With Christmas Eve only one week away, many people across southwestern Ontario are dreaming of a white Christmas.

But meteorologists and others who keep a close eye on the weather say it’s going to be a close call.

Frank Seglenieks runs the weather station at the University of Waterloo. He says that by looking at historical data, Waterloo Region might be due for a Christmastime coating of snow.

“We're usually at 75 to 80 percent chance of that happening, but now if you look at the last 10, 12 years since the turn of the century, it’s certainly been a lot less than that. We’ve only had three or four,” he says.

David Phillips of Environment Canada says southern Ontario isn’t likely to see much snow accumulate by Christmas Day.

An actual ‘white Christmas’ is defined as at least two centimeters of snow blanketing the ground. CTV Kitchener meteorologist Ross Hull says the best chance for Waterloo Region to make that threshold is for the accumulation to come Friday and last through the colder temperatures of the weekend.

At Chicopee Ski Hill in Kitchener, colder temperatures are a must in order for the snow-manufacturing equipment to start working.

In Waterloo, residents are getting eager to hit the slopes, throw snowballs and enjoy the other spoils of a white Christmas.

“We still have a week, so there’s time,” says Ashley Huggins, who’s heading to the Prairies for the holidays.

“There will be lots of snow out there, but I’m hoping that for everyone here, it’s going to be a white Christmas.”

For Kris Deyarmond, it’s a matter of heading where the snow is to get his fix of winter sports.

“Blue Mountain is open, Horseshoe is open, Mount St. Louis is open. There’s plenty to still ski and snowboard on,” he says.