Experience has taught me not to get excited until it's literally on your doorstep. Cold spells these days always tend to get watered down and the UK always seems to find a route to mild sooner rather than later. I bet if we moved the UK 1000 miles north east, the mild air would suddenly decide to go there, and copious amounts of cold and snowy weather would rush to where the UK used to be lol. That's just how it is.
The UK's snow shield rarely fails these days. When it's mild it rains forever, when it's cold it's like the Gobi desert. Actually come to think of it the Gobi desert probably gets more snow!