BILLINGS Dreams of a white Christmas melted away in Billings this year as record-breaking warmth replaced snow and scarves with sunshine and short sleeves.'Twas The Day After Christmas, see how Billings residents spent the day: Record Christmas Day warmth in Billings draws residents outsideThe city reached a high of 61 degrees on Christmas Day, breaking the previous record of 56 degrees set in 2005, according to Q2 Meteorologist Miller Robson. The unseasonably warm weather left the ground bare, sending many residents outdoors to take advantage of the spring-like conditions.It's just a beautiful December 26th day," said James Lamb, who spent the next day golfing instead of staying indoors. How wonderful to be able to come out and enjoy this weather and actually get to golf a little bit." At Yegen Golf Club, staff said the day after Christmas was much busier than usual, with golfers eager to test out the new clubs they had received for Christmas and enjoy the rare opportunity to play during what is normally the heart of winter."It is a treat," said Lamb. In the past years, there have been times when we've been able to get out, but, you know, in Montana, we just never know, do we?Down the road at Centennial Dog Park, dozens of people walked dogs under clear skies. Many wore sweaters or even just T-shirts, with winter coats left at home."Everyone wants snow on Christmas because that makes it Christmas, but yeah, it was very much a surprise, said TJ Davidson, who spent the afternoon outside with his dogs. "Definitely weird coming out. Sky's blue ... just a cool breeze. No snow. You don't have to put on a coat, gloves, and long pants to stay warm. It's just, it's nice." Many also looked to the positives of the mild temperatures."Driving was very easy. Didn't have to worry about sliding off the road or getting into an accident," said Marshall Corriz while walking his dog. "It's the first December I've spent in Montana that I didn't have to wear a jacket, which is pretty nice.While the warmth felt unusual, Robson said it was not entirely out of character for the region. Billings has about a 50 percent chance of a white Christmas each year, based on weather records dating back to the 1930s."On Christmas Day, if that snow is still there at 5 AM at one inch, it's technically a white Christmas. Didn't see that this year, said Robson.Related: Q2 Billings Area Weather: Dry and mild then cold and snowySimilar record or near-record temperatures were reported in parts of Wyoming, Colorado, and much of the western part of the country. Robson said the warmth was driven by a persistent high-pressure system and a jet stream pattern pulling warm Pacific air across much of the western and central United States."We've got the jet coming in, and it's kind of stuck in this pattern where it's bringing all that warm air in from the Pacific, and it's not really able to shift, said Robson. "What we're waiting for is it's called La Nia, the oscillation in the Pacific where it's going to bring all that colder water up from beneath, and it just hasn't really happened yet."Related: How are Coloradans and visitors spending Christmastime in 70 degree weather? Robson said that temperatures are expected to change by Saturday morning, with highs dropping into the 30s for Billings."Even the snow, we're still pacing ahead for where we usually are at this time of the year. So I wouldn't hit the panic button yet," said Robson. "Hang in there. Winter just started, so it's coming. Despite colder weather on the horizon, some residents said they were content to enjoy the warmth while it lasted.I think in January and February we're going to get hit pretty hard," said Corriz. "But as of right now, I'm going to enjoy it while I can. ...read more read less