If you have ever watched a sappy Hallmark Christmas movie you will notice certain elements that are in each of them. Besides everyone being mostly happy most of the time, the majority (if not all) of them are focused on just three elements – love, family and snow.
Everyone falls in love, gets engaged, gets married or rekindles their love just in time for Christmas.
Everyone. It’s amazing how that works. No grinches, lonesome doves or sad seniors are allowed. They may start out that way, but attitudes and outlooks are miraculously changed with a little bit of holly or mistletoe.
Families are always involved. Some families try to avoid one another. Some are reunited after several years and several miles apart. Others show so much family love and support that those of us in the real world might want to toss our Christmas cookies, if you know what I mean.
Snow is also an important feature. Have you ever noticed how your favorite characters who reside in the southern states, Hawaii or the Caribbean Islands always seem to wind up in Vermont in time for Christmas?
Snow kindles that holiday cheer. In the movies the characters enjoy a hot beverage by a roaring fire. Or they get snowed in with someone they despise the first half of the movie and “learn to love” by the time it’s all said and done. Snow has a magical property of its own. Unfortunately, it has a mind of its own as well and is not good at RSVP-ing.
I found an article on-line, based on facts of course, that rank the chances of having a white Christmas in 450 cities in the United States. Kansas is not at the top. In fact, Kansas is pretty close to the bottom. The data was gathered by BonusFinder.com. But, if you don’t mind moving your December celebration to Montpelier, VT or Wallace, ID or Glenwood Springs, CO you will probably see a white Christmas.
The top 10 cities range from a 98.6% to 81.8% chance of seeing that cold white stuff on the 25 th . The states with the best odds are Vermont, Minnesota, North Dakota, Maine, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Michigan, Wisconsin and South Dakota, in that order. I can only assume Glenwood Springs, CO is an anomaly.
Thirteen cities in Kansas were included in the survey. The results might surprise you.
The Kansas city most likely to have a white Christmas is Manhattan with a ranking of 246 out of 450. That calculates to a 7.5% chance of seeing a forecasted 2.77 inches for Christmas. But Manhattan? Really?
The town we look to as where our wintry weather traditionally begins, Goodland, falls behind Manhattan with a 6.6% chance of a white Christmas. Seriously?
Salina, our weather partner, has a 5.2% chance of walking in a Christmas wonderland.
The chance of having a Christmas snowball fight ranges from 7.5% to 1.4% in the Great State of Kansas.
Coffeyville, in the southeast corner of our state, is ranked 317 out of 450, with a 1.4% chance of receiving a forecasted 4.28 inches of snow. I might be crazy, but I’m thinking if those folks in Coffeyville want a white Christmas maybe they should lower their expectations.
I do remember white Christmases vaguely. Truth is, if Kansans want to see a white Christmas in 2023, we should delay it to February or March. Maybe even April.
Or pray for a dusting and call it good.
Or just keep dreaming.
Happy holidays!
