Strictly speaking a white Christmas is nothing more than a covering of fallen flakes of frozen water on the ground. According to AccuWeather’s analysis of the past 30 years only two large US cities (>250,000 city population) have a better than 50% chance of a white Christmas. Those two cities are Minneapolis (77%) and Denver (50%). If you lower the criteria just a few percentage points three more cities join the list. Milwaukee, Detroit, and Buffalo all experience a white Christmas 47% of the time. Just to be clear, AccuWeather defines a white Christmas as at least 1″ of snow on the ground.
For readers interested in their own chances of a snowy Christmas day please see our featured map. This map comes courtesy of NOAA.
To be sure a blanket of snow creates a beautiful scene. While I’m no biblical scholar, I don’t recall any mention of snowfall in the events that precipitated the holiday. For many the thought of snow is inconvenient, troubling, and a prime reason they choose not live in the northern part of the country. To some snow is nothing more than another four letter word. In many parts of the country the mere mention of snow leads to panicked buying of bread and milk.
Paul Landry http://www.cartoondepot.com/
Yet Irving Berlin’s song White Christmas is the best selling single of all time. Bing Crosby’s version has sold more than 100 million copies. Crosby’s version was so popular that it was the signature song in two major movies. It first appeared in Holiday Inn (1942), where it won an Oscar for Best Original Song. The song was also featured in White Christmas (1954). While the film met with some criticism, it remains a fan favorite and was the top grossing film of 1954.
So what’s the fascination with a basic weather phenomenon that can be boiled down to a predictable probability? I suspect it has less to do with beautiful scenery or the spiritual aspects of the time and more to do with sentiment. I think Irving Berlin’s opening lines mix melancholy and homeyness to perfection.
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
Whether you’re looking for a snowy Christmas or a warm one, I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday.
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
Note to Pay the Bills: While none of the books in the Misaligned Series references a white Christmas, lake effect snow and other oddities of upstate NY weather play supporting roles. How does that fit into a Young Adult fantasy series about the intersection of Welsh myth and String Theory? Learn more by reading a summary of the series here or find links to purchase books here.
When I spent my college years in Charleston, SC (after growing up south of Buffalo, NY) I was always so surprised by how “Christmasy” things felt in in the downtown area all decked out in its holiday splendor! Although I enjoy a fresh bit of snow on Christmas morning, there is something to be said for palm trees with Twinkle lights…
Merry Christmas, Armen! 🙂
I grew up in northern VA. I think it snowed one Christmas day. It stuck to the grass and cars, but not much else. Maybe one or two others we had snow on the ground, but that’s about it. Call me a traditionalist (or maybe just a well insulated person), but I just can’t see palm trees and lights as an appealing Christmas setting.
Having always lived in the snowbelt of the Northeast, I’m amused whenever I’m with a person who is seeing snow for the first time. The magic in their smile and the sparkle in their eyes speak to your words this week. Snow may be a curse when one has to shovel or drive in it, but – on Christmas morning – there is no nicer sight than that of white flakes drifting down from above. On that note, may I wish your and yours, too, a Merry Christmas.
I recently read a “fact” somewhere on the internet that of all the people on the planet only 33% have ever seen snow in person. Thanks for commenting and a Merry Christmas to you, too, Rick.