White Christmases

[Phoenix84]

I'm spending the holidays at my parent's house.  As a result, I've been watching more TV than I normally do.  There's not much else to do, after all.

Anyway, I've noticed that in many of the commercials, that often there is snow falling.  The entire landscape is covered in fluffy, white snow.  I realize the picturesque landscape of the holidays is meant to tug on peoples' emotions and get them to buy more stuff. But it got me thinking.

How many white Christmases have you actually experienced? I've lived in areas of the U.S that get cold as balls in the winter for my entire life.  I've spent virtually every Christmas of my life in the Midwest. Yet, I have seen relatively few white Christmases.  There isn't that much north of here.

Anyway, I thought it was odd. If I don't get many white Christmases, the rest of the country probably doesn't get much more snow than we do.  Yet it's sold as the standard weather pattern for the holidays.

What about you? What ratio of white to non white Christmases have you experienced?

[milee]

Ours are generally white.

But that's because the beach sand here is pure white.  So it's white and about 80 degrees where we spend Christmas afternoon.  

[sheilaincali]

In my 38 years- we had 3 green Christmases when we lived in Southern California and one or two "Brown" Christmases in Minnesota but usually there is snow on the ground nearly every year in MN for Christmas.

It's not always falling that day in Hollywood fashion but there is nearly always snow on the ground.

[Wisconsin Beth]

SE Wisconsin, lived here for 43 years.  I'd guess that at least 1/3 of my Christmases have not had snow.  We're in the midst of a White Christmas now though as we got something like 8 inches over the weekend...

[Deleted]

White Christmas is the norm here in the Snow Belt. 

[Deleted]

We have a lot of white Christmas's. Or dirty brown and somewhat white would probably be more apropos.

This year we are not having a white Christmas, although if you asked me a week ago I would have thought we would have, but we had a freak warm up to 65 degrees yesterday.

[shanendoah]

I grew up in eastern MT- white Christmas was pretty much the norm there. In northern NV, it's a brown and sage Christmas. Now in the PNW, it's a grey and green Christmas.

My dad is still in MT. After all of his shoveling of late, he says he wants to see a movie where it STOPS snowing for Christmas.

[Deleted]

Dec 23, 2013 13:14:21 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

We have a lot of white Christmas's. Or dirty brown and somewhat white would probably be more apropos.

This year we are not having a white Christmas, although if you asked me a week ago I would have thought we would have, but we had a freak warm up to 65 degrees yesterday.

Our snow is almost gone but they're calling for more tomorrow. Just in the "Nick" of time! BADUM DUM *chee*  

[steph08]

I'm in PA - I'd go with 75% of Christmases had snow on the ground or snow in the air. It really just depends. It has rained here all weekend and melted all the snow. There are some flurries in the air today and some snow is supposed to come down tomorrow and/or on Christmas - not sure how much though. It may or may not be white. Probably brown with a dusting of white.

[swasat]

Dec 23, 2013 13:14:21 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

We have a lot of white Christmas's. Or dirty brown and somewhat white would probably be more apropos.

This year we are not having a white Christmas, although if you asked me a week ago I would have thought we would have, but we had a freak warm up to 65 degrees yesterday.

Same here. These past two days the temperature was in 60s, so unusual for this snow belt. So all the snow we had from the last 2 weeks of snow melted away. Te temps are down to 30s today and will drop further but our next snowfall will only be the day after Christmas. 

I grew up in Chicago and have been living in OH for the last 10 year or so. So yeah, I have a had a lot of white Christmases in my life. 

[swamp]

I got a white Christmas going on here. And here in Upstate New York, most Christmases are white, probably 75%.

[cael]

We get pretty frequent white Christmases here in Bahhstan. Sadly this year, all our snow is gonna be either melted or gross and dirty by Wednesday, lol.

[michelyn8]

The only White Christmas I remember was in 1998 and it was from ice, not snow.  I woke up Christmas Eve with plans to finish my shopping to find we had no power and there was over an inch of ice on everything. 

