When I groggily peered out my window on Sunday morning, I was surprised to see a thick blanket of snow covering the ground. After spending four winters in Maryland and rarely seeing any snow — let alone enough to stick around for more than a few hours — I knew this was a special occasion.

I’ve seen Snapchat stories of students pelting each other with snowballs and sledding on McKeldin Mall with cardboard they probably got out of their recycling bins, but I think there are more creative ways to celebrate the winter weather. 

For instance, try seeing what other garbage you can fashion into a sled! Or makeshift skis, if you’re feeling daring. Instead of playful snowball fights with friends, you could have a competition to see who can throw the most snowballs through the open windows of frat houses. 

There are endless ways to take advantage of the snow-covered landscape if you just think outside the box. I’ve compiled a few of my ideas for your consideration.

[I played Netflix roulette. Here’s how it went.]

For those who can muster up the willpower to brave the cold and brush all the snow off their car windshield, I recommend going for a scenic drive. You’ll have to go pretty far to get past College Park’s omnipresent construction and lack of any real foliage, but once you do, you’ll actually be able to enjoy looking out the windows as everyone around you drives 15 miles per hour under the speed limit — driving in the snow is not something Marylanders are equipped to deal with, apparently. As an added bonus, you won’t have to slow down like you usually do to stare in awe at all the four-car pile-ups on the side of the road!

If this were a normal semester, a snowstorm would surely mean canceled classes. After all, you can’t really expect college students, who already contemplate skipping class on a regular basis, to trudge a mile through several inches of snow in their Air Force Ones. 

However, because we have the luxury of taking all our classes online (at least for the first two weeks of the semester), a little inclement weather can’t stop our education. This doesn’t seem fair, given that we could all use a day off to ease our collectively decaying mental health. 

Thus, I think this winter weather advisory is the perfect time to lobby for a snow day from Zoom classes. Your professor will almost definitely say no, but asking first will lessen the guilt you feel when you decide to turn your camera off and sip boozy hot chocolate in the bathtub anyway.

[Stamp All Niter returns like you’ve never seen it before]

Are you tired of your old, potentially mold-laden dorm room? Maybe it’s time to pack up your things and build yourself a new igloo home for a few days. It might be cold, but all that shivering will go a long way toward helping you lose the weight you’ve put on while stuck inside for the better part of a year. When the snow melts and you’re forced to return to your humble abode, you’ll be much more appreciative of the simple warmth and electricity your room provides, even if it hasn’t been renovated since the 1940s.

If you park on the campus, then by now you’ve received the email from the Department of Transportation Services notifying you to move your car to one of the parking garages so they can plow the lots. However, the vague threat to “relocate” any cars left outside is more interesting to me — why not leave your car exactly where it is and create a fun snow day scavenger hunt for yourself by having your vehicle towed to an unknown location? I can’t promise it will turn out well for you, but it will definitely be exciting.

Finally, even if you hate the snow and wish it were spring already, few can resist the excuse to snuggle up under some fuzzy blankets and indulge in a few glasses of your favorite alcoholic beverage — if you’re of legal age, of course. It may be a school night, but no one can blame you for wanting to stay warm the best way you know how!