Top 12 activities after the power goes out

You’re as ready for this storm as you’re ever going to get. Now all you can do is sit back, listen to the news, and wait for a downed tree to knock out the power. Here are some great activities to do by candle or lantern light.

You’ve stocked up on candles, flashlight batteries can canned goods. You checked the propane tanks for the cook stove. You taped your windows. You filled up your bath tub (it’ll come in handy when you have no running water, and you need to flush that toilet).

Now all you can do is sit back, listen to the news, and wait for a downed tree to knock out the power.

First of all, get yourself some place safe. Then… here are some great activities to do by candle or lantern light.

Give us your ideas in the comments below.

(Hat tips all around to Tom MacDonald, Shannon McDonald, Chris Satullo, Jennifer Lynn, Shai Ben-Yaacov and Brian Hickey.)

12. A glass of wine by the candlelight could be just the fortification you need for your frayed nerves. Draw or paint something to take your mind off. Let the darnkess loosen your inhibitions.

11. Candlelight at Halloween? Perfect conditions for ghost stories.

10. Put some serious thought into what you’re going to name your baby nine months from tonight. Hint: “Sandy” works for both boys and girls.

9. Organize your closets. Separate your clothes into three piles: Still Fierce, Seen Better Days and What Was I Thinking?

8. Shadow puppets!

7. Practice an instrument. Don’t you have an old violin, trumpet or xylophone sitting in your closet?

6. This is the perfect excuse to eat that entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s before it melts. Also, you can grill all that meat in your freezer

5. iPad out of juice? Kindle not backlit? To pass the time, you could resort to a linear, non-electronic, interactive, word-based device that your ancestors used. It’s also called a book.

4. Get an early start on that Christmas card list. Don’t celebrate Christmas? Make sure your calendar is up to date with everyone’s birthday. Or just write someone a nice letter. When the post office is operational again later in the week, your friend will be so happy to hear from you.

3. Play card games and board games. Mix it up with Scrabble: automatic triple word scores for anyone who plays “hurricane,” “surge,” “outage” or “flood.”

2. Radio drinking game. Your beer’s going to get warm in the fridge anyway. Take a sip every time the announcer says, “State of Emergency,” “storm surge,” “Frankenstorm,” “historic” or “battered.”

1. Take a nap.