December Weather Lore: 24 Folk Sayings About Christmas and Winter
Find out what the weather this month means for the rest of the year!
Quick Reference
- What this is: 24 traditional December weather lore sayings, sorted by Christmas, saint days, and harvest reads.
- Headline rule: White Christmas, green Easter. Green Christmas, white Easter. The reversal is the most-cited December lore in English.
- Christmas Day signs: A bright clear Christmas points to two winters in one year. A windy Christmas points to fruit trees bearing well. A rainy Christmas points to four weeks without sun.
- Saint days to watch: First Sunday in December (rain rule), St. Lucy’s Day (December 13), and St. Thomas’s Day (December 21).
- Best companion read: The Almanac 20 Signs of a Hard Winter.
Although weather folklore exists for every part of the year, and for nearly every type of weather phenomenon, much of the body of traditional lore surrounds snow. Our 20 Signs of a Hard Winter is essentially about how much snow to expect. There are some weather lore sayings that are not just about snow, even during the month of December. Sure, snow shows up. There is much more to the lore.
Here is a small sampling of the weather lore surrounding the month of December. Read it, test it against your own December, and tell us which sayings still hold up.
December Weather Lore Sayings
Rain before Mass on the first Sunday in December means rain for a week.
On St. Thomas’s Day (December 21) the winter takes its full power.
White Christmas, green Easter. Green Christmas, white Easter.
If December is rainy, mild, and unsettled, the winter will not be harsh.
If December is cold and the earth is covered with snow, next year’s rye will be in abundance.
If there’s thunder during Christmas week, the winter will be anything but meek.
The nearer the New Moon to Christmas Day, the harder the winter.
If Christmas Day be bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.
A green Christmas brings a heavy harvest.
A green Christmas makes a fat churchyard.
So many hours of Sun on Christmas Day, so many frosts in the month of May.
If the Sun shines through an apple tree on Christmas, there will be an abundant crop of apples in the coming year.
If it rains on Christmas, there will be four weeks with no sun.
The wind at the end of Midnight Mass will be the dominant wind in the coming year.
A windy Christmas is a sign of a good year to come.
If there is much wind on Christmas Day, trees will bear much fruit.
If the wind grows stormy before sunset on Christmas, expect sickness in the coming spring and autumn.
If it snows on Christmas night, there will be a good crop of hops next year.
If at Christmas, ice hangs on the willow, then clover may be cut at Easter.
Light Christmas, light wheatsheaf; Dark Christmas, heavy wheatsheaf.
A bright Christmas foretells that hens will lay well.
A dark Christmas foretells that cows will give much milk.
If St. Lucy’s Day (December 13) be bright, Christmas day will be dark with snow;
but if the snow falls on St. Lucy, Christmas will be clear and sunny.
If ice will bear a man at Christmas, it will not bear a mouse afterward.
Three Buckets the December Sayings Fall Into
- Reversal sayings. White Christmas swaps with green Easter. A bright Christmas points to “two winters in the year.” A heavy Christmas freeze points to a thin late-winter ice. The folk reading is that nature settles its account by spring, one way or the other.
- Saint-day sayings. The European church year fixed certain December dates as weather hinges. The first Sunday rain rule, St. Lucy’s Day (December 13), St. Thomas’s Day (December 21), and Christmas itself all carried winter or harvest tells. They survived because farmers needed a date, not a feeling.
- Crop-economy sayings. Cold December covered in snow predicts an abundant rye crop. A windy Christmas predicts fruit trees bearing well. A green Christmas brings a heavy harvest. These are crop-yield observations dressed in weather language.
December Across the United States and Canada
| Region | Typical December shape | Lore that fits best |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast (US) | Cold and snowy by mid-month, often a thaw between Christmas and New Year’s | St. Thomas’s Day, white-Christmas-green-Easter |
| Midwest + Great Lakes | Lake-effect, lock-in cold by December 21 | Cold-and-snow-covered rye saying, ice-hanging-on-willow |
| South (US) | Mild rainy starts, occasional Christmas freeze | Rain-on-first-Sunday rule, four-weeks-no-sun rain rule |
| Mountain West | High-elevation snow, dry valleys | Cold-rye saying, ice-hanging-on-willow |
| Pacific Northwest | Steady cool rain, occasional snow at sea level | Rainy-mild-unsettled mild-winter saying |
| Southern Canada | Hard freeze by December 1, deep snow by Christmas | St. Thomas’s Day full power, ice-bearing-a-man |
Do These Sayings Hold Up?
