Was seeing posts from friends back home on Facebook this morning and it struck me that there's less than a week left before Christmas. 

Something as simple as "Heavy snow, perfect day to stay in and wrap gifts. Careful on the roads if you have to step out..." brings back all those memories . 

Walking into a warm home from the cold, the smell of traditional holiday meals, and the tree. I swear the cold affects your perception of how things smell and multiplies just how good they smell.   I've never felt so un-christmassy in my whole life. They've placed decorations at the gates but for us, it just doesn't compute. Christmas light in palms? Santa's sleigh on green grass? And I can still enjoy my morning coffee outside, barefoot???

That's not Christmas. Usually, I love when the days get shorter, it's like the snow and the decorations more than make up for it. Here in the desert, for the first time in my life, I understand how certain people can find the time change depressing. 

We do have our usual customized wicked Christmas tree, gifts and all and I try to set the mood by playing the old Elvis Christmas album or Bing Crosby's. Cooking also helps. But the minute you walk out or even just look outside, it pretty much kills the magic.

I don't miss home, I guess I could stay in Vegas forever, but if there's to be a Christmas, it has to be back home, w/ snow, and cold and all the rest...

So the flight is booked for the first week of January, so that we can see the family and get into that holiday spirit a bit. Until then, I guess that that's the one thing I can't quite grasp - holidays in the south. For the rest, we're pretty much in tune w/ it.

I agree. Here in Scotland it's very mild for the time of year, with wind and rain forecast for Christmas Eve. That just ain't right.

We had some this afternoon but nothing on the ground yet.  

Supposed to hit us Thurs & Friday though.

You mean with all the extravagant displays in Las Vegas nobody's thought to build a skating rink with snow machines and semi-naked ladies doing synchronized routines? Even Tokyo has one of those (minus the naked ladies), and it snows there naturally!

In my neck of the woods; 20.F this morning. Some scattered snow on the ground. A winter storm warning for tomorrow night, expecting to dump 12 inches of snow. 

I imagine folks from Australia and Brazil see all the snow and remark, "this isn't Christmas! Where's the 30 degree (C) temperatures and blinding sun?"

Gotta wait for February there Rain!

We had some last night.   Things were lightly covered by 3:30am, but it was gone by 5am.  More fell at 9:30am, but it didn't stick.  We're supposed to have another storm tonight but, usually, there's only one day of what I call "picture post-card snow" before Christmas that is gone by the next day.  Then, if we're going to get more at all, it's usually in February and then we get the nastier stuff...

Well, with almost ceaseless, endless sunshine, ya gets what ya gets in Vega$... a desert.  You could always also take a trip and head over to the eastern Sierras or maybe to Lake Tahoe.

Every now and again it will get cold enough in Vega$ to freeze the palm trees.

bitflipper


You mean with all the extravagant displays in Las Vegas nobody's thought to build a skating rink with snow machines and semi-naked ladies doing synchronized routines? Even Tokyo has one of those (minus the naked ladies), and it snows there naturally!

what's the point, then? 

We've had a little too much snow during the past few winters here in southern Finland. I could do with less, as beautiful as it looks, though. I'm too old to spend 1-2 hours shoveling snow after a 10-12 hour working day.

And yes...a snowless Christmas isn't a proper one.