I'm calling it: It is officially too cold to bother going outside. I have decreed this both because I am too lazy to shove my arms through a winter coat and because seeing the amount of ice on my car the other day filled me with an unwarranted rage toward Elsa, and inspired some choice words that were not exactly Disney-friendly. But just because you're a slave to your plug-in heater doesn't mean you can't enjoy the winter from the safety of your own home. The magic of winter can be an indoor activity, thanks to this adorable game called "Winterbells" (or, as my friends and I have always called it, "Jingle Bunnies"). I'm VERY much hoping that this supreme time-waster has been a part of your season tradition for years, but if you're new to it, let me just say: Welcome, and you're welcome.
The game has actually been around since 2006, and the concept is so simple that even somebody as terrible at video games as I am can experience some modest success. I don't even know if it's the game itself that's so addicting, or just the way that it basically captures all of our dreams of winter whimsy, minus the frostbite. You can either play it on the computer or download it for iPhone, so this just became the most handy holiday resource in existence for people stuck in winding lines at shopping malls and grocery stores (aka all of us).
In case you haven't played before, here's the 411:
No fancy rules or secrets like other video games. You start out the way I wish we all started out in life, as an adorable, sprightly bunny that is hands down my new Patronus. You click and aim your bunny to hit one bell, and every time you hit a bell you get ten points and a little bit of a boost to the next bell.
Basically the aim is to see how many bells you can hit before you fall back to the snowy ground. But even losing is adorable, so there is virtually no stress, unlike pretty much everything else about the holidays.
And although this game was clearly made to celebrate the calm and beauty of winter, my high score is 2720, so TRY AND BEAT THAT, SUCKERS.
Images: Getty Images, FerryHallim.com
