# Why SNOW at Christmas?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [December 28, 2013, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350 "2013-12-28T11:08:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/41 "2013-12-28T18:27:25Z")
Although there is a factual question in the OP, I think we departed GQ territory some time ago. Let’s move this over to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/42 "2013-12-28T18:45:11Z")
I guess I have to shut up then … nothin’ humble about my opinions.
Last comment … I think the OP is exquisitely worded, a wonderful speck of prose. You’ve painted such a detailed picture with so few words. My thanks are always humble.
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### Author:  [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/43 "2013-12-28T20:06:00Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> Fair point, although Little Women may well have been influenced by Dickens. I believe both the poem and the novel come from the snowy north eastern USA.
Those are just the examples I know, there must be more.
I once read a book called The Battle for Christmas which detailed how the celebrating of Christmas changed post industrial revolution. Those particular novels featured prominently. Moving from an agrarian to industrial economy changed many features. The author argued that those three works of literature helped to push the celebration towards a ‘family oriented’ thing, rather than a drinking a carousing celebration that was more typical when Christmas was more like a harvest festival.
Also, Currier and Ives, sold reproductions of paintings very inexpensively. So they were widely distributed. Their winter scenes are still popular for Christmas cards. Now did their popularity cause people to put snow with the holiday or is it the other way around? I don’t know.
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### Author:  [@Riga\_Marole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riga_Marole)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/44 "2013-12-29T04:51:57Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#):
>
> I guess I have to shut up then … nothin’ humble about my opinions.
>
> Last comment … I think the OP is exquisitely worded, a wonderful speck of prose. You’ve painted such a detailed picture with so few words. My thanks are always humble.
I’ll interpret that as a compliment. I’m not getting very many of those lately, I’m afraid.
Thank you! 🙂
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/45 "2013-12-29T05:14:37Z")
> [@Donna\_Lange](#):
>
> I never said it didn’t snow. I said that the image she used is fake.
>
> Here is a snopes article on the subject
> [http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/egyptsnow.asp](http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/egyptsnow.asp)
I love the fact that they had real snow and a fake sphinx.
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### Author:  [@James\_Toothpaste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Toothpaste)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/46 "2013-12-29T21:02:43Z")
I don’t like that there’s snow at Christmas because IMO, snow is terrible. I’ve gotta get out of wisconsin.
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### Author:  [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/47 "2013-12-29T21:23:34Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> Er, no, not really. Anyway, much of southern Europe sees little snow except on mountains. As I have already mentioned, even here in Britain, to the north of most of Europe, we very rarely see snow until well after Xmas these days.
**Snow in ancient Europe**
The island of Crete, where the Minoan civilization thrived (2700-1420BC), sees snowfall in the mountains between November and May. The Roman pantheon included Chione/Khione, the goddess of snow and daughter of Boreas, god of the wintry north wind. Britain was occupied by Roman troops whose attire consisted of fur cloaks, trousers and boots when the weather was snowy.
**Christianity took off in Europe**
It is believed that Christianity really broke off with Judaism when Paul the Apostle (Saul of Tarsus) wrote the books of the New Testament and set up churches in Europe. He is regarded as a second founder of Christianity. The matter is of course debatable, but still. 🙂
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### Author:  [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/48 "2013-12-29T21:26:07Z")
> [@James\_Toothpaste](#):
>
> I don’t like that there’s snow at Christmas because IMO, snow is terrible. I’ve gotta get out of wisconsin.
But do you like toothpaste? Well, toothpaste makes your teeth as white as snow. 😃
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### Author:  [@Riga\_Marole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riga_Marole)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2013, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/49 "2013-12-30T06:37:50Z")
> [@James\_Toothpaste](#):
>
> I don’t like that there’s snow at Christmas because IMO, snow is terrible. I’ve gotta get out of wisconsin.
Move to Minnesota? 😃
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### Author:  [@Riga\_Marole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riga_Marole)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2013, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/50 "2013-12-30T06:44:06Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#):
>
> It is believed that Christianity really broke off with Judaism when Paul the Apostle (Saul of Tarsus) wrote the books of the New Testament and set up churches in Europe.
It is proclaimed by scholars that the New Testament is out-right hostile and slanderous towards Judaism.
As an ex-Catholic I have often been in deep conflict against New Testament Christians who say that the Jews murdered Christ.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2013, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/51 "2013-12-30T06:55:12Z")
A large part of Christmas imagery doesn’t come from the birth of Jesus. Snow is just another one of those. When you have a holiday set soon after the winter solstice, you’re going to have snow at least sometimes. And if it’s rare, that just makes it more special.
I mean, and I’m surprised no one said this, Jesus was almost certainly not born in winter. The date of Christmas comes from taking Jesus’ age as being exactly 33 years from conception and thus backdating from Easter, along with some traditions around John the Baptist. And, yes, the fact that there was a preexisting holiday around that time helped a lot, too.
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### Author:  [@Riga\_Marole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riga_Marole)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2013, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/52 "2013-12-30T08:20:36Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> A large part of Christmas imagery doesn’t come from the birth of Jesus. Snow is just another one of those. When you have a holiday set soon after the winter solstice, you’re going to have snow at least sometimes. And if it’s rare, that just makes it more special.
>
> I mean, and I’m surprised no one said this, Jesus was almost certainly not born in winter. The date of Christmas comes from taking Jesus’ age as being exactly 33 years from conception and thus backdating from Easter, along with some traditions around John the Baptist. And, yes, the fact that there was a preexisting holiday around that time helped a lot, too.
Sorry, but you can’t do that BigT! No fair getting us all exited with astounding hints but then not give us the punch-line. So … ? When is his correct birthday (give or take) according to our calendar today?
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### Author:  [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-snow-at-christmas/677350/53 "2014-01-07T13:12:30Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> I’m guessing that Christmas started to get mass-marketed in Hollywood in the 1950s era with the likes of “Miracle on 34th Street” in 1947 and “White Christmas” in 1954.
I am fully convinced that if Irving Berlin (who being Jewish, by definition didn’t celebrate Christmas) hadn’t written that dreadful song nobody would have been bothered with the idea.
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> Sleighs and reindeer are obviously Scandinavian.
Definitely not. The concept of Santa Claus driving around in a sleigh drawn by reindeer is very American to me.
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