Why are you dreaming of a White Christmas?

It has been beautiful in Edmonton for the last few days. The annoying minus sign that my car had been displaying in front of the double digit temperature has disappeared, I've learned that if one is too lazy to shovel the driveway the snow will melt off on its own, and my winter coat is once again on where it belongs - deep inside my closet.

As I walked outside the other day, I remarked about the general amicableness of the unseasonably warm weather: Nice weather, eh?

To which my friend responded: "Unpleasantly so."

What??? How is 8 degrees Celsius in the middle of December unpleasant?

"The snow is all melting away and it will ruin Christmas."

What is the North American obsession with having a white Christmas? In most of the world (especially the parts where people actually should be living, rather than this winter hinterland), there is no snow during Christmas and there is especially no snow in Bethlehem. Obviously, snow is not an integral part of Christmas. In fact, the thought of living in a sub-zero environment might lead people to be increasingly grumpy. One's Christmas spirit suffers when your car won't start, it takes hours to drive anywhere, and you can rarely feel your fingers and toes. So why do people want a white Christmas? Let's leave the snow for penguins and polar bears and crazy explorers that end up dying or eating each other.

Although, in the US, church groups are starting to boycott companies that wish people a happy holidays instead of a Merry Christmas, because they now seem to support the commercialization of Christmas that they had once fought so vehemently. Perhaps the integral elements of the holiday are quickly changing and perhaps in North America people cannot enjoy the thought of gathering around a garishly decorated tree without the presence of snow outside.

Either way, the nicer weather makes for a nicer Channukah.

Only 15 more days til Dublin!!!