Will Massachusetts have a white Christmas in a couple of weeks? According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, snow is not likely in the state. This prediction coincides with their forecast for the entire winter, which expects a milder season. The Almanac states, "Temperatures will be average to slightly above average during winter (though 2% colder than average during February). The region may have some cold spells in mid-December, early and late January, and late February." As for overall snowfall this winter, it is expected to be below average. Premier Inn, a U.K.-based hospitality company, named Boston as the most beautiful U.S. city in winter.
According to Premier Inn, their research for this list involved using "eye-tracking software" to observe participants as they viewed winter images of various locations, determining which locations captured their attention the most. For Boston, they found that the snow-covered colonial architecture and magical walking route of the Freedom Trail make it a top contender. The city's parks and museums also offer beautiful winter experiences. Rounding out the top five in the Premier Inn's list are New York, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C., and Aspen.
As the holiday season approaches, many of us are turning up the Christmas tunes. According to FinanceBuzz's analysis, each state has its own favorite festive song. And for Massachusetts? Well, it turns out that it's not Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You." Surprisingly, it's The Beach Boys' classic hit "Little Saint Nick" that takes the top spot.
Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, this cheerful tune was initially released as a single in December 1963 and later included in The Beach Boys' Christmas Album in November 1964. On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it reached No. 25 in January 2024.
Interestingly enough, only one other state shares Massachusetts' excellent taste - Maine also chose "Little Saint Nick" as their number one Christmas song. Perhaps this oldie but goodie is just timeless! Even though The Beach Boys are often associated with California, surprisingly their home state's most beloved holiday song is actually "Jingle Bells." (A bit of a snooze fest compared to "Little Saint Nick," don't you think?)
According to FinanceBuzz, the method for determining each state's Christmas song involved gathering data from Google Trends on the Billboard Hot 100's top 25 Christmas songs during the week of Christmas 2023. The analysis focused on the "Search Interest" data for each song in all states.