Residents in elevated parts of the Greater Vancouver Area fought snow on Christmas Day while their Victoria counterparts smacked golf balls and windsurfed.
Those hoping to drive up to the Cypress Bowl ski area just north of Vancouver got turned back if they didn't have the right tires.
"I'm being very selective of who we're allowing up," one worker told CTV British Columbia. "It is extreme winter mountain conditions at this stage of the game."
The road up to the ski area is very steep. Some cars with crumpled front ends illustrated the risks.
In the Fraser Valley, snow and low visibility marred driving on the Trans-Canada Highway.
At Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, the suburb immediately to Vancouver's east, buses could go downhill but not up. Even campus security SUVs had trouble maintaining traction on the wet, snow-covered hills.
For kids in Burnaby, the white stuff was a gift. They screamed with joy on toboggans, sleds and snowboards.
"We got our white Christmas! It's great!" one adult exulted on Tuesday, pumping a fist for emphasis.
However, in the lower elevations of downtown Vancouver, umbrellas trumped snowboards as the rain poured down. The city centre hasn't had a Christmas snowfall in 15 years.
All of that was of no concern to people on the fairways near Victoria on Vancouver Island.
"It's a little chilly, but it's not three feet of snow," said Dave Mason, visiting from Ottawa.
Blustery winds had some adventurous windsurfers take to their boards.
"It's one way to celebrate Christmas," one windsurfer told CTV British Columbia.
Some Victoria kids got to ride their brand-new bikes.
"We're basically celebrating the joy of Christmas. Even though it's not a white Christmas, it's still just as fun," one of the young bicyclists said before adding, "even though we don't get to play in the snow."
Greater Vancouver can expect another two to four centimetres of snow overnight, Environment Canada said on its website.
That snow warning also applies to the Fraser Valley.
Residents on the west side of Vancouver Island are being told to expect winds of between 50 and 70 kilometres per hour.
The Dempster region of the Yukon is being advised of high winds, and some Nunavut and northern Quebec communities are facing blizzard warnings.
But the overwhelming majority of southern Canada shouldn't expect any severe weather for Boxing Day.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dag Sharman
