Groundhog Day: February 2nd and Winter Weather, Ten Tips

February 2nd we will once again be graced by Punxsatawney Phil, that famous groundhog who gives us our fate for the weather ahead. Either Mr. Phil sees his shadow and we get six more weeks of winter, or he sees no shadow and we get an early spring. Funny how many people actually believe it!

Winter can be the worst. Shoveling your walks over and over, being late for work three days in a row trying to drive through the 'wintry mix.' Your heat goes out and you have to stay in a hotel or freeze to death, and the electrician gets triple time on the weekends! Bundling up in coats and scarves til you can hardly move. Colds, flus, coughs, sneezes, how's it even worth it?

So what's your plan? Are you going to watch Phil as he decides the fate of our nation? Maybe you could even travel to the actual place where Phil lives and watch him live. Now that's an adventure. Phil is closer than you think. He's in Pennsylvania, a little northeast of Pittsburgh! From where I live in Hagerstown, MD I could probably be there in three hours (unless we get a winter storm, of course.)

Here are my ten tips for enjoying groundhog day and the rest of the cold winter:

1. Take that trip to Punxsatawney. It's a Saturday, you have off work. Go up and join in the celebration. Believe it or not, it could really lift your spirits to do something totally off the wall like this, especially if you have SAD (seasonal affective disorder.) You might get to enjoy some sunshine if Phil sees his shadow!

2. Make it a hotel-weekend. Stay somewhere to see the groundhog day celebration, and then stay the next night to watch the Superbowl. You can order a pizza and not have to worry about cleaning up anything. Relax, unwind, have a great time!

3. If you can't go somewhere this weekend, then have people over. Have a pajama party overnight so people can stay and celebrate both events, superbowl and groundhog day. Have them bring a dish each, so there's plenty of food to go around and you don't have to make it all!