December

 


Quotations for Gardeners, Walkers, and Lovers of the Green Way
Poems, Quotes, Folklore, Myths, Customs, Holidays, Traditions
Celebrations, Sayings, Poetry, Quips, References, Links
Ideas, Gardening Chores


Compiled by Mike Garofalo
Green Way Research, Red Bluff, California

 

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Quotes

The Month of December
Poetry, Quotations, Sayings, Facts, Information, Quips, Aphorisms, Lore

 

 

 

"Shall we liken Christmas to the web in a loom?  There are many weavers, who work into the pattern the experience of their lives. When one generation goes, another comes to take up the weft where it has been dropped. The pattern changes as the mind changes, yet never begins quite anew. At first, we are not sure that we discern the pattern, but at last we see that, unknown to the weavers themselves, something has taken shape before our eyes, and that they have made something
very beautiful, something which compels our understanding."
-   Earl W. Count, 4,000 Years of Christmas

 

 

"The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown:
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir."

-   Christmas Carol 

 

 

"In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter,
Long ago.
"
-   Christmas Carol   

 

 

"Silent night, holy
night, when the bough flies from the tree
and is hung everywhere, when
from tables the crusts fly,
when the gifts begin to tremble
because lovelessness walks through the world,
because it snarls at you, barks at you from the snow,
and the silver ribbons rip and the tinsel rustles silvery,
and the silver and gold, and a golden word
come to you on which you choke
because you have been sold and betrayed,
and because it does not suffice that for you
one is redeemed who once died."

-   Ingeborg Bachmann, On the Plazas of the City at Christmas
    Translated by Peter Filkins

 

 

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne."
-   Robert Burns

 

 

"The gardening season officially begins on January 1st, and ends on December 31."
-  Marie Huston

 

 

"From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens -
the garden outdoors,
the garden of pots and bowls in the house,
and the garden of the mind's eye."
-   Katherine S. White

 

 

"The Lord of Misrule - December 17th.  This is the first day of the Roman festival Saturnalia.  It was a period of great
feasting and festivity, with a lot of drinking and eating.  Slaves would become masters for the festival, and everything was turned upside down. This part of the Roman festival survived into the 17th Century.
"
-   Customs and Folktales for December

 

 

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!" 
-   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

"I was surprised my quilt and pillow were cold,
I see that now the window's bright again.
Deep in the night, I know the snow is thick,
I sometimes hear the sound as bamboo snaps."
-  BaiJuyi, Night Snow
 

 

 

"Now the seasons are closing their files
on each of us, the heavy drawers
full of certificates rolling back
into the tree trunks, a few old papers
flocking away. Someone we loved
has fallen from our thoughts,
making a little, glittering splash
like a bicycle pushed by a breeze.
Otherwise, not much has happened;
we fell in love again, finding
that one red reather on the wind."
-   Ted Kooser, Year's End

 

 

"O cruel cloudless space,
And pale bare ground where the poor infant lies!
Why do we feel restored
As in a sacramental place?
Here Mystery is artifice,
And here a vision of such peace is stored,
Healing flows from it through our eyes."
-   May Sarton, Nativity

 

 

"I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

'We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,'
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December."
-   Oliver Herford, I Heard a Bird Sing

 

 

"At Christmas I no more desire a rose
Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth; 
But like of each thing that in season grows."
-   William Shakespeare

 

 

"Come, come thou bleak December wind,
And blow the dry leaves from the tree!
Flash, like a Love-thought, thro'me, Death
And take a Life that wearies me."
-   Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1772-1834, Fragment 3

 

 

"All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I went for a walk
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreamin'
On such a winter's day."
-  Mammas and Pappas, California Dreamin

 

 

"A tule fog
         fills the sky--
Yuletide. "
-   Michael P. Garofalo, Cuttings

 

 

"Yule, is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half.   Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day.  Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb.  Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider."
-   Yule Lore  

 

 

"God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December." 
-   J. M. Barrie

 

 

"May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; 
The spirit of Christmas which is peace; 
The heart of Christmas which is love."
-   Ada V. Hendricks 

 

 

"The Holly King, represents the Death aspect of the God at this time of year; and the Oak King, represents the opposite aspect of Rebirth (these roles are reversed at Midsummer).  This can be likened to the Divine Child's birth.  The myth of the Holly King/Oak King probably originated from the Druids to whom these two trees were highly sacred.  The Oak King (God of the Waxing Year) kills the Holly King (God of the Waning Year) at Yule (the Winter Solstice).  The Oak King then reigns supreme until Litha (the Summer Solstice) when the two battle again, this time with the Holly King victorious.  Examples of the Holly King's image can be seen in our modern Santa Claus."
-   Yule and Its Lore

 

 

"Good King Wenceslas last looked out,
On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight
Gathering winter fuel."
-   Christmas Carol

 

 

"I speak cold silent words a stone might speak
If it had words or consciousness,
Watching December moonlight on the mountain peak,
Relieved of mortal hungers, the whole mess
Of needs, desires, ambitions, wishes, hopes.
This stillness in me knows the sky's abyss,
Reflected by blank snow along bare slopes,
If it had words or consciousness,
Would echo what a thinking stone might say
To praise oblivion words can't possess
As inorganic muteness goes its way.
There's no serenity without the thought serene,
Owl-flight without spread wings, honed eyes, hooked beak,
Absence without the meaning absence means.
To rescue bleakness from the bleak,
I speak cold silent words a stone might speak."
-   Robert Pack, Stone Thoughts

 

 

"December fog -
         among the yellow leaves
a dead frog."
-   Michael P. Garofalo,  Cuttings 

 

 

"A thousand hills, but no birds in flight,
Ten thousand paths, with no person's tracks.
A lonely boat, a straw-hatted old man,
Fishing alone in the cold river snow."

-  Liu Zhongyuan, River Snow

 

 

"Earth, mountains, rivers - hidden in this nothingness.
In this nothingness - earth, mountains, rivers revealed.
Spring flowers, winter snows:
There's no being or non-being, nor denial itself."