A few years ago, 2010 I think, we got snow on Christmas but it didn't start until that night and into the next morning.  I was stuck at the ex-BF's (not really stuck but he didn't want me to drive in it even though I'd driven in worse many times) and very stir crazy.  Came home the next day to find my cat had peed on my stove and had issues with her doing that whenever I was gone more than one overnight for several months.  The only reason I knew it wasn't a health issues is because one weekend she chose to have a go at my paper towels and I didn't know that was where the smell was coming from until I used one to dry my hands the wetness made the smell stronger.     So thankful she got over those issues.  

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Upstate NY, Christmas is about 3/4 or so white. In the 8 or so years I've been coming out to the PNW for Christmas, I can remember them being white twice, so about 25%. Hell, one Christmas we were snowed in, we couldn't get off the road and weren't able to get off the road we live on for 3-4 days afterwards because the snow was so deep.

[Deleted]

Most years we have white Christmas here.

A couple nights ago we had a nice ice glazing and then a few inches of snow yesterday.

Still freezing today but the sun was out and that ice with the snow on top of it on the tree lines were just breathtakingly beautiful.

[NoNamePerson]

Never ~ at least so far. Can't predict the future 

[sapphire12]

I can only remember 1 or 2 where it was snowing and it wasn't much. The commercials don't phase me because it's not my reality. Now, I do have a co-worker who moved here from upstate NY who laments the fact we don't have white Christmases. Get over it. She's been here over 20 years.

[msventoux]

Almost every single one.  The only handful that weren't were ones I was out of state in the Southwest in the desert.  Not sure which is worse!

[Sum Dum Gai]

Had a few as a young child in Flagstaff.  We must have had one or two while we were in Colorado, but I can't honestly remember.  None here though.

[Phoenix84]

I've spent the vast majority of my 28 Christmases in central Indiana. Except for that one time we went to Florida to see my grandparents.

Anyway, I'd estimate 1/3, maybe 1/2 if you count SOME snow on the ground (i.e. a brown and dusting of white Christmas) of our Christmases have been white, give or take a bit.  Now they're saying a 20% chance of snow this year.

[thyme4change]

It is a Northeast thing.  

I remember visiting my sister and we flew in, we drove to her house and it was dry and clear.  We woke up in the morning and looked out the window and it looked just like those commercials - a fluffy layer on the ground and soft pillowy snowflakes falling from the sky.  My mom was so excited and my sister said "I ordered it just for you."  

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

White Christmas?  We've had White Halloweens around here before.

[Phoenix84]

Dec 23, 2013 18:35:23 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Had a few as a young child in Flagstaff.  We must have had one or two while we were in Colorado, but I can't honestly remember.  None here though.

I've been living in Colorado for a couple of years now. To me so far, it seems our wet season is March and April. December has been pretty dry, though we did get a good snow early in the month.

[Phoenix84]

Dec 23, 2013 18:43:45 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

White Christmas?  We've had White Halloweens around here before.

How do you handle trick or treating in that scenario?

[constanz22]

Probably about 75% here in NE PA.  Not this year though.  We had about a foot on the ground, but then had a freakish warm streak of 50's, 60's and rain this weekend and it's ALL gone.

[constanz22]

Dec 23, 2013 18:43:45 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

White Christmas?  We've had White Halloweens around here before.

So have we!  Many times!

[msventoux]

Dec 23, 2013 18:51:24 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Dec 23, 2013 18:43:45 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

White Christmas?  We've had White Halloweens around here before.

How do you handle trick or treating in that scenario?

All costumes are several sizes too big so that they can be worn over snowsuits and gloves.  Some people give out those little chemical hand warmers that you shake to activate the heat so the kids can put them in their gloves or boots. 

[alabamagal]

0 out of 50.  Grew up in S. FL, now in S. GA

One year in S. FL my brother got new water ski for Christmas.  He tried it out that Day

[Apple]

I'd guess about a third have been white, and most of those when I was younger.  We still get snow, just not as much, and usually not on Christmas (seems to get here closer to January).

I know we've trick-or-treated in the snow before, and one year we didn't make it to Gramma and Grampa's house because the snow made the roads too bad for our old car.

[Deleted]

White Christmas is on! We've already gotten a couple of inches since I got here this morning and it's not stopping any time soon! WHOO HOO!!!!!