I know I can't be the only person who always hopes to wake up to snow on Christmas morning. There's something about it that just makes the whole day feel like a scene out of a movie. Sitting around the tree, nice and cozy inside your warm house, while the snow outside falls gently onto the quiet world. Sure, snow may not be the most convenient weather if you have to travel on Christmas Day, and it definitely won't help the traffic situation, but at least the trip will be pretty. I don't see how anyone could possibly complain about the beauty of a White Christmas.

Unfortunately, this year, it doesn't seem like this is going to be the case. Considering that, just a few days ago, on December 13th, New York City reached a record high of almost 70 degrees, smashing the 1923 record of 64 degrees. This is set to be the warmest December on record since 2006. I mean, until this weekend, it hadn't even snowed in Binghamton, something must be wrong!

*Cue everyone yelling about Global Warming*

Calm down people, it's not Global Warming. It's something called El Niño, you may remember learning about it in middle school science. Basically, the Pacific ocean experiences warmer ocean currents which brings warm temperatures to the U.S., South America, and the South Pacific. This happens every two to seven years in varying intensity, so there's no need to panic. All it means is that this year, it's particularly warm, which will make our winter unusually mild. This doesn't mean shorts and tank tops in February, it just means there won't be a blizzard every two days.

While I'm sure most people don't mind this, I seem to be among the rare few who love snow. Not just because of the snow days (which don't even exist at Binghamton) but because of how clean everything looks when the world outside is covered in fresh snow. There's a sense of calm and quiet when you view everything from the warmth of your bed that makes everything seem so peaceful. As long as I can stay inside and drink copious amounts of hot chocolate, nothing can bother me.

So maybe this year we won't have a White Christmas. Sure, that upsets me, but then again, we also won't have black ice, below freezing walks to class, and friends with broken limbs from slipping on the treacherous sidewalks (this really happened, her whole left side was broken). Snow has its moments and Christmas morning, when the whole family is together, is definitely one of them. Even if your Christmas morning doesn't look like a picture perfect scene, enjoy the time with your family and make the most of the warm winter ahead.