Here’s how a White Christmas is Shaping Up for Idaho

This question is best answered with an. “It depends”. Where you live is probably the real point to be made. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, Idaho has had 24 white Christmases over 85 years. But that is better described as snow on the ground in Boise. While it’s obvious that people who live in the Treasure Valley think the world revolves around them, if you live in the panhandle, Pocatello, Twin Falls, or Idaho Falls, you’ll have a different answer. And the tough folks in the mountains usually get snow for the holiday.

I was in Idaho Falls on Christmas in 2016. It was three degrees and there was deep snow everywhere. It was 30 degrees warmer in Twin Falls.

This year, it looks as if only the higher peaks will have snow. Locally, the forecast is for continued mild, and after a few rare days of rain, there’s no moisture in the forecast until Christmas Eve. A week out, showers are expected the day before Christmas, and a high of 50. The next day, it was partly sunny with a high of 45.

I’ve experienced Christmas days when the thermometer registered well below zero. I’ve picnicked outside other years. And one nasty year when I was in high school, we woke Christmas morning to four feet of fresh snow. If I had my choice, I’d skip the snow and cold. If I want to see snow, I have a book at home filled with Currier and Ives pictures.

If you don’t ski, and I don’t, what’s the point of winter?