Ding! There it is. The text you have been not so patiently waiting for; the text that brings cheers all over campus. Class canceled. Let the party texts begin.

Once a year in Dallas there is a winter storm or as they call it a winter freeze. Classes are usually canceled and the whole city pretty much closes down to rejoice in the power of mother nature. Some people in cars or sedans try to brave the snow, and it is entertaining to watch them skid all over the road, causing more harm than good. Snow may be cold and slick, an annoyance for most adults, but for students snow is a gift from the gods.

Backpacks and books are traded for Lululemon leggings and puffer jackets. Students who have trucks pack them full of high-spirited friends, and drive every to various destinations around campus to take advantage of the sparkling white powder that coats the parking lots and blankets the trees. Outside, guys  line up in the bed of pick-up trucks to pull their friends around on hastily assembled boogie boards and tubing, and girls are huddled in groups walking to their friends’ dorms to play dye. 

My apartment transforms into a restaurant, since my friends have no other means to find sustenance.  I run back and forth to the kitchen, grabbing plates, and filling cups with hot cocoa as I look out the window to admire the beauty of the freshly painted city. Music plays in the background and everyone is bundled up on the couch and on the chairs in the blue and white blankets. Movies play in other rooms and board games are on other tables. The laughter and the clamor of voices echoes around the rooms reminding me of Christmas. 

The end of the day finishes like it began, everyone frantically looks at their phones, hoping for a second miracle, waiting to see if another snow day will begin.