I spent my Christmas in Eastern Washington State, where it snowed the entire day. It really added to the feel of the holiday in my eyes. Does it do the same for you? Does anyone who lives in a snowless area like Florida or Australia feel their Christmas just isn’t quite right? And does it make a difference if you grew up in a colder area?
I live in Virginia but spent one childhood Christmas in Florida and the warm weather added nothing to the holiday spirit. While there, we placed the Christmas tree in a screened porch area and my lasting memory of that season was getting up Christmas morning to discover the candy canes we had hung on the tree had begun to melt from the heat.
Australian here. Born and bred.
Xmas for me is seafood, salads, white wine and maybe spending the day at the beach (depending on location). That is what Xmas feels like for me, and snow is just … wrong. I spent one Xmas in the UK, and it was just grey and sad.
And this year it was raining and overcast on Xmas day at home. It just didn’t feel like a normal Xmas day, all out of sorts. It’s pretty much what you’re used to 
Aussie born and bred. Christmas without stifling heat, BBQ, pool, aeroguard and a load of flies isn’t Christmas.
We spent Christmas 2 years ago in Manhattan and saw snow. Which was very nice, until it started to blizzard and we were stranded in NYC while they shut everything down. It was by luck we got the last 4 seats on standby to Salt Lake City, then to Las Vegas.
While the snow was pretty, it was damn cold and as tourists we weren’t really up to the weather at 2:00am at JFK with no heating in the airport, the doors jammed open and no potential of a standby flight until later that morning.
While I would probably like to spend a winter Christmas in a more hospitable location, the simplicity of shorts, sunscreen and a BBQ wins, hands down for me every time.
Californian.
Whatever you grow up with is what seems normal. And the year I got a basketball I was able to run outside and start playing with it immediately. Ditto the year my brother’s kids all got bicycles.
This year, I live in a colder climate. It started snowing late Christmas Day and all I could think of was that it was creating a driving hazard for my guests when they were ready to leave.
I’ve always lived in the midwest (albeit climatically different parts of it) and have always hoped for white Christmases, though in some places rarely got them. Yes, it enhances my enjoyment a lot to feel all snug and snowed in on Christmas day.
From a cold area but don’t get snow at christmas very often.
Have spent Christmasses in tropical areas and it didn’t really seem like the real thing to me.
Kiwi living in the UK. I can totally understand the purpose of Christmas - hey, it’s cold and dark, let’s string up some festive lights and have a big feast! But New Year’s Eve belongs to warm summer evenings, drinking cold beer and listening to good music.
British. White Christmases are rare here, maybe one year in 10, and less than that for a “proper” deep-and-crisp-and-even white Christmas. Even Christmas 2010 and 2011, when we had cold and snowy winters, the snow didn’t quite coincide with Christmas itself, although there was still some on the ground.
I love snow, and it makes everything much more Christmassy. The Christmas just gone was mild, wet and windy (as they often are) and it does spoil the atmosphere.
I have spent one Christmas in Australia, though, and I can see the appeal of warm sunshine and going to the beach.
If it’s unseasonably warm on or around Christmas Day, it feels less like Christmas,
I can’t fathom going to the beach and doing a BBQ on Christmas Day, I think I’d cry.
A white Christmas is much preferred and the colder the better, but no big fan of black (or any color for that matter) ice, though.