Can Christmas be Merry without being White?

I have heard the same question over and over, "Does it really feel like Christmas if there is no snow on the ground?" Well my answer is simple, "Snow is beautiful especially when observed from a distance. I prefer to watch via satellite from my warm Texas home. My motto is: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...some where else."

I first experienced snow at college and have fond memories of slipping in front of cute boys and landing on my butt. Of course scraping the snow off my car windows three times in one day and driving through snow storms to get to class didn't help the relationship. But my true contempt for living in snow hit its peak a few years ago when I awoke one March morning to yet another snowy day in Utah. I bundled up and headed to work. My car was parked on a slight hill that had a stop sign at the top. There was a line of cars trying to get up the hill, so I eased my car into drive and pressed the gas only to spin out. I wasn't going anywhere. After a few attempts I could smell rubber burning. A police officer in the area tried helping me up the hill but even he couldn't get my car moving. His advice was to allow my car to slide backward down the hill and then try to get a running start. There were cars sliding every where and to purposefully allow my car to slide backwards knowing I wouldn't be able to stop or control it seemed like the worst idea ever. So I called my husband, a Utah native, who was still home. He ran out to my car and thankfully was able to maneuver it to the top of the hill for me. But that was it, the final straw. We moved that summer to sunny Texas. Now when people ask why we moved back I say, "I was defeated by the infamous Icy Hill."

Here are a few more reasons why a warm Christmas is worth dreaming of.

1. Less sliding- it is safer to travel to loved ones nearby. However, I have heard that the northern states enjoy a little humor at our expense when it does freeze down here. Check out my video of Southerners trying to drive on the ice.

2. Send the kids outside with their new noisy toys- You know your in laws are going to give your child the loudest toy they can find. If it is a sunny 70 degrees out, you can send them and their Rockin Elmo outside. Not to mention the Nerf gun fights and Star Wars battles, can you tell I have boys.

3. Walk off some of those Holiday Treats- There is something wonderful about being able to get out of the house and take walk after eating another festive meal with plenty of treats to follow.

A couple reasons snow on Christmas isn't all its cracked up to be.

1. While it is beautiful immediately after it falls, we all know that by mid-day it is more brown and yellow then white.

2. Gloves, scarves, coats, socks, boots, hats, and more. Just to send your child out to play takes half an hour to layer them up. Then they play for less than that before they are frozen. Once they come back in they shed the layers leaving a trail of damp, stinky clothes around the house.

3. Cabin Fever- We all know that the Christmas Break seems longer then necessary when there is no escape from or for the kids. One of my most common phrases is, "If you are going to run, jump, and yell, take it outside." If outside is covered in snow, where can they go?

4. After Christmas sales are easier to get to without snow and ice on the road. Just check out my video of some Northerners trying to conquer the ice.

5. Sore Bottoms- As I mentioned earlier, and maybe I am just extra clutsy, but there is nothing like slipping and falling on the ice. First there is that moment of pure fear as you feel your feet slide out from under you. Then there is a brief moment of hope as you desperately fight in vain to stay up. Finally the moment of shear pain and humiliation as you hit the ground. Ahhh, good times...

Ok, ok, I will admit that there is something magical about sitting inside a wonderfully warm house and watching snow float gently to the ground. It is indescribably beautiful to wake up and look out your window and see the world around you covered in a fresh blanket of virgin snow. And it is undeniably calming and peaceful to walk through fresh fallen snow. I have had my moments when I think, "Maybe this isn't so bad." But I am a Texan through and through, and while I enjoy moments of all that snow has to offer, in the end I long to be here in Texas wearing short sleeved shirts and playing outside on Christmas day.