Movies for a Snow Day

Yankee Belle is snowed in! (For the record, being snowed in is all fun and games until you have to dig yourself out. 28 inches of snow, people!! Ugh.) After surviving the Great Northeast Blizzard of 2013, I got a free snow day with nothing to do but sit around and gawk at all of the pretty white stuff outside my window. In honor of this rare treat, I've compiled a list of the essential "snow day" movies:

5. White Christmas
Folks, it doesn't have to be the holiday season to reconnect with this big ole slice of Americana. Snow is the Godot in this irresistibly charming winter wonderland of a movie; but, unlike Godot, it actually shows up. Plus, you can't have a snow day and NOT sing this song every five minutes:

4. Iron Will and White Fang
 I'm suggesting a double feature of two of Disney's most underrated live-action films. You really can't watch one without wanting to watch the other. (These picks also offer a glimpse into my movie tastes as a grade-schooler. Dogs? Snow? History? Cute male leads? Sold.) I dare you not to be taken in by these two great movies that capture the spirit of youth and adventure. Also, Ethan Hawke.

Who wants to go on a dog-sled race?? Iron Will (1994)

White Fang... starring a young Ethan Hawke (1991)

3. The Ice Storm
If you want a "thinking movie" to fill your snow day, look no further than Ang Lee's The Ice Storm. Brimming with the anxiety and restlessness of Nixon-era America, the film engages with the theme of isolation in a quiet Connecticut town. The movie boasts a stellar cast, and it will make you never want to leave your home during a winter storm.

2. Little Women
The best thing to do on a snow day is to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and turn on a beloved movie. For me, that movie is always Little Women-- the characters are as dear and familiar to me as old friends, and the story is as comforting as a cup of cocoa that wards off the winter chill.

1. Doctor Zhivago
It's Russia-- there's enough snow in this movie to blanket the entire state of Delaware three times over... and that's just the opening scene! Snow days are best spent watching long, sweeping epics that will fill up an entire afternoon. And if the movie comes with lush, romantic music, troubled characters, and doomed love stories, all the better-- David Lean's classic has it all! You'll be practicing your "preevyet" and "da sveedanya" soon enough!

What movies would you watch on a snow day? We'd love to hear your thoughts!