We live in upstate NY and are reconsidering our plans to fly south for Christmas week.

Here's our question: If we get in the car Dec. 22 and point it south, how far will we have to go until we find green grass and leaves on the trees?

Myrtle Beach? Charleston, SC? Jacksonville?

Any input is appreciated!

That's really difficult to say chazz, because many trees even in FL lose their leaves in the winter, and if a yard has Bermuda grass rather than St Augustine, that too will be brown!

The weather should be pleasant at least by Charleston, but even there if there is a cold snap, watch out. We lived in Savannah for a time and saw snow flurries a couple of times, but nothing that stuck.

If you want real shirt sleeve warmth, you'd better count on going as least to mid-south FL. If you don't mind sweatshirts/jackets, you might stop around Charleston or Hilton Head.

Leaves are starting to fall off the trees now in the piedmont section of NC. By this time next month, only the oak trees will have leaves. (Oak leaves stay on in the winter and are pushed off by the new spring growth) But, the old north state does have many pines and other conifers that will have needles on the trees throughout winter.
Fescue grasses (common around here) stay green during the winter.

Christmas could be in the 40's or the 70's. But never had a white Christmas here. Christmas week is a wonderful time to visit Chapel Hill and Durham because the students are gone and the campuses are beautiful. Raleigh (The city of oaks) might meet your criteria of leafy trees in the downtown historic Oakwood area.

IN Miami we never lose our green. I wish we would...depending on the weather, December still isn't that cold. Probably around Daytona...

Nothing will make your friends more jealous than if you spend your Christmas in Hawaii. It's green grass. It's blue Pacific. It's sunny. And you'll be a lovely shade of tan. And the newspaper says they are rolling out the deals to attract tourists in the next couple of months.

If you're willing to drive as far as northern Florida, St. Augustine is pretty nice that time of year.

Does Melissa think you'll drive your car to Hawaii?

Don't plan on travelling to Florida until this whole story with antrax is resolved. There are more cases diagnosed today

"xxxxxx", you are mistaken. There have been no other cases of anthrax here.

Don't you think there's enough on everyone's plate to worry about without heaping rumor on top of fact?

Gosh, I wonder where AMS is!!!

Sorry to say this, but I think you're going to have to drive to Florida - anything farther north won't meet your requirements.