White Christmas?

The big winter storm that the weather forecasters were predicting for yesterday fizzled out--we only got an inch here in Joliet!  Down the road, closer to the mountains the forecasters got it right and they picked up nine inches at the base of the mountains, sixteen inches on the mountains.  All the skiers are happy that they got the snow, all the city slickers are glad the storm missed them.  Then there are those of who just took a glancing blow and we are not real sure what we think about the whole mess.  Primarily it has to do with whether or not we will be having a "white Christmas".

Now I always thought that if there was any snow--ANY SNOW--on the ground on Christmas Day that it was considered a "white Christmas"--WRONG!  There are actually rules and regulations about what constitutes a "white Christmas" . . . and they vary from place to place.  For example, in some countries they take the idea that I was working with about any snow on the ground constitutes a "white Christmas".  This standard takes the work out of the idea and keeps it simple.  Over in the United Kingdom (Britain) it is a little more complicated.  There it does not matter how much snow is on the ground--there could be three feet of snow on the ground, but if it is not snowing on Christmas Day it does not constitute a "white Christmas".  It does not matter if the snow sticks to the ground and accumulates--it just has to be snowing!  Doesn't make much sense to me, but hey, we Americans don't make much sense to the rest of the world either.

 

Here in America we have set the standards at one inch.  There must be a snow covering of exactly one inch or more on the ground on Christmas Day for it to be declared a "white Christmas".  Luckily for us here in Joliet with the previous snow our ground was covered with at least an inch of snow prior to the big fizzled out storm of this past Wednesday.  With the inch that we got on Wednesday, and if the snow doesn't do a major melt down in the next two days, we should have a "white Christmas".  Now at our house, since the sun never shines in the backyard, I am sure at least have of the Keener homestead is going to have a "white Christmas"--the front yard might not make it!  The big city, down the road to the east, where I work, will not have a "white Christmas" this year.  There just isn't the snow cover that is necessary for the declaration of a "white Christmas".  All those city slickers will have to head towards the mountains if they want a snowy Christmas.  I'm willing to sell pictures for those that want to buy them--"white Christmas" for five bucks!

The odds for the state of Montana having a "white Christmas" is 67 percent--not bad odds if a person is a gambler.  With the weather forecast for the next few days it looks like those who live closest to the mountains in Montana will experience a "white Christmas"--the rest will have to migrate west to the mountains.  From the map above it looks as if the majority of the "white Christmases" to be experienced are pretty much going to up and down the Rocky Mountains this year.  So the odds are pretty good for us for having the joy of a snowy Christmas!

The nice thing about "white Christmases" is that no one has to shovel them--it can wait until the next day.  In the meantime, whatever your standards, I hope that whether your Christmas is white or not that it is a day filled with family and friends, joy and laughter, and no snow shovels.  God's blessings to all and may whatever weather Christmas brings may it be a wonderful day!