It's that time of year again. Food Lion's bread aisles are empty. The streets are void of cars and people. It's finally cold enough to wear the gloves your grandmother put in your stocking like she does every Christmas. And there's fluffy, mysterious, white stuff on the ground. Well, it looks fluffy. Who actually knows since it's buried under a thick layer of ice.

Yes, Wofford College received a whopping 5 inches of snow January 6th. What's even better (or worse, if you don't like snow), is that most of it hasn't melted away yet. In honor of our annual January snow, I have compiled superstitions and activities concerning this magical phenomenon.

How to make it snow

If you adore white roofed buildings and making footprints on your walk to Burwell, you might want more snow to fall on Spartanburg. Here are some sure-fire ways to ensure your wintry dreams come true.

Place a spoon under your pillow

The night before there is a supposed chance of snow, place a spoon, metal, wooden, or plastic, under your pillow. According to school kid legend, this ensures that there will be enough snow the next day for classes to be cancelled. The idea behind this strange act is that, when completed, there will be so much snow you will need the spoon to dig your way out.

Flush ice cubes

According to one popular snow superstition, putting ice cubes in the toilet will make it snow. The formula is that you should use one cube for every inch you want. It is very important that ice cubes are used for this. I'm not sure what happens if you used crushed ice but my research tells me that it is a class A rookie mistake.

Yell 'Snow Day' into a freezer

If you don't have a freezer, you could try this method in your mini fridge. You might end up with a rainy day instead, but it's worth a shot. This is also a great method to get your roommate to think you're going insane.

What to do in the Snow

Of course you can stick with the obvious Snow Day activities: sledding, making snowmen, sleeping, etc. But if you're interested in trying something new or if you want to impress your Northern friends by showing them that even though you can't drive in the snow, you can still have fun, here are some alternative options to try before it all melts away.

Make Maple Syrup Taffy

This winter tradition is credited to Quebec but is enjoyed in Northern US as well. Basically, you warm up some maple syrup and drizzle it over some snow. In a few seconds, the syrup cools and is ready for eating. You can pick it up with your fingers or roll it up with a Popsicle stick. Either way, it has the taste of maple syrup and the texture of taffy.

Paint the Snow

Add some food dye to water and put it in a squirt bottle and voila! You have paint you can use on the snow. It's hard to make a big 3D snowman with only 5 inches of snow. But with snow paint, you can make all the snowmen, snow angels, snow dogs, snow flowers, and snow replicas of Starry Night you could possibly want.

 Instagram Photoshoot

Let's be honest, that's the only reason some of you went outside in the snow.