Chicago weather: Wet, mild Christmas defies hopes for snow

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Maybe you were dreaming of a white Christmas, but instead Chicago got a bout of rain with mild temperatures well above freezing.

"It doesn't feel like our normal Christmas," said Louie Edano of Oak Lawn.

Because it was not. People walked through puddles instead of piles of snow on a holiday with spotty rain showers and high temperatures in the mid-50s.

"We had a lot of family coming in from out of town so we were hoping to have kind of that typical cold Chicago snowy weather but we had rain - it's been harder to kind of get out but we're out today," Edano said.

Earlier in the day the warmer winter temps meant less bundling up and more people out exploring, taking a lap or a stumble around Millennium Park's ice skating. That's where Esther Frody and family celebrated her daughter's 12th birthday.

"I feel really sad because I was expecting it to snow by the first of the month," said birthday girl Blessing Foday.

"We don't like it because it's not snowing. We wanted snow but it's like different," said Esther.

Sanyuktha Kumbla remembers what a real Chicago winter is like. Last year was one of the city's coldest on record, dramatically different than this Christmas.

"Oh, it was so cold. It was freezing. You know I had icicles around my eyelashes. It was so cold I could barely walk but it's so pleasant this time," Kumbla said.

No snow was no problem for Kumbla and her friend visiting from New Jersey.

"It's great. I can explore more rather than sitting at home and feeling cold," Neha Battula said.

No matter the weather, said it didn't dampen their holiday spirit.

"It's Christmas and I have family and I have friends and it's still a happy time so I can't really complain too much," Edano said.