When we picture Christmas in our eyes we usually picture a white Christmas with snow on our lawns. This year, however, has seen very little snow until near the end of January.
A white Christmas presents two images for me. The first image is an image of joy that seems to intensify when it snows Christmas day. The other picture is me with a shovel clearing off snow from my family’s sidewalk.
Christmas isn’t Christmas unless there is snow, but snow has repeatedly refused to fall on Christmas, and this year there was no hint of snow in December at all. When I returned from Christmas vacation this year, I remember that I wanted to see some snow just to confirm that it was winter.
Although the image of a white Christmas is becoming more fantasy than reality, there is a good aspect to this. So far this year I have not even looked at a shovel yet.
Having a big driveway and a long sidewalk near my house I have to shovel it all on my own usually. This chore takes quite a long time and I usually burn up all my energy doing it, and after a couple of hours I have to do it again.
Many people claim that the lack of snow points to global warming and that next year things will get even worse. The thing that needs to be pointed out, however, is the fact that global warming might not be behind the lack of snow.
Off the coast of California is a weather system called El Nino, which has been messing with the weather longer than the idea of global warming. People seem to have forgotten about this and are putting all the blame on global warming, which was accelerated thanks to El Nino.
Another point people seem to overlook when they claim that humans are at fault for global warming, is the fact that global warming occurs naturally. Humans are speeding it up, but global warming would happen without humans.
The lack of snow is a combination of El Nino and global warming, not just global warming. A green Christmas is no reason to start worrying about being flooded due to global warming.