-   Saisho

 

 

"Holly and mistletoe
Candles and bells,
I know the message
That each of you tells."
-  Leland B. Jacobs, Mrs. Ritters First Grade Critters

 

 

"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man
the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!"
-  Charles Dickens 

 

 

"One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is."
-   Wallace Stevens, Snow Man

 

 

Winter: Recipes Inspired by Nature's Bounty (Williams-Sonoma Seasonal Celebration) 
Complete Seasons Cookbook by Joanne Weir.  Delicious recipes and party ideas for seasonal celebrations. 
Crafts to Make in the Winter by Kathy Ross  
Spring: Recipes Inspired by Nature's Bounty (Williams-Sonoma Seasonal Celebration) by Joanne Weir
In Celebration of Winter: A Book of Seasonal Indulgences by Helen Thompson 
Stonewall Kitchen Winter Celebrations: Special Recipes for Family and Friends 
Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays by Laurie Cabot 
Winter Day Play!: Activities, Crafts, and Games for Indoors and Out by Nancy Castaldo 

 

 

"That's no December sky!
Surely 'tis June
Holds now her state on high
Queen of the noon.

Only the tree-tops bare
Crowning the hill,
Clear-cut in perfect air,
Warn us that still

Winter, the aged chief,
Mighty in power,
Exiles the tender leaf,
Exiles the flower."
-   Robert Fuller Murray (1863-1894), A December Day

 

 

 

 

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How are thy leaves so verdant!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!

Not only in the summertime,
But even in winter is thy prime.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!  

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur
  zur Sommerzeit,
Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!"

-   Christmas Carol, O Tannenbaum 

 

 

"A full moon hangs high in the chilly sky,
All say it's the same everywhere, round and bright.
But how can one be sure thousands of li away
Wind and perhaps rain may not be marring the night?"
-   Li Qiao,  The Mid-Autumn Moon

 

 

"Every year at just this time,
In cold and dark December,
Families around the world 
All gather to remember,
With presents and with parties,
With feasting and with fun,
Customs and traditions 
for people old and young."
-   Helen H. Moore 

 

 

"Frosty days and ice-still nights,
Fir trees trimmed with tiny lights,
Sound of sleigh bells in the snow,
That was Christmas long ago.

Tykes on sleds and shouts of glee,
Icy-window filigree,
Sugarplums and candle glow,
Part of Christmas long ago.

Footsteps stealthy on the stair,
Sweet-voiced carols in the air,
Stocking hanging in a row,
Tell of Christmas long ago.

Starry nights so still and blue,
Good friends calling out to you,
Life, so fact, will always slow...
For dreams of Christmas long ago."
-   Jo Geis, Christmas Long Ago

 

 

 

  
Months and Seasons
Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Verses, Lore, Myths, Holidays
Celebrations, Folklore, Reading, Links, Quotations
Information, Weather, Gardening Chores
Compiled by Mike Garofalo
 
Winter Spring Summer Fall
January April July October
February May August November
March June September December 

 

 

 

 

 

"On the eighth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me:
Eight maids a milking,
Seven swans a swimming,
Six Geese a laying,
Five Gold Rings!
Four Calling Birds,
Three French Hens,
Two Turtle Doves,
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree."

 

 

 

"In ancient times, both Druids and Romans hung sprigs of mistletoe in their homes and places
of celebration to bring good fortune, peace and love."

 

 

"Flowers seem intended for a solace of ordinary humanity."
-   John Ruskin

 

 

"On the first day of winter,
the earth awakens to the cold touch of itself.
Snow knows no other recourse except
this falling, this sudden letting go
over the small gnomed bushes, all the emptying trees.
Snow puts beauty back into the withered and malnourished,
into the death-wish of nature and the deliberate way
winter insists on nothing less than deference.
waiting all its life, snow says, "Let me cover you."

-   Laura Lush, The First Day of Winter

 

 

"While snow the window-panes bedim,
The fire curls up a sunny charm,
Where, creaming o'er the pitcher's rim,
The flowering ale is set to warm;
Mirth, full of joy as summer bees,
Sits there, its pleasures to impart,
And children, 'tween their parent's knees,
Sing scraps of carols o'er by heart." 
-   John Clare, December

 

 

"On a frosty morning I went out
And a handkerchief faced me on a bush.
I reach to put it in my pocket,
But it slid from me for it was frozen.
No living cloth jumped from my grasp
But a thing that died last night on a bush,
And I went searching in my mind
Till I found its real equivalent:
The day I kissed a woman of my kindred
And she in the coffin, frozen, stretched."
-  Sean Ó Riordáin

 

 

"Bitter cold
autumn wind -
shivering lips."

-   Michael P. Garofalo, Cuttings

 

 

"In drear-nighted December,
Too happy, happy tree,
Thy branches ne'er remember
Their green felicity:
The north cannot undo them
With a sleety whistle through them;
Nor frozen thawings glue them
From budding at the prime.

In drear-nighted December,
Too happy, happy brook,
Thy bubblings ne'er remember
Apollo's summer look;
But with a sweet forgetting,
They stay their crystal fretting,
Never, never petting
About the frozen time.

Ah! would 'twere so with many
A gentle girl and boy!
But were there ever any
Writhed not at passed joy?
The feel of not to feel it,
When there is none to heal it
Nor numbed sense to steel it,
Was never said in rhyme."
-   John Keats,  In Drear-Nighted December 

 

 

"Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true."
-   Alfred Lord Tennyson, Ring Out, Wild Bells 

 

 

"Just as a dancer, turning and turning,
may fill the dusty light with the soft swirl
of her flying skirts, our weeping willow ---
now  old and broken , creaking in the breeze ---
turns slowly, slowly in the winter sun,
sweeping the rusty roof of the barn
with the pale blue lacework of her shadow."
-   Ted Kooser, Winter Morning Walks

 

 

"Before the end of December, generally, they experience their first thawing.  Those which a month ago were sour,
crabbed, and quite unpalatable to the civilized taste, such at least as were frozen while sound, let a warmer sun come
to thaw them, for they are extremely sensitive to its rays, are found to be filled with a rich, sweet cider, better than
any bottled cider that I know of, and with which I am better acquainted than with wine.  All apples are good in this
state, and your jaws are the cider-press."
-   Henry David Thoreau,  Wild Apples, 1892 

 

 

"Now the corn mazes truly are frightening;
bedraggled hulking husks of a sinister thinness,
looming and swaying over the tamped-down paths
littered with their fallen hides —
ochre’d in the early winter darkness,
they rustle at the unsympathetic winds,
conspiratorial whispers
interwoven with the harsh hiss of the season.

