ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – In Alaska we like to think we can expect a white Christmas, but at least in the Anchorage area it doesn’t look as white as it usually does.

For the last two years there has been more than two feet of snow on the ground by Christmas Day. This year, the average snowfall is 8 inches, and in many parts of Anchorage’s rolling hills, green grass is actually sprouting on people’s lawns.

This is frustrating for many residents, especially those who enjoy cross-country skiing and outdoor recreation.

Dianne Holmes, who has lived in Anchorage for more than 60 years, said she couldn’t remember a winter with so little snow for the holidays.

“It’s the boxes,” she said when asked to sum it up.

That sentiment was shared by Heather Marshburn, who lives on a street called Snowflake Drive.

“I’m a fat biker and a cross-country skier and I snowboard every now and then, so not having snow makes me very, very sad,” Marshburn said. “Also, when you drive down the road it’s dark, it’s really dark, you can’t see anything because there’s no light to reflect. So it’s not a good thing. I don’t like it at all.”

Although it has snowed on 40 of the last 70 days of Christmas, that is not in the cards for this Christmas, according to meteorologist Melissa Frey.

Nevertheless, the weather is expected to get colder in the coming days. One place that at least looks like a white Christmas is Hilltop Ski Resort.

“We’ve been producing snow since early December,” said Robert Deberry, Hilltop’s marketing director.

“If you want a white Christmas, we’ve got it here.”

Snowboarder Natasha Frable agreed and said she won’t let the weather slow her down.

“It’s just good to be outside and exercise… that’s what living in Alaska is all about,” she said. “Of course we would love more snow… but we’ll take what we can get.”

Green may not be the normal color of Christmas, but some said there was no reason why the mood couldn’t still be cheerful.

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