It is shaping up to be a mild Christmas in Foothills County, with some snowfall expected, just not on Christmas Day.

Light snow is looking likely on Christmas Eve.

"Christmas Eve day looks like there's a little bit of snow coming through on a weather system that's moving through at a fair clip," said Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang. "Only a couple of centimetres, maybe three to five centimetres, mostly in the morning, and then it gets colder after that."

No notable weather events are expected on Christmas Day itself. The forecast calls for sunny skies with a high near -15°C.

With Christmas Eve snowfall likely still on the ground the following day, the question becomes whether that qualifies as a white Christmas.

"Environment Canada defines a white Christmas as having two centimetres of snow on the ground on Christmas Day," said Lang. "To be a perfect Christmas, there has to be two centimetres of snow on the ground and it has to snow on Christmas Day. So I don't think not many people are going to get a perfect Christmas in Alberta, just way far north."

Lang urges drivers to prepare for changing conditions and to check the forecast for their destination, as heavier snowfall is expected farther north.

"It looks like the further north you go, the more snow you'll get," he said. "The south is in the warmer part of the system, so they will not get as much. But it is probably enough to give people pause about driving."