I have one unhappy Yankee visiting right now.

This Christmas my mom was looking forward to no snow and a day or so after she arrived here for a visit there was about 12 inches of it outside.

While my Aunt Dolly and I marveled at the snowflakes floating from the sky, my mom sat unamused in the living room. She didn’t want to even catch a glimpse of the snow through the window.

My mom had good reason because upstate New York already has experienced record snowfall this year, even before winter began on Dec. 21. Needless to say, she was looking forward to traveling south for the holidays.

Yankees are funny like that. Once we cross the Mason-Dixon line we assume everything gets brighter and sunnier. And for the most part, compared to upstate New York in December at least, it does. We never take in account the fact that the South gets the occasional freak snowstorm like this past Christmas weekend.

Yankees are also funny in that we take our white Christmases for granted.

For awhile now I have actually been missing those New York winters.

Sure, they were definitely no fun walking in while going to classes at SUNY Oswego. The wind whipping 30 miles per hour off Lake Ontario turns the snow into a white sandstorm, stinging any exposed skin.

I also can live without the cold temperatures. It should be illegal to refer to 25 degrees as a “high.”

For sure I have not missed any of that.

I have missed the serenity of snow dappled on tree branches, the sight of snowflakes drifting lazily from the sky and the beauty of unspoiled snow in a sleeping field.

As vicious as winter can be, just like the rest of the seasons, it has its own allure and attractiveness.

When I saw the snow fall this weekend, it was a welcomed sight especially on Christmas. I was glad to see that it was a “real” snowstorm, one with a little bit of a punch. There an actual accumulation of snow; an amassing you could make snowmen with, have snow fights and make snow angels.

As much as it was a mess for drivers, I hope everyone found joy in a (partial) white Christmas.

Amanda VanDerBroek is a Staff Writer for the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald. For comments and column suggestions email: amanda.vanderbroek@r-cnews.com or call (252) 332-7209.