YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - There was no Christmas miracle in store for those dreaming of a white Christmas, Saturday.

After Christmas 2020 brought with it a winter wonderland, this year's holiday forced snow seekers to take a rain check.

Snow seekers like Wayne Stamp of Niles. On his way home to spend Christmas with his family, the great-grandfather said the ambiance of the snow

makes the holiday just that much more memorable.

"That's one of the enjoyments we have of the Christmas snow," Stamp said. "What are you going to do in the rain? You [have] to wear a rain coat and rain hat and all that other stuff."

It was a mild and soggy Christmas day, marked by rain showers that tapered off around 3 p.m. 

Though, the showers didn't stop people from enjoying what also was also a weirdly warm December day.

For athletes apart of the Trumbull County Disc Golf Association (TCDGA), Saturday's rain wouldn't ruin the league's one-thousandth week of play in-a-row. 

TDGA member Bill Flynn said the league has always prided itself on how members play through any and all weather conditions: rain, shine, sleet or snow.

"I don't think anybody's worried or too concerned about showing up," Flynn said. "In fact, especially early on, people thought they had a chance to win if the weather was bad because maybe less players would show up."

Those Dec. 25 showers came with 39-year high temperatures too. WFMJ's Chief Meteorologist Eric Wilhelm tweeted earlier Saturday that "It's the warmest Christmas since the warmest on record in 1982."  

It led to the revival of the great Christmas weather debate: snow or no? After a Twitter poll was sent out asking people this question Saturday, over 60% say they prefer a white Christmas, while nearly 40% say they prefer a warm Christmas (as of Dec. 25, 2021 at 6:44 p.m.).

"It feels more like Christmas when there's a lot of snow," Bob Schwartz, a former Youngstown resident, visiting his family for Christmas, said. "I remember, I'm going to sound old, when I was a kid, it snowed the entire month of December."

Stamp said winter weather for the holidays brings up memories of getting together with family, going outside to have snowball fights and making snow angels.

As for the pro-no snow argument, Schwartz's wife Erin Marie Schwartz, said snow doesn't make or break a Christmas celebration.

"We're doing the same thing that we normally do and all the lights are out and the trees are up," she said.

And, while the unusually warm weather and rain may be off-putting to the look of Christmas displays, it comes with some benefits too, when it comes to holiday traveling.

Bob Schwartz said his drive up to Youngstown from his home in Cincinnati took only five hours Friday, and if it snowed, it could've tacked on a lot more hours.

""I mean, the driving, the traffic was really light so it was a pretty nice drive," he said. "If it snowed a lot, we might not [have been] able to come home for Christmas and see everybody."

So, what's the verdict: so or no snow? The truth is, most agree it doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of the holiday.

"It's a feeling and an attitude," Erin Marie said, "And, everyone just seems happy and excited."

Not to mention, there is always next year to keep dreaming of a white Christmas.