Atlanta’s Historic Snow

The snow flurries began in our county, Cobb County, in the morning of 25th December 2010. Within an hour it was snowing hard in Georgia and the ground was covered. Atlanta and the metro area had not experienced a White Christmas since 25 December 1882. This is not a typo, the year was 1882 – 128 years ago. There had been a very light snow in 1993 but it did not stick. When US President Chester Arthur watched the snow that Christmas 1882 he did not know that it would not snow again in Atlanta on Christmas day even in the next century. (It snows in Atlanta sometimes, but usually in January or February.) Chester Arthur (1829-1886) was the 21st President of the USA. He had been the vice-president of President James A. Garfield; when Garfield was assassinated, Chester Arthur succeeded him. President Arthur’s term was between September 19th 1881 and March 4th 1885. Arthur was tall and elegant. Below is his official White House portrait.

Official portrait of President Chester Arthur who was president during Atlanta’s last Christmas snow (before last Sat.)

Several things happened in the year 1882 - the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis was discovered by Robert Koch, outlaw Jesse James was shot and killed, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture premiered in Moscow, the first US Labor Day parade was held in New York City, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Virginia Woolf and James Joyce were born and Charles Darwin died. On 23 December 1882 German-born American cartoonist Thomas Nast published his print “Christmas Flirtation” in Harpers’ Weekly Magazine and on 25 December 1882 it snowed in Atlanta, Georgia.

Christmas Flirtation, print by Thomas Nast, Dec. 23, 1882

Thomas Nast is credited with creating the first image of our modern Santa. One of his most famous drawings is the one below published in Harpers’ Weekly in 1881.

“A Merry Christmas” 1881 by Thomas Nast (1840-1902)

I did not witness the White Christmas in Atlanta last Saturday, but had one close to Nashville, Tennessee. It had also snowed slightly in 1993 there but the last snowfall on that day in Nashville was in 1969. I woke up early on the 25th and looked outside – this is what I saw

We had seen Papa Noël (Santa) at our little grandsons’ school on their last day of class. He was quite jolly.




Nice presents were received by all. This year I was spoiled with several books, CDs and good dark chocolate (covered orange sticks are my favorite.) I was also very grateful to receive some pretty greeting cards, eight of them.

Click on collage to enlarge, then click on picture to biggify

My husband was given several books as well – three of them were on men biographies – which I hope he will let me borrow.

On Sunday we had brunch at Mère Bulles, a restaurant housed in a former southern mansion named then Maryland Manor. Michèle Bouvier was born in Deauville, France, in 1840 and immigrated to the US. She opened a restaurant and she loved Champagne so much that she was nicknamed “Mother Bubbles” which translates as Mère Bulles in French. There were not many drivers on the road on that snowy Sunday morning.




It was warm and inviting inside Mère Bulles’ restaurant. The five buffet tables were outstanding with an array of delectable items, such as the crème brulée French toast with the raspberry glaze, the build your own egg Benedict, the made to order gourmet omelettes and waffles, the chocolate fountain for the fresh strawberries and so much more.



When we returned to the house it was no longer snowing. I was able to snap some pictures of the large decorated houses in the neighborhood.




In the afternoon we had fun playing in the backyard with the grandsons and the dogs.




After spending several days in Tennessee it was time to go back home to Georgia. When we left, it was below freezing with a lot of snow still on the ground so we decided to avoid the mountains around Chattanooga and drive south toward Birmingham, Alabama.




The roads were clear and the landscape pretty. There was more snow in Alabama than in southern Tennessee. We were pleased to see that snow had not yet melted in Georgia.




Turning a bend in the road into Georgia we could see the sun ahead and more color in the trees.

It was dark when we arrived home but the next morning I went out to catch some snow pictures in our yard. The tracks left from a jumping rabbit were still there.




I wished I had been home to see this White Christmas – the first one in 128 years. Will we have to wait another 128 years for the next one? Speaking of numbers – by reading this, you are reading my 100th post!




This finishes this year satisfactorily for me. I hope that the year 2010 has given you satisfaction also and hope that 2011 will be even better in every way. May all my friends in blogland be very happy in the coming year. Here are a couple of vintage postcards to wish you a great 2011!





Now I better start reading all these books…

A Place of Her Own by James Christensen, American, born in 1942