A weather freak-out

We got a nice little winter storm today. Nothing huge, but enough to snarl traffic and shorten school.

I love love love a good weather holiday. It's an unplanned vacation, a hidden treasure. You get sent home from work early (if you are lucky), scoop up any supplies you may need for the storm, and go home. You stay hunkered down and watch the weather unfold.

Nature is awesome. Weather is fascinating. I love teaching my girls about different types of weather and to appreciate all of them. We all get into it. The Hubs got home early, my teaching gig in the morning was canceled, and it is Friday night! Nowhere to go, no pressure to be anywhere.....this is perfect.

Getting a weather holiday is a treat. I love the whole ritual of it. It struck me today that weather events (and cold weather events in particular) are really unofficial food holidays. When we talk about food holidays, we generally think of Thanksgiving and Christmas, maybe Easter and Fourth of July, too. Oh, and the Superbowl. You can't forget about that. Yum. All joyous holidays in their own rite, propelled to higher heights by the foods we expect and enjoy during the celebration.

As the weather started to precipitate this afternoon, my newsfeed was filled with friends posting pictures and offering luscious descriptions of the food that they were celebrating this impromptu holiday with. These meals were the visual and descriptive embodiment of comfort foods. We've got baked pastas and hearty enchiladas with wine. The colder and icier it gets, the more comforting the foods get. Loaded pizza and grilled cheese with tomato soup. Salmon cakes and bowls of cheesy grits.

As we are bundled up here in Foxwood and watching the world silently turn to white, we are enjoying our weather holiday with all its sweetness. You never know how many (if any) we will get in a year, so each one is special.

This one seems like it will be brief, just a day or so of people being encouraged to stay home and wall to wall weather coverage. Whether the it lasts a day or a week, I always love to celebrate this awesome holiday.