Mild weather hurting holiday season

LONGMEADOW, Mass. (WWLP) - We've been in the middle and upper 50s here in western Massachusetts for the past 3 days, that's ten to fifteen degrees warmer than average and not necessarily weather that people want this time of year.

Looking around, there are only a few signs that we're nearing the holidays.

Wreaths are hanging, but you can see the grass, people are out feeding the ducks, while others are running in shorts.

With no snow on the ground and temperatures warmer than average, people say it doesn't really feel like the holidays are here.

Businesses like Shoenique in Longmeadow rely on the holiday spirit to drive customers through the door. The warm weather and lack of snow hasn't done much to get people shopping and ready for Christmas.

"When people look at the calendar they probably don't realize that the holidays are that close…If it's mild we'll probably get that push the week before when people go "oh it's the 20th, I've only got x amount of days,'" said Kevin Lennon, Owner of Shoenique.

It's not all doom and gloom, with more than two and a half weeks left until Christmas, the holiday season is far from over.

"There's still plenty of time for people to get into the mood, I think that the weather will help," said Phil Peters of Longmeadow.

Weather that's more snowy than sunny should help the most.

Speaking of snow, we need it. We’re running about 3 inches below normal snowfall for the season.