(Photos) No Snow? No Problem.

After the first brown Christmas since 2006, and with Monday's record-breaking temperature of 52 degrees, it may have seemed like any hope of enjoying winter fun in Golden Valley had faded. The city opened two of its skating rinks on Friday, but even those were closed Monday and Tuesday.

Still, plenty of people found a way to enjoy the outdoors this week, and you can, too.

Ice Skating

Every year 12-year-old Maddie Massman, 14-year-old Gabe Massman and their cousin 11-year-old Sophia Strzok visit their grandmother in Golden Valley during Christmas break.

"We ice skate or go sledding," Sophia said.

"Yeah, sledding and even cross country skiing," added Gabe.

But this year was the first brown Christmas since 2006, and with the three didn't think they'd be doing much playing outside.

All outdoor ice rinks in Golden Valley were closed on Monday and Tuesday, but the kids were determined and temperatures were about 15 to 20 degrees colder on Tuesday afternoon, so they headed out to , and laced up their skates.

"It was bumpy, and there were some holes in the ice," Maddie said. "But it's skatable."

Al Lundstrom, with the city's park maintenence department, said Golden Valley's rinks are actually in the best shape of nearly all the metro communities.

"The rinks may be closed, but we're still seeing some people trying them out, and that's OK," he said. "And just because they're closed today doesn't mean they'll be closed tomorrow."

Lundstrom said the warm temperatures have officially closed all the skating rinks, but if you don't mind dealing with wet ice with some exposed areas, and Parks are probably your best bet.

For a list of all skating rinks and whether they're open or closed, he suggested checking in with the city's website every day.

Cross Country Skiing

David Foster is an avid cross country skier, and this time of year he can be found trying out one of many trails all around the metro. But he hasn't been on any of them all year—until today.

"The conditions aren't great," he said. "But it's the best we have."

Foster spent part of Tuesday afternoon skiing some of the trails at Theodore Wirth Park. Park employees have worked to create a few narrow bands of man-made snow.

"It's amazing they can make this much snow," Foster said. "It's such a great system here, and it's really improved over the years. I never could have come out here and done this ten years ago."

Walking, Jogging and Biking

Addy and Lauren Anderson both attend the University of Wisconsin at Madison, but they're home in Golden Valley for the holidays. They like to go running just about every day.

"When we come home for Christmas, there's usually so much snow and ice that we end up just going to the gym," Addy said.

On Monday afternoon, the sisters wore shorts and short sleeves, along with winter gloves, as they made their way down Golden Valley Road toward the Grand Rounds trail that runs through

"This is just awesome," Lauren said. "We're seeing bikes and people walking dogs—it might not be a white Christmas, but it's a lot of fun."

Hugh and Sandy Vandergrift are visiting from Pittsburgh, and didn't expect they'd be able to take their new granddaughter out for a walk in her stroller while they were here.

"It might not look like Christmas, but that's OK with us," Sandy said.

According to the National Weather Service, Golden Valley can expect some varied weather conditions in the next week—a little rain, a little snow and temps in the 40s then down into the 20s.

The city hasn't canceled the winter festival scheduled for New Year's Eve in Scheid Park, but judging by the forecast, there's probably a good chance it will.

But as all kinds of people have been finding out this week, it's pretty easy to make the best of what Mother Nature has given us this year.