Some yes, some no, some only in the place they were written. The white-Christmas-green-Easter reversal is the most cited and shows up in long-running European data, though it tracks weakly with North American records. The new-moon-near-Christmas saying is folklore without a clear modern correlate. The crop-economy sayings hold up across long stretches of farm history because they describe yield outcomes that real winter weather drives.
The National Weather Service publishes monthly outlooks at the Climate Prediction Center. Pair the lore with our Long-Range Forecast and you have a running scoreboard for the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is December weather lore actually accurate?
Some of it tracks well. The white-Christmas-green-Easter reversal shows up across long European records but is weaker in North America. Cold-and-snowy December predicting an abundant rye crop reflects real soil-protection biology. Treat the lore as one signal, alongside the long-range forecast and the Climate Prediction Center outlook.
What is St. Thomas’s Day?
December 21, the feast of the apostle Thomas and historically the winter solstice in the Julian calendar. Folk wisdom says winter “takes its full power” on St. Thomas’s Day, since astronomical winter begins around the same time.
Why is Christmas Day weather so important in the lore?
Christmas falls right after the winter solstice, the astronomical pivot of the year. Folklore reads weather around the pivot as a signal for what follows. Most cultures with old farming traditions have a similar set of “what the solstice does, the year does” sayings.
What does “white Christmas, green Easter” mean?
It is a reversal saying. A heavy snowy Christmas points to a mild snow-free Easter. A green snow-free Christmas points to a snowy Easter. The pattern is real in some long-running European records and weaker in modern North American data.
When is St. Lucy’s Day?
December 13. The folk weather rule is that a bright St. Lucy’s Day means a snowy Christmas, while snow on St. Lucy’s Day means a clear Christmas. The day still carries strong cultural weight in Scandinavian and Italian almanacs.
What does “if ice will bear a man at Christmas” mean?
It is a reversal saying. If the ice on a pond is thick enough to walk on by Christmas, the late-winter ice will be thin enough that even a mouse will fall through. The folk reading is that an early hard freeze trades against a soft late winter.
Where do these December sayings come from?
Most are British, Irish, German, French, and Scandinavian farm rhymes that came over with settlers. The Farmers’ Almanac has carried versions of them since 1818, paired with the math-based long-range forecast that is the publication’s distinct contribution.
Tell Us
Do any of these December weather lore sayings ring true where you live? Tell us which ones your grandparents swore by, what the December was like in your county, and any local sayings we missed. Comment below and we will fold them into the next round.
Jaime McLeod
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
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Just wanted to know if t thunder @ lighting on 5th what that means
I live in Southern Illinois & my mother’s prediction is always useful here. She always wrote down in her ‘weather journal’ what the weather was on the first 3 days of December. This would tell what the weather would be the first 3 months of the new year. That is the weather on Dec. 1 would tell what the weather for January, Dec. 2 the weather for Feb. and Dec. 3 the weather for March.
When it says “nearer the new moon to Christmas…”, does that mean BEFORE Christmasor does AFTER Christmas count also? This year there is a new moon on 12/29 and I’m wondering if that counts.
Hi latenightlynette: Regarding “The nearer the New Moon to Christmas Day, the harder the winter” indicates the nearer it turns to the “new” phase in relation to Christmas Day so it can taken as before or after. If the new Moon occurred on the 26th, it would still count as “near Christmas Day” it would if it appeared on the 24th. Hope that helps!
years ago I had heard that what ever the date of the first snow, that is how many times it will snow that season. If it snows on the 12th, 12 snows……5th , 5 snows. Anyone else heard this? It really does work. Have been following for over 20 yrs
I’ve never heard this, but I’m glad you shared it! I’ll be keeping track this year!
Really enjoyed reading all these things! Thank you for sharing ?
what is the tradsion for st thomas day
Hi Irish, St. Thomas Day was traditionally the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle; In parts of Canada Dec. 21 was considered “pie day”, with meat pies baked for the family, then cooled and frozen. They are saved for the feast of the Epiphany, and are thawed, reheated and eaten.
MAYBELLE THEY HAD A VERY GOOD N INFORMATIVE STORY ON HERE ABOUT ST. LUCY. IT WAS A BIT DIFFERENT THAT MARCY’S. THANKS FARMERS ALMANAC FOR ALL THE GREAT STORIES . JUST LOVE READING ALL U PUT OUT !
GREAT READING KEEP UP THE NICE WORK THANK YOU
very interesting articles to read thank you
Saint Lucy is the patron saint of the blind.