What child now dares lose themselves
among these rasping ghouls, whose shrouds
come peeling off in leprous strips? What child now
dares enter this maze of death? What child? None!
For what they truly seek is not a fright,
but to be startled by delight."
-   Christopher Watkins, December Sonnet

 

 

 

Gardening at the Dragon's Gate: At Work in the Wild and Cultivated Worlds by Wendy Johnson
The Findhorn Garden: Pioneering a New Vision of Man and Nature in Cooperation by the Findhorn Community
One Old Druids Final Journey: Notebooks of the Librarian at Gushen Grove
The Inward Garden: Creating a Place of Beauty and Meaning by Julie Messervy 
A Garden's Promise: Spiritual Reflections on Growing from the Heart by Judith Couchman 
The Soul Garden: Creating Garden Spaces for Inner Growth and Spiritual Renewal by Donald Norfork 
The Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted in the Living Earth by John Michael Greer
Landscape as Spirit: Creating a Contemplative Garden by Martin Hakubai Mosko
Sacred Circle Garden by Karen and Mike Garofalo
Sacred Gardens by Michel and Judy Marcellot
Spiritual Gardening: Creating Sacred Space Outdoors by Peg Streep
Gardens for the Soul: Designing Outdoor Spaces Using Ancient Symbols and Healing Plants by Pamela Woods 

 

                             

 

 

 

 

"So now is come our joyful feast,
Let every man be jolly;
Each room with ivy leaves is dressed,
And every post with holly.
Though some churls at our mirth repine,
Round your foreheads garlands twine,
Drown sorrow in a cup of wine,
And let us all be merry.

Now all our neighbors' chimneys smoke,
And Christmas blocks are burning;
Their ovens they with baked meats choke,
And all their spits are turning.
Without the door let sorrow lie,
And if for cold it hap to die,
We'll bury it in a Christmas pie,
And evermore be merry."

-   George Wither, A Christmas Tale

 

 

"Full knee-deep lies the winter snow,

And the winter winds are wearily sighing:

Toll ye the church bell sad and slow,
And tread softly and speak low,
For the old year lies a-dying.
Old year you must not die;

You came to us so readily,
You lived with us so steadily,
Old year you shall not die."
-   Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Death of the Old Year

 

 

"Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat.
Please put a penny in the old man's hat.
If you haven't got a penny, a half penny will do.
If you haven't got a half penny, then God bless you.
"  
-  
Traditional English Christmas rhyme

 

 

"Shivering--
grey clouds darken
mountain snow."

-   Michael P. Garofalo, Cuttings

 

 

"At the bad time, nothing betrays outwardly the harsh findings,
The studies and hospital records. Carols play.

Sitting upright in the transit system, the widow-like women
Wait, hands folded in their laps, as monumental as bread.

In the shopping center lots, lights mounted on cold standards
Tower and stir, condensing the blue vapour

Of the stars; between the rows of cars people in coats walk
Bundling packages in their arms or holding the hands of children.

Across the highway, where a town thickens by the tracks
With stores open late and creches in front of the churches,

Even in the bars a businesslike set of the face keeps off
The nostalgic pitfall of the carols, tugging. In bed,

How low and still the people lie, some awake, holding the carols
Consciously at bay, Oh Little Town, enveloped in unease."
-   Robert Pinsky, December Blues

 

 

Winter Poems Selected by Barbara Rogansky

A Mind of Winter: Poems for a Snowy Season Selected by Robert Atwan

Winter: A Spiritual Biography of the Season Edited by Gary Schmidt

Poetry for the Winter Season Selected by Christina Hardyment

In Celebration of Winter: A Book of Seasonal Indulgences by Helen Thompson 

The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice Selected by Carolyn Edwards

While the Bear Sleeps: Winter Tales and Traditions by Caitlin Matthews

 

 

 

"This is what I have heard
at last the wind in December
lashing the old trees with rain
unseen rain racing along the tiles
under the moon
wind rising and falling
wind with many clouds
trees in the night wind."
-   W. S. Merwin 

 

 

"Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers."
-   Edgar A. Guest, Thanksgiving

 

 

"Good husband and housewife, now chiefly be glad,
Things handsome to have, as they ought to be had.
They both do provide, against Christmas do come,
To welcome their neighbors, good cheer to have some.

Good bread and good drink, a good fire in the hall,
Brawn, pudding, and souse, and good mustard withal.
Beef, mutton, and pork, and good pies of the best,
Pig, veal, goose, and capon, and turkey well drest,
Cheese, apples and nuts, and good carols to hear,
As then in the country is counted good cheer.

What cost to good husband, is any of this?
Good household provision only it is:
Of other the like, I do leave out a many,
That costeth the husband never a penny." 
-   Thomas Tusser, Christmas Cheer

 

 

 

Seeds and Cuttings
Hydrofarm Hot House Seed Starter 11-by-22-Inch   
Secrets of Plant Propagation: Starting Your Own Flowers, Vegetables, Fruits, Shrubs, and Trees 
Hydrofarm Jump Start Indoor Grow Light System 
Plant Propagation A to Z: Growing Plants for Free  
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners  
Hydrofarm Germination Station with Heat Mat  
American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual    
Burpee Seed Starter: A Guide to Growing Flower, Vegetable, and Herb Seeds Indoors and Outdoors
Plant Propagator's Bible
The New Seed Starter's Handbook
RION MLT3 Mini Lean-To Greenhouse
Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-by-Step Techniques for Collecting and Growing  
Saving Seeds: The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds
Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-by-Step Techniques for Collecting and Growing More Than 100 Vegetables, Flowers, and Herbs

 

                                    

 

 

 

"The autumn air is clear,
The autumn moon is bright.
Fallen leaves gather and scatter,
The jackdaw perches and starts anew.
We think of each other- when will we meet?
This hour, this night, my feelings are hard."
-   Li Bai, Autumn Air  

 

 

"How bittersweet it is, on winter's night,
To listen, by the sputtering, smoking fire,
As distant memories, through the fog-dimmed light,
Rise, to the muffled chime of churchbell choir." 
-   Charles Baudelaire, The Cracked Bell 

 

 

Christmas, Yuletide, Winter Solstice: Bibliography, Links, Lore, Poems, Prayers, Preparations, Crafts, Rituals, Quotes      

 

 

"Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in."
-   Alfred Lord Tennyson, Ring Out, Wild Bells

 

 

"A full moon shines
over the morning frost;
the lanes are full of late-fallen leaves;
walking across the mulch
is almost as tricky
as treading over ice.

In town the carol-singers are in
crowding the shopping-mall,
while a group of muffled musicians
play by the outside market.

