Christmas in the south is far different than the white Winter wonderland of the north. The sunshine and palm trees don’t feel like the holidays to me. I was raised in the north. From my early childhood, I have tons of memories of building snowmen. When my family moved south when I turned ten, even light snow flurries was a big deal and rarely happened. Most Christmas times, the temperature would never drop below the mid seventies! There were years when we were forced to run their a/c. Some of our neighbors would light a fire in their fireplace, just to act like it was traditional Winter time weather! Anyone from the north would find this ridiculous. People up north only run the Heating system when necessary. The Winter time weather costs a fortune in energy bills. After graduating college, I moved to the northwest to take a job in my field. I would have really loved a hot and sunny Christmas with palm trees. While down south, I missed the snow. After moving, the colder temperatures were brutal. I quickly understood the true meaning of sub zero temperatures. I needed to wear gloves whenever I stepped outside. I was constantly afraid of getting stuck in the snow with my car. The temperature was often in the negative digits. That kind of cold makes it a safety risk if the automobile is not equipped with a properly working heater. Getting caught on a remote road in a blizzard is a risk. Don’t get me wrong, it the scenery was beautiful there in the winter, but it was not to my liking. Even with access to decent heating system in my house and vehicle, I still was unhappy with the severe cold. I was always eager to get inside and take advantage of the heat from the radiator.
