I'M dreaming of a white Christmas - and as long as it remains a dream we will all be fine.

This last bitterly cold snap saw Cumbria declare a major incident because of the snow.

I saw pictures of snow-clad towns and villages which were so beautiful.

One particular shot of Ambleside could be used to attract double the number of visitors to the Lake District as we have now.

Juxtapositioned with the Ambleside photo, however, was one of a car revving loudly but getting nowhere.

The first three photos on this page show the three faces of snow.

We see the children having fun and the beautiful landscape picture. Compare that, however, with the poor workmen trying to clean the snow and slush from English Street in Carlisle. This photo was taken in 1963, before salt was used to melt the snow and ice.

And what about those poor women shopping in Carlisle just three days before Christmas in 1993?

I bet by the time they got home they were ready for a drink, a lie down and a one-way ticket to somewhere warm!

One of the most fascinating photos was the one taken by reader Mike Faulkner of Abbeytown, showing snow and ice right down to the water line along the beach in Silloth.

It has been so cold this last few weeks that most us haven't wanted to get out of bed.

For those of us working from home, we can bring the duvet downstairs with us and perhaps stay in warm pyjamas all day.

Not so for those who have to travel to work, like Simon Ord of Denton Holme, who, in 2010, was faced with that daily chore of having to defrost the car. Almost worse, is the condensation inside which only really disappears the moment you finish your journey!

To sum up, enjoy these photos and the memories they bring but please remember that dreaming of a white Christmas and actually experiencing one are two different things.

Unless you and yours and anyone else you can think of, will be spending the day in front of a snug fire, this is a Christmas we hope will not come true.