, be prepared for the chaos that ensues at the mention of us getting snow. Since it is a very rare occurrence, it makes more sense to use the budget to prepare for things that we do deal with more often, so when we do get snow, we don’t always have a surplus of ways to de-ice the roads and make it safe to drive. Driving is a whole ‘nother ball game. Since people in the South don’t get much experience driving in the snow, or snowy/icy roads, a lot of people aren’t very good at it. Be patient, drive slowly, lets all get home safely – your local emergency crews will thank you.

Really I’d advise just staying off the roads! During the last “Snowpacalypse” it took me over an hour to get from campus to my house, and it’s usually only a 10-15 minute drive.

5.     Be prepared.  I keep an ice-scraper in my car at all times, but I’m on the look out for de-icer sprays, especially in the winter! If you must drive when it snows in the South, keep a bottle of de-icer –it’ll save you from a long time scraping your windshield and getting snowed/sleeted on!

Note: Don’t pour hot water on your windshield in an effort to melt the ice… it could shatter the windshield.

Southern Snow Survivalists Say: Cardboard Boxes for Makeshift Sleds, Attaching Skis to an Old recliner and tying it to a golf cart are also a fun snow activity

6.     Treat Yourself. One of my favorite things that we’ve made when we’ve gotten snow is Snow Cream!  You mix a bowl of snow with a tsp. of vanilla, a cup of milk, and a pinch of salt, and 1/3 c. of sugar!  And, I don’t know if there’s any evidence to back this up, but Mama always said we couldn’t do it with the first snow because that snow wasn’t as good as the second snow.

Do You Have A Snow Day Necessity? Let me know In the comments!

(Or Tell Me One of Your Tips For Surviving Southern Snow!)

Stay Warm! 

xo, Lauren

Ps. If you're looking for a laugh while you're hiding from the cold, check out this SNL Weekend Update – Buford Calloway in The Atlanta Snow Storm :)