As soon as snow causes the postponement of a match in England, the annual national debate begins over having a winter break.
Unless the timing of the season is eventually changed to accommodate a winter World Cup in Qatar in 2022, a winter break is unlikely ever to happen for the reason that English fans are passionate about the Christmas and New Year holiday programme.
While footballers in other countries get time off, England's season goes into overdrive over Christmas and New Year, when attendances are traditionally higher than in the rest of the season.
Forty Premier League games are scheduled to be played on eight match days between December 26 and January 5, weather permitting.
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson, whose team are due to play Blackpool, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers before an FA Cup third-round tie against Manchester United on January 9, implied he was not the greatest fan of the busy holiday period.
"You talk about a winter break, but five games in 15 days is a season-changing period for every club in the Premier League," said Hodgson, who has worked extensively elsewhere in Europe and enjoyed winter breaks .
"You could ask why five games in 15 days is necessary when football could become a game that could go on all year round," he said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Snow badly disrupted last weekend's Premier League programme and continuing freezing weather could jeopardise some of the Christmas weekend matches. Blackpool's home game against Liverpool could be under threat if the cold snap continues as the Bloomfield Road pitch has no undersoil heating.
Hodgson will be hoping the holiday period changes his club's season for the better as they are languishing in ninth place in the table, and he is delighted to have skipper Steven Gerrard back, after a month out with a hamstring injury, for the Boxing Day game with Blackpool.
"It's a big boost," he said.
Manchester United, who have 34 points, head into Christmas as league leaders, unbeaten in 16 matches but unable to pull away from the chasing pack with nine wins and seven draws. They start their programme with a home match against Sunderland.
United lead Arsenal (17 matches) and Manchester City (18 matches) by two points, with champions Chelsea a further point behind.
