Hmm, coming from a New Englander (and while I have a 4wd now, I didn't until July of this year)...and I'm going to assume you have little to no experience in snow drivg, so here's my bits of knowledge (and I apologize if I have underestimated your knowledge on the subject)

Make sure you put the sand between the rear wheel wells. You want the weight being pushed onto the rear tires.

Also, bring Kitty litter with you. If you get stuck on ice, you can spread it out and get traction (also, non-corrosive, so you don't need to worry about sealing the bag back up). If you can get a 30' recovery strap, you might want that as well (a 4wd vehicle might come along and be able to tow you out, you never know)

Don't forget to get a good icescraper, and wipe down your headlights when you gas up (to get road salt off of them).

Leave extra room for stopping, and ease on and off the gas/brakes. If you have fogs, use them when it snows.

Also, airing down your tires a bit will help gain traction in snow and on ice. But don't over do it...anyone have any low tire pressure experience in there X...in my olds and tracer, I dropped to 22-24 psi and it helped. With the X, I usually run 30-32 psi, and I will drop down to 26-28 and see how that works.