Why celebrating the holidays in a warmer climate is actually the best
I grew up in New Orleans, where cold weather means 55 degrees and windy, and snow is very rare. Currently, I live in central Florida where, last I heard, heat and humidity are in the running to replace the mockingbird as the state bird (no, it’s not a flamingo, which surprised me too). Needless to say, I haven’t been exposed to the snow-dusted holidays of yore much. But lately, I’m starting to appreciate that.
Sure there are lots of downsides, like no snow days or sleigh rides, but that’s what movies and a low-set air conditioner are for. And while I’ll probably never wake up to a snowfall on Christmas morning, there are definitely more pros than cons about celebrating the holidays in a warmer climate…at least for me.
No snow/ice
When I was little, I used to pray and wish for snow every year. I would beg my parents to wake me up as soon as it started falling, but it never did. I felt robbed and cheated by snow, and for a while I was bitter.
But then I heard what many of my friends had to endure when snow hit their towns and their roads got all icy and scary. The shoveling, scraping, etc. sounded like a lot of hard work, and after visiting Maryland one year and seeing my first snowfall in the form of a blizzard, the southern girl in me said, “LOL nah.” In warm weather, we don’t have to worry about snow tires, gathering firewood, sleet (most of the time), etc. So as beautiful as snow can be, not having to deal with it is the actual best.
The tongue-in-cheek Christmas carols
OK, so I can’t sing “Let It Snow” or “White Christmas” with a straight face. But to be honest, some of those traditional Christmas carols are kind of depressing. Stuck inside in a snowstorm, and the best thing you can come up with is popcorn? Maybe you don’t have anywhere to be, chipper singer lady, but some of us are out of eggnog and/or spirits to go in said eggnog, so the fire? It ain’t that delightful.
But when you live somewhere hot, like me, you get the more fun Christmas carols like Mele Kalikimaka, Jeff Foxworthy’s 12 Redneck Days of Christmas, and my personal favorite, seeing as I’m from New Orleans: the 12 Yats of Christmas. I still don’t know what a yat is, but I don’t care. Just as long as I don’t have to sing about having to stay in some weird guy’s house because of the snow and lie to my family about it (I’m looking at you, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” even though I love that song anyway), I’m happy.
THE FOOD
Warmer weather usually means you’re somewhere in the south. Which means, between Betty Crocker Cookbook-approved casseroles, key lime pie, Cajun/Creole food, Mexican food, and barbecue, you really can’t go wrong with the food situation. Want to grill on Christmas day? Go for it. Want to take the huge fryer outside to cook your Thanksgiving turkey in so you can free up room in the house for other goodies? Knock yourself out, because it’s not like you’re going to freeze. Want to take a dip in the pool while the ham is in the oven? Just make sure someone is keeping watch and dive in.
Everyone comes to you
The holidays start right after hurricane season, which means mild weather and, as a result, all your family wants to come to where you are. There’s a reason snowbirds exist, after all. This saves money and PTO on travel for people who live in warmer climates – more to spend for travel during the summer, when we’re all eating our bragging words about how we don’t have to scrape ice off our pets.
(Image via Sony Pictures)
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