Families reinvent Christmas traditions due to lack of snow

POCATELLO — With little to no snow blanketing much of eastern Idaho this holiday season, many families were forced to rethink Christmas traditions typically built around sledding, skiing and snowmobiling.

Record or near-record warm temperatures across parts of the region left hills bare and ski runs thin, pushing families to get creative.

From Rexburg to Inkom, a handful of families turned to an old-school winter pastime known as ice blocking or ice sledding — an activity once popular with children long before plastic sleds and groomed hills became commonplace.

Vince Haley of Rexburg reached out to EastIdahoNews.com to share what his family decided to do on Christmas Eve.

“Our family tradition is to go sledding late Christmas morning. But with no snow and warm temperatures, we decided to introduce our sons to ice-blocking,” he said.

Ice-blocking involves sitting directly on a large block of ice and riding it down a hill. The smooth surface often slides faster than traditional sleds, though it usually ends with soaked clothes, frozen legs and the occasional wipeout.

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While the practice has largely faded due to safety concerns and the disappearance of icehouses, it remains a reminder of how past generations found ways to make winter fun — even when conditions weren’t ideal, as is the case this winter.

Haley said they bought the big blocks of ice from Broulim’s, and once the sharp edges wore off a bit, the kids were able to make it down the hill in the pouring rain and had a lot of fun.

“This was such crazy weather, and it may never happen like this again in east Idaho, so why not make a memory?” said Haley.

Aspen Romriell, a teen from Inkom who lives near Pebble Creek, said her family typically spends the holidays sledding and snowboarding together. This year looked very different.

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“We shot guns, watched Christmas movies and played board games,” Romriell said. She added that some of her family’s friends, who usually host an annual sledding party, also tried ice-blocking instead.

In Arbon Valley, Juli Fitch said her family usually hosts a large sledding and snowmobiling gathering during the holidays. With no snow in sight, they shifted gears.

“We lit a big bonfire, roasted marshmallows, made s’mores and sang Christmas carols,” Fitch said.

Elsewhere across east Idaho, families were spotted hiking in the hills, riding e-bikes and scooters, or simply enjoying the mild weather outdoors – activities more common in fall than late December.

While forecasters say unseasonably warm weather is expected to ease as a more seasonal cold front moves in, the outlook for significant snow accumulation remains uncertain. Until then, many families are proving that Christmas traditions don’t always need snow, just their loved ones and a little creativity.