This year but two robins
on the early Christmas cards;
the squirrel still runs along the fence
skirting our newly-erected shed."
-   Gerald England, Mid-December, Famous Poets  

 

 

"The Winter Solstice, also known as Midwinter, occurs around December 21 or 22 each year in the Northern hemisphere, and June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere. It occurs on the shortest day or longest night of the year, sometimes said to astronomically mark the beginning or middle of a hemisphere's winter. The word solstice derives from Latin, Winter Solstice meaning Sun set still in winter. Worldwide, interpretation of the event varies from culture to culture, but most hold a recognition of rebirth, involving festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations. Many cultures celebrate or celebrated a holiday near the winter solstice; examples of these include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Pongal, Yalda and many other festivals of light. The solstice itself may have remained a special moment of the annual cycle of the year since neolithic times. This is attested by physical remains in the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archeological sites like Stonehenge and New Grange in the British Isles. The primary axes of both of these monuments seem to have been carefully aligned on a sight-line framing the winter solstice sunrise (New Grange) and the winter solstice sunset (Stonehenge). The winter solstice may have been immensely important because communities were not assured to live through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine months. Starvation was common in winter between January to April, also known as the famine months. In temperate climes, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration, before deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so it was nearly the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time. The concentration of the observances were not always on the day commencing at midnight or at dawn, but the beginning of the pre-Romanized day, which falls on the previous eve."
-   Winter Solstice - Wikipedia

 

 

"Lighting one candle
from another -
Winter night"
-   Buson

 

 

"The vineyard country, russet, reddish, carmine-brown in this season.
A blue outline of hills above a fertile valley.
It's warm as long as the sun does not set, in the shade cold returns.
A strong sauna and then swimming in a pool surrounded by trees.
Dark redwoods, transparent pale-leved birches.
In their delicate network, a sliver of the moon.
I describe this for I have learned to doubt philosophy
And the visible world is all that remains."
-   Czeslaw Milosz, December 1st 

 

 

"You darkness, that I come from,
I love you more than all the fires
that fence in the world,
for the fire makes
a circle of light for everyone,
and then no one outside learns of you.

But the darkness pulls in everything;
shapes and fires, animals and myself,
how easily it gathers them!—
powers and people—
and it is possible a great energy
is moving near me.
I have faith in nights."
-  Rainer Maria Rilke, On Darkness

 

"When cold December
Froze to grisamber
The jangling bells on the sweet rose-trees--
Then fading slow
And furred is the snow
As the almond's sweet husk--
And smelling like musk.
The snow amygdaline
Under the eglantine
Where the bristling stars shine
Like a gilt porcupine--
The snow confesses
The little Princesses
On their small chioppines
Dance under the orpines.
See the casuistries
Of their slant fluttering eyes--
Gilt as the zodiac
(Dancing Herodiac).
Only the snow slides
Like gilded myrrh--
From the rose-branches--hides
Rose-roots that stir."
-   Dame Edith Sitwell, When Cold December   

 

 

"Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
and two eyes made out of coal.
Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say,
He was made of snow but the children
know how he came to life one day."
-  Christmas Carol

 

 

"Christmas is a time of little time.
How we get there is a mystery.
Racing madly mall-to-mall, we climb
Into fields of sunlit harmony.
Shopping, cooking, clearing walks and yards,
Trimming house and tree while working, too;
Making phone calls, wrapping, writing cards,
As all worn out we do what we must do
So that this day of joy might joy renew."
-  Nicholas Gordon 

 

 

 

 

  
Months and Seasons
Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Verses, Lore, Myths, Holidays
Celebrations, Folklore, Reading, Links, Quotations
Information, Weather, Gardening Chores
Compiled by Mike Garofalo
 
Winter Spring Summer Fall
January April July October
February May August November
March June September December 

 

 

 

 

"Each Christmas I remember
The ones of long ago;
I see our mantelpiece adorned
With stockings in a row.

Each Christmas finds me dreaming
Of days that used to be,
When we hid presents here and there,
For all the family.

Each Christmas I remember
The fragrance in the air,
Of roasting turkey and mince pies
And cookies everywhere.

Each Christmas finds me longing
For Christmases now past,
And I am back in childhood
As long as memories last."
-   Carice Williams, Christmas Past 

 

 

"I have often thought, it happens very well that Christmas should fall out in the Middle of Winter."
-  Joseph Addison

 

 

"The snow is lying very deep.
My house is sheltered from the blast.
I hear each muffled step outside,
I hear each voice go past.
But I'll not venture in the drift
Out of this bright security,
Till enough footsteps come and go
To make a path for me."
-  
Agnes Lee

 

 

"The leaves drift toward the earth like ships to land, 
A voyage launched from timbers' great lofty berths, 
Toward harbors safe, concealed from raider bands, 
Of icy galleons coursing wintry dearth. 
Squirrels don thick coats against Wind's numbing dare, 
Mount last determined searches 'long the ground. 
Brown grass conceals the season's paltry fare, 
As hopeful birds scratch for what may be found. 
Through frosted windows glow the hearth's warm light, 
As fading day casts shadows 'cross the lawn, 
And grey meets grey as winter gathers might, 
Undaunted as the chimney starts to yawn. 
Farewell brave day as twilight draweth nigh. 
Perchance on morrow sun will gather high."
-   Dan Young, The End of a Winter Day

 

 

"The birth of the Persian hero and sun-god Mithra was celebrated on December 25th. The myth tells that he sprang up full-grown from a rock, armed with a knife and carrying a torch.  Shepherds watched his miraculous appearance and hurried to greet him with their first fruits and their flocks and their harvests. His cult spread throughout Roman lands during the 2nd century.  In 274, the Emperor Aurelian declared December 25th the Birthday of Sol Invictus (the Unconquerable Sun) in Rome."
Christmas Even and Day

 

 

"Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly, I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow  -  sorrow for the lost Leonore --
For the rare and radiant maiden who the angels name Lenore  --
Nameless here for evermore." 

