10 Ways To Make It Through a Cold, Snowy, Covid Holiday Weekend

Looks like there’s a bit of frustration brewing for this Martin Luther King 3 day weekend of 2022. Thought I’d try to brighten things up a bit with 10 things you can do to get to the other side, unscathed.

Let’s be honest, everyone and their brother seem to have COVID right now. Most people are asymptomatic or have cold-like symptoms, but some are getting hit pretty hard. Of course, there are around 100 people hospitalized right now locally due to the virus and we certainly wish them well. Let’s be honest though, add in the stress of avoiding COVID with a sub-zero wind chill, sub-zero temperatures, and the prediction of several inches of snow between Sunday afternoon and Monday night and you have some stress.

So how can we make the most of what we have this weekend?

First, we need to remember that we all choose to live here and excluding COVID, it is January and this is what happens in January in the Mohawk Valley. So, hang in there everyone and take the time for my short little exercise that offers 10 little ways to maneuver through this stressful weekend.

1. There is a lot to do if you are willing to go out into the world. The Comets are home this weekend and Utica City FC plays Sunday at the Adirondack Bank Center. The Herkimer Originals will play at Herkimer College on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, in addition, Syracuse Basketball will play Florida’s State at 2 on Saturday and the Bills will host the New England Patriots on Saturday night at 8 in a game of Wild card.

2. If watching games isn’t your thing, get physical and play on your own. Dive in for the long haul and play a game of Monopoly or pretend you’re in The Queen’s Gambit and play a game of chess.

3. Why not watch The Queen’s Gambit series on Netflix, or another series or a movie or something cool on TV? Never in the history of the world has there been so much quality content to watch on television. You may never get up from the couch!

4. Eat on the weekend. Order outside, order inside, cook it yourself, or cook something with the people you’re with. There are so many options for really good cooking at home these days, and all the fun always seems to happen in the kitchen, so grab yours this weekend.

5. When I was a kid, my mom used to pack hotdogs and we would all bundle up and venture through the snow…in the backyard…just to start a small fire, grab some small branches from a tree and cook hotdogs like roasting marshmallows. The fire kept you warm and the whole process from start to finish easily burned within a few hours. The fact is that it was different, and we all did it together. Be prepared for older kids to whine… but once they put the hot do in their mouths, the whine stops. (You may want to wait until Sunday afternoon, when temperatures are supposed to rise because Saturday is going to be frigid.)

6. Did you notice that I didn’t mention playing video games? Well, this weekend could be the perfect time for kids and grandkids to show parents and grandparents how to play video games. If the older ones don’t usually play, the little ones will have a blast telling them how bad they are at playing.

7. If you’re not worried about getting the virus, brave the cold and get outside! Whether you’re heading to the casino or visiting a local restaurant or bar, there’s plenty of great food and things to do this weekend.

8. The last time my wife and I had one of these long, cold, snowy weekends, we got ambitious and tore up the rug in our den. A week later, we had hardwood floors, and in my wife’s mind, she forced me to spend the money. Maybe it’s that kitchen project or bathroom remodel upstairs, or some other project she’s wanted to do for months or years. I’m sure there is a lot to work on if you sit down for 2 minutes and look around your house. Just be careful, with the COVID shortage, some home improvement products are back on order, so make sure a new toilet is available to buy before ripping yours out and tossing it to the curb.

9. That brings me to another fun game that we like to play. Is named, how long before someone pulls up to the curb in front of your house and loads the item you just dumped into your vehicle. Remember, one man’s junk is another man’s item for sale on eBay.

10. Finally, one more thing you can do this cold winter weekend to keep everyone’s spirits up is drink! Well obviously this isn’t for everyone and you know your own limits, but a few years ago my wife bought a bunch of spirits, herbs, spices, bitters, infusions, etc and became the mixologist following all this craziness. Craft cocktail recipes. I have to say some of them went down like kool-aid and we all had a great time. A quick word of warning: be sure to get your Bloody Mary ingredients by the next morning because those sweet little concoctions were far more potent than they tasted.

Bonus Item #11. Try home cures for the common hangover. Trust me, plan this “to do item” for your to-do list this weekend. It could be the best part of your frigid, icy, snowy 3-day holiday weekend.

Health! And what bills!

What are the exclusive drinks of each state?

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