In Big Sky, Montana, where I live, it can snow every month of the year--and it usually does. We often get a dusting on the Fourth of July. An average winter brings us 33 feet. This is perfectly acceptable to us. After all, we live in a ski town. Snow, you might say, is our cash crop--and we can't complain about a bumper harvest.
Still, there are some people, such as our Sun Belt relatives, who wonder how we manage to stay sane when each winter morning brings the possibility of having to dig out from yet another big dumping. The secret, my neighbors and I have found, is to view snow the way kids do. A big snow, to them, is just nature's way of saying, "Hold everything! Let's party!"
It was in this spirit that our Snow Ball was born. With the drifts piling up all around, a group of us decided to see just how much fun we could have outdoors. We already had shovels, sleds and snow clothes, and, as it turned out, we didn't need much else. Like an immense sandbox, the snowy winter landscape seems to inspire creativity.
Keep in mind that unlike most parties, a Snow Ball can't always be scheduled in advance. In most cases, all you can do is make preparations and then hope for bad weather. So gather the extra gloves, stock up on supplies (you can never have too much cocoa), and start eyeing the yard for good game sites. As for the day's events, think of the following games and activities as a stockpile of suggestions, waiting to be adapted to your own creative crowd. When that next big storm strikes, you'll be ready to seize the moment. Because who knows when the good times will melt away?
FAMILYFUN contributing editor Barbara Rowley eagerly awaits snowstorms with her husband, Taylor, and two-year-old daughter, Anna.