-   Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1849, The Raven

 

 

"How like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!
What old December’s bareness every where!
And yet this time remov’d was summer’s time;
The teeming autumn, big with rich increase,
Bearing the wanton burden of the prime,
Like widow’d wombs after their lords’ decease:
Yet this abundant issue seem’d to me
But hope of orphans and unfather’d fruit;
For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,
And, thou away, the very birds are mute:   
Or, if they sing, ’tis with so dull a cheer,   
That leaves look pale, dreading the winter’s near."
- William Shakespeare, How Like a Winter Hath my Absence Been (Sonnet 97)

 

 

Christmas, Yuletide, Winter Solstice: Bibliography, Links, Lore, Poems, Prayers, Preparations, Crafts, Rituals, Quotes      

 

 

"December is the twelfth and final month of the Gregorian calendar and the first month of winter.  It derives it's name from the Latin word decem, meaning ten, as December was the tenth month of the oldest Roman calendar.  The Latin name is derived from Decima, the middle Goddess of the Three Fates who personifies the present."
-   Daily Lore:  December 

 

 

"Before going to bed
After a fall of snow
I look out on the field
Shining there in the moonlight
So calm, untouched and white
Snow silence fills my head
After I leave the window.

Hours later near dawn
When I look down again
The whole landscape has changed
The perfect surface gone
Criss-crossed and written on
where the wild creatures ranged
while the moon rose and shone.

why did my dog not bark?
Why did I hear no sound
There on the snow-locked ground
In the tumultuous dark?

How much can come, how much can go
When the December moon is bright,
What worlds of play we'll never know
Sleeping away the cold white night
After a fall of snow."
-  May Sarton, December Moon

 

 

"Love awoke one winter's night
And wander'd through the snowbound land,
And calling to beasts and birds
Bid them his message understand.

And from the forest all wild things
That crept or flew obeyed love's call,
And learned from him the golden words
Of brotherhood for one and all."
-   Author Unknown

 

 

"December finds himself again a child
Even as he undergoes his age.
Cold and early darkness now descends,
Embracing sanctuaries of delight.
More and more he stares into the night,
Becoming less and less concerned with ends,
Emblem of the innocent as sage
Restored to wonder by what he must yield."
-  Nicholas Gordon

 

 

"Senseless is the breast and cold 
Which relenting love would fold;
Bloodless are the veins and chill 
Which the pulse of pain did fill; 
Every little living nerve 
That from bitter words did swerve 
Round the tortur'd lips and brow, 
Are like sapless leaflets now 
Frozen upon December's bough."   

-   Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), Lines Written Among the Euganean Hills

 

 

"It is December in the garden,
an early winter here, with snow
already hiding my worst offenses --
the places I disturbed your moss
with my heavy boots; the corner
where I planted in too deep a hole
the now stricken hawthorne: crystals
hanging from its icy branches
are the only flowers it will know.

When did solitude become
mere loneliness and the sounds
of birds at the feeder seem
not like a calibrated music
but the discordant dialects
of strangers simply flying through?
I have tried to construct a life
alone here -- coffee at dawn; a jog
through the chilling air

counting my heartbeats,
as if the doctor were my only muse;
books and bread and firewood --
those usual stepping-stones from month
to freezing month. but the constricted light,
the year closing down on itself with all
the vacancies of January ahead, leave me
unreconciled even to beauty.
When will you be coming back?"
-  Linda Pastan, The Letter

 

 

"I have been one acquainted with the night
I have walked out in rain - and back in rain
I have out-walked the furthest city light

I have looked down the saddest city lane
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say goodbye;
And further still at an unearthly height;
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night."
-   Robert Frost, Acquainted with the Night

 

 

"Through bare trees
I can see all the rickety lean-tos
and sheds, and the outhouse
with the half-moon on the door,
once modestly covered in
summer's greenery.

Through bare trees
I can watch the hawk
perched on a distant branch,
black silhouetted wings
shaking feathers and snow,
and so can its prey.

Through bare trees
I can be winter's innocence,
unashamed needfulness,
the thin and reaching limbs
of a beggar, longing to touch
but the hem of the sun."
-  Lisa Lindsey, Bare Trees

 

 

 

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"Then he sighed and groaned; but his voice was weak
He was so ashamed that he could not speak.
He knew at last that he had been a fool,
To think of breaking the forest rule,
And choosing a dress himself to please,
Because he envied the other trees.
But it couldn't be helped, it was now too late,
He must make up his mind to a leafless fate!
So he let himself sink in a slumber deep,
But he moaned and he tossed in his troubled sleep,
Till the morning touched him with joyful beam,
And he woke to find it was all a dream.
For there in his evergreen dress he stood,
A pointed fir in the midst of the wood!
His branches were sweet with the balsam smell,
His needles were green when the white snow fell.
And always contented and happy was he,
The very best kind of a Christmas tree." 
-   Henry Van Dyke, The Foolish Fir Tree  

 

 

"Come, bring with a noise,
My merry, merry boys,
The Christmas Log to the firing;
While my good Dame, she
Bids ye all be free;
And drink to your heart's desiring.

With the last year's brand
Light the new block, and
For good success in his spending,
On your Psaltries play,
That sweet luck may
Come while the log is a-tinding.

Drink now the strong beer,
Cut the white loaf here,
The while the meat is a-shredding;
For the rare mince-pie
And the plums stand by
To fill the paste that's a-kneading."  

-   Robert Herrick, Ceremonies for Christmas 

 

 

"Somewhere across the winter world tonight
You will be hearing chimes that fill the air;
Christmas extends its all-enfolding light
Across the distance...something we can share.

You will be singing, just the same as I,
These familiar songs we know so well,
And you will see these same stars in your sky
And wish upon that brightest one that fell.

I shall remember you and trim my tree,
One shining star upon the topmost bough;
I will hang wreaths of faith that all may see --
Tonight I glimpse beyond the hear and now.

And all the time that we must be apart
I keep a candle in my heart."
-   Mary E. Linton, Candlelit Heart

 

 

"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."
-  Robert Frost, Nothing Gold Can Stay

 

 

"We wish you a merry Christmas; We wish you a merry Christmas;
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin.
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!"
-  Traditional Christmas Carol

 

 

"Just hear those sleigh bells
Ringing and jing ting tingaling too;
Come on its lovely weather for
A sleigh ride together with you.

Outside the Snow is falling and
friends are calling yoo hoo;
Come on its lovely weather for
A sleigh ride together with you.

Giddy Up, Giddy Up,
Giddy Up, Let's Go!
Just look at the show,
Were riding in a wonderland of snow.

Giddy Up, Giddy Up, Giddy Up
Its Grand, just holdin' your hand
Were riding along with the song
Of a wintery wonder land.

Our cheeks are nice and rosy and
Comfy cozy are we,
Were snuggled
Upp together like birds of
A feather would be.

