Etc...

What did you throw at me?

Plastic icicles. Silk poinsettias. Inflatable reindeer. Artificial trees. What's next in decorating for Christmas: man-made snow? Why, yes, as a matter of fact. At least, that's the case in Lepe, a coastal town in the Andalusia region of Spain. But, wait, you say: Spray-on snow has been on the market for years. Besides, southern Spain is much too warm for the white stuff. All that is true. Just Google Lepe, for example, and most of the listings will turn out to be for beach resorts and vacation-rental properties. Meteorological records show that snow hasn't fallen from the sky there since 1954 , meaning that any resident who wasn't at least 5 at the time may have no memory of it. But for their benefit, Mayor Manuel Andrés Gonzalez decided it was time Lepe had a white Christmas. So he arranged for two snowmaking guns to be brought to town. Since Dec. 5, they have been blasting out precipitation each night after sunset. The show lasts only about 15 minutes , but that's apparently enough to cover the central square. By all accounts, the residents love it. So many of them are crowding into downtown that it's causing a problem well known in regions where winter snows are common: gridlock.