Someone mentioned my reference last week to the fact that the weather was not one of the Register’s Top Ten stories of the year for 2023. I think they were suggesting it should have been, and, as I stated in my column last week, I could not argue the point. It was high on the list.

Or maybe they were making a point that they felt Global Warming should be on the top of Top Ten News Story lists.

At any rate, there was indeed a lot of cold and snow in the early part of last winter. And there was a whole lot of heat during the summer. And, we all remember the snow and cold in October, before Halloween.

And then there were, and still are, the drought conditions of the summer. We have not had a lot of rain or snow. Just enough to get by.

I was told that the last time Minnesota had a Christmas with no snow and 50 – even 60 – degree days for Christmas week was in 1952.

Now, I can’t attest to that. It is not that I was not alive, because I was. But I was only two and not tuned into caring about the weather yet. And, besides, I was living in San Diego in 1952.

It is extremely hard to get into that Christmas and New Year’s holiday spirit when you are in Minnesota and it just is not December weather.

Not that I am complaining, you understand. Frequent readers of this column surely know my feelings about cold and snow. Not a big fan. Again, it hearkens back to my childhood days in Southern California.

But, after living in Minne-snow-ta for all of the past 50 years or so, one does get a bit used to having snow on the ground all winter, particularly for Christmas.

So, it was particularly hard on my son, Nate, and his family, who live in California, when they came to Blue Earth for Christmas and there was no snow.

Some folks may remember my son Nate, as he was the warehouse manager at Seneca in Blue Earth for a while. And my granddaughter Lauren can lay claim to being a native of Blue Earth, as she was born at UHD hospital some 13 years ago. In December. A cold and snowy December.

Nate and Sue were sure surprised to check their phones on Christmas morning and it was warmer in Blue Earth, Minnesota, than it was in Ripon, California. It was 41 degrees here, and just 39 degrees there. In full disclosure, it hit 49 for a high here and 55 there. Still, not that much different.

You have to admit, it was hard to think it was Christmas time.

My grandson, Jake, went for a ride on his motorcycle on Christmas Day. In Blue Earth, Minnesota.

My next-door neighbor, Dusty Lane, went golfing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. In Elmore, Minnesota, two days before Christmas. He may have gone on Sunday and Monday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but I suspect he could have been busy having family Christmas celebrations.

As you can see on the front page of this week’s edition, someone was out jet skiing on Bass Lake for Christmas. In Winnebago, Minnesota. On Christmas Day.

You get the idea. And you probably have a lot of examples of your own, of the nice weather for Christmas. OK, if you want to complain about something, it has not been very sunny during this spell. And it has been foggy and a little rainy. But really, that is not much to complain about.

Unless, of course, you own a ski resort or a snow removal company or you love snowmobiling, downhill or cross-country skiing or ice fishing. Then you might be whining a bit about all this lousy warm weather we have been having.

I would say the odds are with you that things are going to change. This is Minnesota, after all. And we have four more months of winter weather possibilities. January, February, March and April. Yes, April. It can, and has, snowed in Minnesota in April. And I remember that one May Day when we got about six inches of the white stuff.

So, remember. You can complain about the weather all you want. But it just is not going to do a bit of good.

Here is hoping for perfect weather for you in 2024. No matter what kind of weather it is that you consider perfect.

Happy New Year to all our friends and neighbors … and to all you faithful readers of the Faribault County Register.