Just hear those sleigh bells
ringing and jing ting tingaling too
Come on its lovely weather for
A sleigh ride together with you.
Come on its lovely weather for
A sleigh ride together with you."
-  Christmas Carol, Sleigh Bells Ringing

 

 

"So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!"
-   Susan Cooper, The Shortest Day

 

 

"It is the middle of December.
The nights are longer, the weather is colder, winter comes.

Celebration is at hand.
Renewing bonds of friendship.
Visiting with family and friends.
Exchanging gifts with loved ones.
Candles, Dolls, Cookies, Sweets, Holly, Wreaths of Green.
Surprises.

Courts close. Battles stop.
Time off from school and work.
Holiday Break.

Singing, Dancing, Games, Merry-Making.
Food ... Lots of Food and Drink.
Great Feasts and Parties.

To celebrate the Sun, the Land, the Ancient Ones, the great Circle of Nature.
To welcome in the Winter and the New Year.
To bring forth renewal, peace, and joy.

Solstice Present .... Solstice Past.
This is the legacy of Saturnalia,
weeklong Pagan Winter Solstice Festival of Ancient Rome.

Saturnalia, your spirit and these traditions live on
in the world today
in Christmas feasts and New Year's parties,
in our Winter Solstice celebration tonight.

Bless our connection with the ancients.
Bless our connection with each other.
Bless our connection with future generations.

We rejoice.
Io, Saturnalia!
Io, Saturnalia!
Io, Saturnalia!"
-  Selena Fox, Saturnalia 

 

 

Perennials for Every Purpose: Choose the Right Plants for Your Conditions, Your Garden, and Your Taste by Larry Hodgson
Grasses: Versatile Partners for Uncommon Garden Design Nancy J. Ondra
Designer Plant Combinations: 105 Stunning Gardens Using Six Plants or Fewer by Scott Calhoun
The Perennial Care Manual: A Plant-by-Plant Guide: What to Do and When to Do It by Nancy J. Ondra
Perennial Combinations: Stunning Combinations That Make Your Garden Look Fantastic Right from the Start by C. Colston Burrell
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques by Tracy DiSabato-Aust 

 

                      

 

 

 

"Deep at the bottom of the well no warmth has yet returned,
The rain which sighs and feels so cold has dampened withered roots.
What sort of man at such a time would come to visit the teacher?
As this is not a time for flowers, I find I've come alone."
-  Su Shi, Visiting the the Temple of Auspicious Fortune Alone on the Winter Solstice 

 

 

    "The holly and the ivy, when they were both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown. . .

    I am the Holly King, Lord of the Waning Year. You may know me as the Green Man or as the Winter King. I rule from Midsummer to Midwinter, and my reign culminates in the festivities of Yuletide. As the wren dies to make way for the robin, soon I will bow before my brother the Oak King. You will not see me again until the Sun once more begins to wane. As I prepare to withdraw into the deep midwinter, I contemplate the glowing light of the reborn Sun in my cup — and in this holy grail, I see visions and dreams of the year to come.

    Carry a sprig of holly with you as my token. It will protect you against fierce winter storms, and will bestow upon you the focus, direction and courage you need to succeed in your own spiritual quest.

    Fill your homes with holly this season! Deck the halls! My evergreen leaves and bright red berries, seen against the barren oaks of winter, will remind you of the Life that sustains us during the bitterest time of the year."
-   The Holly King  

 

 

"At solstice, the woods were bright in a snowy way, the sky pearl gray above the stately maples and gnarled burr oaks. An Alaskan marooned in the urban Midwest, it took me years to find this nearby patch of relatively undisturbed land where I can sense the power of wildness. Now I go there often, watching the seasons unfold their changeful unchanging patterns in the increasingly familiar forest.

I especially like to walk among the sleeping trees in the half-lit silence of winter dawns. The trail I follow winds and twists, new patches of mixed woodland appearing at every turn. That morning, I reached a point where the path turns sharply left to follow a small ravine. In spring, ephemeral ponds—lively with salamanders, loud with frogs—form in the creases of the forest there. But in frozen winter, I expected nothing beyond silence and wind.

So I did not see them at first, three deer beside three empty larches. When I made them out—gray-dun hides against a gray-dun world—they were motionless, white tails aloft like flags of distress. I stopped in my tracks, thinking how lucky I was to meet the animal my Celtic forebears called the spirit of wildness on that auspicious day."
-   Patricia Monaghan, Singing with Deer

 

 

"The lakes of ice gleam bluer than the lakes
Of water 'neath the summer sunshine gleamed:
Far fairer than when placidly it streamed,
The brook its frozen architecture makes,
And under bridges white its swift way takes.
Snow comes and goes as messenger who dreamed
Might linger on the road; or one who deemed
His message hostile gently for their sakes
Who listened might reveal it by degrees.
We gird against the cold of winter wind
Our loins now with mighty bands of sleep,
In longest, darkest nights take rest and ease,
And every shortening day, as shadows creep
O'er the brief noontide, fresh surprises find."
-   Helen Hunt Jackson, A Calendar of Sonnets: December

 

 

Return to the Top of this Webpage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December

Links and References

 

 

Ancient Origins of the Holidays   


Annie's Month of December


An Annotated & Illustrated Collection of Worldwide Links to Mythologies, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Sacred Arts & Sacred Traditions.  By Kathleen Jenks, Ph.D.


Autumn - Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Lore  


Birthdays of Famous People - December     


Chanukkah  


Christmas Celebrations


Christmas, Yuletide, Winter Solstice: Bibliography, Links, Lore, Poems, Prayers, Preparations, Crafts, Rituals, Quotes      


Creating Circles and Ceremonies: Rituals for all Seasons and Reasons.  By Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart.  Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, New Page Books, 2006.  Appendices, glossary, index, 288 pages.  ISBN: 1564148645.  VSCLC. 


Cuttings - December.   Haiku and short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo.   


Cyder.   John Phillips (1676-1709)     


Daily Lore:  December 


Daoist Health and Spiritual Practices

 

 

 

  
Months and Seasons
Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Verses, Lore, Myths, Holidays
Celebrations, Folklore, Reading, Links, Quotations
Information, Weather, Gardening Chores
Compiled by Mike Garofalo
 
Winter Spring Summer Fall
January April July October
February May August November
March June September December 

 

 

 

December Facts from Encarta Encyclopedia:  "December is the last and most festive month in the Gregorian calendar.  It has 31 days. December was the tenth month (Latin decem,"ten") in the Roman calendar, but the name was retained in the present reckoning. The Christmas season, culminating on December 25, has taken on some of the festal nature of the Saturnalia, a Roman holiday celebrated at this time of year, honoring the god Saturn. Kwanzaa, an African American festival and the Jewish holiday Hanukkah (in most years) also
occur in December."


