Snow days used to mean quite a different thing when I was a kid.

I — like many other children in the South — waited with nose pressed to the window, waiting for the first sign of snow.

In central and eastern North Carolina, that usually meant being disappointed a lot. But on the occasion we did get a few inches of the white stuff, I welcomed the day off from school.

It usually consisted of getting up early and playing to my heart’s content before the melt started. I don’t ever remember having enough snow to make a snowman, but we always explored the blanketed neighborhood, went sledding if possible and had a few snowball fights.

Of course the best part, was coming inside to get hot chocolate and a snack. I apparently had a deprived childhood — never had snow cream and had never really heard of it until I was an adult. That southern tradition somehow bypassed our house.

As I got older, snow days weren’t quite as carefree. In high school, a snow day could mean making up a school day or an exam. Snow in college was still fun, but sometimes the snow day just meant extra time to study.

My freshman year, it snowed quite a bit for the area, and there was a massive snowball fight between the dorms. And the employees at the dining halls guarded the cafeteria trays in the hopes students wouldn’t use them as makeshift sleds.

Once I was in the real world and working for newspapers, snow days just became work —literally. They meant trying to brush off my car and brave the streets to make it into the office.

I have gotten my fill of snow days the past two weeks, trying to take my dog out during the inclement weather and cleaning off the car to make it into work. Luckily this week I was able to work from home.

I see on Facebook — and other social media — many friends and family are enjoying the day off and posting their snowy pictures. It is nice to enjoy these photos while stuck inside.

During these recent storms that hit Suffolk and Hampton Roads, we have asked that readers send in their snow photos. It has been nice to see how Suffolkians spend their snow days and the kids are cute, too!

Please continue to send in your snow pictures and don’t forget to go to page 8 to see a sampling of what has been sent in. The rest of the submitted photos are featured in a gallery on the Suffolk News-Herald’s Facebook page.