work based snowman, Spitalfields, London

The recent heavy snows in the South East of England has triggered a classic set of culturally specific set of behaviours;

Schools shut.
Most people stay at home and those who do turn up leave early.
Snowmen are built and snowball fights break out amongst workers who do turn up
In essence, its treated like a genial national disaster. This is bemusing to anyone used to heavy winter snow, especially as this can be triggered by the lightest of snow fall.
Although there’s some practical justification for this behaviour (as a country unused to snow we don’t have basic equipment to tackle it) there’s something about it all that makes me think this is is more about cultural remission - the conventionalised relaxation of social rules - than weather. Like other times of cultural remission such as festivals and holidays, playfulness is expected, formalities are dispensed with and the natural order of things subverted. I think snow offers a chance to break the routine and stuffiness and enjoy the short period of anarchy it brings.
Of course, like English snow, this isn’t sustainable so this doesn’t really go beyond a day, after that we revert to our other weather behaviours such as moaning.
Snow and home videos from the BBC here.
Typical newspaper wailing and bemoaning here.