December Holidays - Links


December Holidays Theme Page - Lesson Plans   


December in Japan


December Links from Yahoo     


December Lore


December Monthly Teacher Resource Plans


December - Mystical WWW


December Poems - Music by Gary Peacock and Jan Garbarek.  


December: Quotes, Poems, Lore, Myths, Sayings, Celebrations


Everything About Kwanza 


Fairies, Elves, Nature Spirits:  Lands Spirits, Alfs, Wights, Lars, Trolls, Dwarves, Sidhe, Devas, Otherworld, Little Folk, Ancestors, Ghosts 


Fall, Autumn - Quotes, Poems, Lore, Celebrations   


February:  Quotes, Poems, Lore, Myths, Celebrations


Flowers: Quotations, Lore, Myths, Resources


German Customs and Traditions
 


Greetings and Lore for Yuletide


The Green Man (Powers of Spring and Summer): Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Information, Lore, Myths, Role  


Green Way Blog


The Green Wizard   


The Grim Reaper and Crows

 

 

 

Seeds and Cuttings
Hydrofarm Hot House Seed Starter 11-by-22-Inch   
Secrets of Plant Propagation: Starting Your Own Flowers, Vegetables, Fruits, Shrubs, and Trees 
Hydrofarm Jump Start Indoor Grow Light System 
Plant Propagation A to Z: Growing Plants for Free  
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners  
Hydrofarm Germination Station with Heat Mat  
American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual    
Burpee Seed Starter: A Guide to Growing Flower, Vegetable, and Herb Seeds Indoors and Outdoors
Plant Propagator's Bible
The New Seed Starter's Handbook
RION MLT3 Mini Lean-To Greenhouse
Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-by-Step Techniques for Collecting and Growing  
Saving Seeds: The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds
Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-by-Step Techniques for Collecting and Growing More Than 100 Vegetables, Flowers, and Herbs

 

                                    

 

 

Holiday Insights


Holiday Season Ideas
.   From The Old Farmer's Almanac.


Holidays, Celebrations and Seasonal Poetry:  Winter.   By Sue Ellen Thompson.   


The Holly King


In Nature's Honor: Myths and Rituals Celebrating the Earth.  By Patricia Montley.   Boston, Skinner House Books, 2005.  Index, 379 pages.  ISBN: 155896486X  VSCLC. 


January:  Quotes, Poems, Lore, Myths, Celebrations


Kwanzaa Festival Information Center
   African-American Cultural Holiday Celebrations   


Labyrinths: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Quotes  


Land Spirits, Nature Spirits:  Fairies, Elves, Alfs, Wights, Trolls, Dwarves, Sidhe, Devas, Otherworld, Little Folk, Ancestors, Ghosts 


Legends and Lore for December      Wiccan lore.


Llewellyn's 2010 Magical Almanac: Practical Magic for Everyday Living.  20th Anniversary Edition.  Woodbury, Minnesota, Llewellyn Worldwide Pubs., 2009.  360 pages.  VSCL. 


Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2009 to Mabon 2010.  Woodbury, Minnesota, Llewellyn Worldwide Pubs., 2009.  312 pages.  VSCL. 


Mexican Christmas Traditions
    


Months: Poems, Quotations, Sayings, Lore


Native American Lore for December  


Nature Spirits:  Fairies, Elves, Alfs, Wights, Lars, Trolls, Dwarves, Sidhe, Devas, Otherworld, Little Folk, Ancestors, Ghosts 


New Year and Christmas Folklore 


November:  Quotes, Poems, Lore, Myths, Sayings


Old-Fashioned Solstice
    


One Old Druid's Final Journey - The Notebook's of the Librarian of Gushen Grove  


October: Quotes, Poems, Lore, Myths, Celebrations  


Pathways in the Green Valley Blog.   By Michael Garofalo. 


Poems for a Long Winter's Night 


Singing to Deer.  By Patricia Monaghan. 


Quotes for Gardeners
.   A collection of over 3,500 quotes arranged by 140 topics.


Ramadaan


Red Bluff, California.  Natural History Studies at our Home and Gardens.
  Valley Spirit Center.  By Karen and Mike Garofalo. 


Resources for Winter Holidays    Waterboro Public Library


Sacred Circles:  Bibliography, Links, Resources, Quotations, Notes, Construction 


Samhain:  Preparing for Samhain, Halloween, on October 31st   


Saturnalia


Seasons - Quotes for Gardeners
    


School of the Seasons 


The Solitary Druid: A Practitioner's Guide.   By Robert Lee (Skip) Ellison.   New York, Kensington Pub. Co,., Citadel Press, 2005.   Index, bibliography, appendices, 262 pages.  ISBN:  0806526750.  VSCL. 


The Spirit of Gardening   3,400 quotes, poems, sayings, and ideas about gardening, gardens, and the Green Way.  Materials organized by 140 topics; and a fully indexed collection with a search engine.  Online since 1999.  Over 6MB of text.  Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo


Taoist Health and Spiritual Practices


Trees: Quotations, Lore, Myths, Resources
 



Twelve Christmas Poems for Kids   By Martin Dejnicki. 


Walkers Between the Worlds:  The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus
.  By Caitlin and John Matthews.  Rochester, Vermont, Inner Traditios, 1985, 2003.  Bibliography, index, 441 pages.  ISBN: 0892810912.  VSCL. 


Ways of Walking 


Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.  By Scott Cunningham.  Llewellyn's Practical Magick Series.  St. Paul, Minnesota, Llewellyn Publications, 1994.  Index, bibliography, glossary, 218 pages.  VSCL.  ISBN: 0875421180.  A very good introduction to the Craft by an open-minded person.  


Wicca Holidays and Sabbaths 


Winter Greetings and Lore    Excellent information and links from Kathleen Jenks.


Winter Solstice - Ancient Origins


Winter Holidays


Winter - Quotes, Poems, and Lore


Winter Solstice Celebrations
   Excellent information presented by B. A. Robinson. References and links provided.


Winter Solstice: Cultural Celebrations


Winter Solstice (Dong Zhi) - Chinese Culture


Winter Solstice Celebrations for Families and Households
.   By Selena Fox.   


Winter Solstice:  The Sacred Traditions of Christmas.  By John Matthews and Caitlin Matthews.  Quest Books, 2003.  228 pages.  ISBN: 0835608344.   VSCL. 


