Struggling with Winter Season

"What? Negative 18?".... this was my reaction when my friend in London told me about their weather in UK. They wanted to escape from the freezing snow blizzard in London and fly here in the Philippines but his application for vacation was not approved. They are only allowed to take vacation once a month and he already consumed it when he went home last summer. He said that the streets of manchester apartments where he leaves were almost buried with snow which compelled him to just to walk to and fro the train station when going to work. I wonder who would they spent Christmas in the midst of this kind of weather.