The White Stuff

Gearing Up for the Snow Day That's Sure To Come . . . We Hope

You were ready for winter. You pulled out the woolly scarves, the fleece ear warmers, even those red thermal undies that you admit look a bit "Little House on the Prairie." You couldn't find the ice scraper, but you were fully prepared to chip the ice from your windshield with your Mastercard. And then . . . nothing.

An unseasonably warm December led into a downright toasty January. And you probably joined the rest of the mid-Atlantic in wondering, Is winter canceled, or what?

"I certainly wouldn't put the snow shovels away just yet," National Weather Service meteorologist Dennis Feltgen says. "We still have two-thirds of the meteorological winter to go."

See, there's still hope. And besides, we haven't had a really good, get-back-in-bed snowfall since February 2003. Which means we're due, right?

"Anything can happen," Feltgen says.

So there you have it. Scientifically speaking, we can safely say that we really have no idea whether the big snow is coming soon. But since it never hurts to be prepared, we've compiled a save-for-later list of 20 ways to spend the day should you be lucky enough to get that most welcome of freebies: the snow day.

And, hey, if the snow never arrives in large enough quantities for a day off, you can always fake it. Run to the store, strip the shelves of bread, milk and toilet paper and then call your boss to report a "sudden illness." Just don't tell her it was our idea.

A snow day looks only a little more likely now than it did in July, but lovers of wintry weather remain optimistic. With that in mind, here are suggestions for ways to spend a snowbound day at home -- even if it's only a virtual snow day.

-- Christina Breda Antoniades

Slacker's Delight

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Make it a marathon. Cuddle up with a blanket, and park yourself on the sofa for a movie marathon -- with a wintry theme, of course. Five titles in keeping with the season's spirit: "Fargo" (1996), "The Ice Storm" (1997), "Snow Falling on Cedars" (1999), "Touching the Void" (2003) and "March of the Penguins" (2005).

Have a good wine. Make nice with your neighbors by inviting them in for a warm glass of mulled wine. Making it is easy. "Generally, it's just wine and mulled-wine seasonings, which are nutmeg, clove and cinnamon," plus brandy and club soda, says Jon Genderson, co-owner of Schneider's of Capitol Hill. Find a recipe online and get brewing.

For the wine, stick with something that has body, but don't spend a lot. Genderson recommends Legado Mu?oz or Bonal, two Spanish tempranillos that cost less than $10 and are tasty un-mulled as well.