Winter Solstice, Yule: Bibliography, Links, Lore, Poems, Prayers, Preparations, Crafts, Rituals, Quotes      

 


 

Yule, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Saturnalia 

 

Yule, Winter Solstice: Bibliography, Links, Lore, Poems, Prayers, Preparations, Crafts, Rituals, Quotes      


Yule:  Preparing for Yule and Winter Solstice, December 20th-31st  


Yule: The Eight Seasonal Religious Celebrations of NeoPagans   


Yule: A Celebration of Light and Warmth.  By Dorothy Morrison.  Llewellyn Publications, 2000.  216 pages.  ISBN: 1567184960. 

 

 

 

 


 

 

December Weather Lore

 

A green Christmas; a white Easter.

If there's thunder during Christmas week,
The Winter will be anything but meek.

The nearer the New Moon to Christmas Day, the harder the Winter.

If Christmas day be bright and clear
There’ll be two winters in the year.

Thunder in December presages fine weather.

Like in December like all the year long.

Clichés for Gardeners

Weather Lore

 

December Associations

 
Astrological Signs:  Capricorn, December 22 - January 20

Astrological Signs:  Sagittarius, November 23 - December 2 

December Birthstones:  Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli

Spirits:  Snow faeries, storm faeries, winter tree faeries.
Herbs:  Holly, English ivy, fir, mistletoe.
Colors:  Blood red, green, white and black.
Flowers:  Holly, poinsettia, Christmas cactus.
Scents:  Violet, patchouli, rose, geranium, frankincense, myrrh, lilac.
Stones:  Blue zircon, turquoise, serpentine, jacinth, peridot.
Trees:  Pine, fir, holly.
Animals:  Mouse, deer, horse, bear.
Birds:  Rook, robin, snowy owl.
Deities:  Athene, Attis, Dionysus, Fates, Frey , Freyja, Hathor, Hecate, Ixchel,
   Kris Kringle (as the Pagan God of Yule), Lucina, Minerva, Neith, Norns, Osiris,
   Woden, and the Wiccan Horned God (Consort of the Wiccan Goddess).
-   December Lore

 


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December Gardening Chores

 

Vancouver, Columbia River Valley, Washington, USA

USDA Zone 8B

December Average:  34F low, 46F high, 6.68" Rain

Typical Weather for Our Vancouver Area

Vancouver, Washington: Natural History Studies at our Home and Gardens

The Spirit of Gardening


Pruning leafless trees and shrubs. 
Raking and composting leaves.  
Adding compost and fertilizer to the vegetable and flower gardens.
Planting bare root trees and shrubs.
Pruning back grape vines.
Cleaning, sharpening, and storing tools.
Reading seed and gardening catalogs.
Making sure house gutters and drainage systems are working.  
Pruning evergreens for shape.  
Moving tender potted plants to protected areas.  
Protect tender plants (e.g., citrus) from frosts.  
Protect valuable garden tools and equipment from the rain and fog.
Tending winter vegetables: cabbage, lettuce, peas, spinach, broccoli, etc.
Putting some bulbs in the ground.  
Plant onion and garlic sets.  
Watering potted plants as needed if rain is insufficient.  
Pruning back flowering plants, like mums.
Dividing dormant herbs.  
Setting out some color plants, e.g., calendulas. 
Removing dead or dying or fallen trees and shrubs.   
 

 

Red Bluff, North Sacramento Valley, California, USA

USDA Zone 9

Typical Weather for Our Area

Red Bluff, California.  Natural History Studies at our Home and Gardens

The Spirit of Gardening

 

Pruning leafless trees and shrubs.
Adding compost and fertilizer to the vegetable and flower gardens.
Planting bare root trees and shrubs.
Pruning back grape vines.
Cleaning, sharpening, and storing tools.
Start taking cuttings from dormant vines and shrubs.

Reading seed and gardening catalogs.
Digging trenches for underground plastic pipe.  
Making sure drainage systems are working.  
Pruning evergreens for shape.  
Moving tender potted plants to protected areas.  
Burning large piles of cuttings and weeds.  
Protect tender plants (e.g., citrus) from frosts.  
Protect valuable garden tools and equipment from the rain and fog.
Tending winter vegetables: cabbage, lettuce, peas, spinach, brocoli, etc.
Putting some bulbs in the ground.  
Plant onion and garlic sets.  
Watering potted plants as needed if rain is insufficient.  
Pruning back flowering plants, like mums.
Prepare new strawberry and berry vine beds.  
Spraying some fruit trees (e.g., peaches) to prevent leaf curl.  
Dividing dormant herbs.  
Raking and composting leaves.  
Setting out some color plants, e.g., calendulas. 
Removing dead or dying or fallen trees and shrubs.   
 


December Gardening Chores and Tips for U.S.A. Zones



Earth Wise Creations December Tips

Oak Hill December Tips

Louisiana State University December Tips

Oregon State University December Tips

52 Weeks in the California Garden by Richard Smaus

The Gay Gardener - December

Top Garden Projects by Ed Hume in the Pacific Northwest

Seasonal Garden Chores - Links

December Monthly Gardening Tips from Ortho

Tips for December in the Low Desert

 

 

 

  
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Photographs in December

Karen and Mike Garofalo
Red Bluff, Northern Rural California

Red Bluff Gardens -  Comparison from 1998 - 2007

Red Bluff, California.  Natural History Studies at our Home and Gardens 

 

                                 

 

 

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More Quotes for Gardeners


Green Way Blog

Trees 

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The Spirit of Gardening

 

Quotes for Gardeners

Quotes, Sayings, Proverbs, Poetry, Maxims, Quips, Clichés, Adages, Wisdom
A Collection Growing to Over 3,500 Quotes, Arranged by 140 Topics
Many of the Documents Include Recommended Readings and Internet Links.
Over 6 MB of Text.
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

 

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Distributed on the Internet by Michael P. Garofalo


I Welcome Your Comments, Ideas, Contributions, and Suggestions
E-mail Mike Garofalo in Vancouver, Washington

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December  -  Quotes, Poems, Folklore, Customs, Garden Chores.
Last updated on December 2, 2020

This December Quotations document was first published on the Internet WWW on January, 2000, at http://www.gardendigest.com/mondec.htm.

On January 1, 2005, this December Quotations document as moved and thereafter updated at http://www.egreenway.com/months/mondec.htm.

 

 

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