About this time every year, people start talking about how much they want a white Christmas — which we almost never get in these parts. In case you’re wondering, the last time Mount Airy had the white stuff at Christmastime was in 1981.

But judging from various observations on Friday when this weekend’s snowstorm made its wintry way into our area, I wonder if a white Christmas is something we REALLY want, or just prefer to dream about instead.

It’s almost like the dog that chases a car — what does he do if he actually catches that car?

The same thing is true of a white Christmas. If we do happen to receive that rare snowfall around here, at Christmas or any other time, local residents usually don’t know how to react in a mature manner, unless widespread panic and terror can be considered as worthwhile reactions.

When the legendary Bing Crosby rendered his timeless “White Christmas” song, he sang of scenes in which “the treetops glisten and the children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow.” He further mentioned writing greeting cards while hoping that “all your Christmases be bright.”

Of course, that conjures up pleasant scenes of sitting around the fireplace and drinking hot chocolate and having no cares in the world.

However, all that is a far cry from people going completely berserk and attacking grocery store shelves like a horde of locusts to snatch up all the bread and milk they can carry. Or being terrified of the idea of even thinking about getting on the roadway to go to work, despite having a Ford “Expedition” or Chevrolet “Trailblazer” sitting in the driveway.

Or sitting around fearing that the power will go off any minute, because everyone is so dependent on all those umbilical cords connected to their homes by Duke Energy and the telephone companies.

Having a major storm during any point in the winter is calamitous enough, but can you imagine what would happen if a foot of snow fell two days before Christmas, for example? With everything coming to such a standstill around here, even after only a few inches, that kind of “white Christmas” would prove devastating to retailers, not to mention the parties and other gatherings associated with the holiday.

On Friday, the impending snowfall that hit this weekend was all anyone talked about. As various contacts were made around the area, there were shouts of “It’s snowing in Pilot Mountain!” and “They’re getting it in Lowgap!” as the flakes gradually made their way toward Mount Airy.

Judging by the various scenes of people rushing around trying to prepare for the prospect of being trapped in their homes until the March thaw got me to wondering about what would happen in a “real” emergency.

It would be hard to imagine the chaos and panic resulting if we were under a nuclear attack or there was some natural disaster such as an earthquake.

Again, is a white Christmas something we REALLY want? It’s probably like those “good old days” that many people say they wish they could still experience: perhaps something best dreamed about, more so than actually experienced.

Tom Joyce is a staff reporter for The Mount Airy News. He can be reached at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or 719-1924.