Maybe that's the difference WON. When you're used to snow, you're prepared for the worst when you get up in the morning. A foot of snow only means you have to shovel the driveway to get out your car, and not much more.

If you know it's coming from the forcast of previous evening, you wake up earlier. If you don't you get in a few minutes late. No biggie.

I imagine if you get a few inches of snow where you never get snow it could be an issue - no snow tires, no snow blowers...