Page 163 - NT 2022 Almanac

OLIVER HERFORD (1863–1935)
For many of us, December means only one thing – Christmas! However, it’s not the only festival being celebrated this month. There have always been lots of festivities in December because we are heading towards the shortest day of the year, or Midwinter. Try and make the most of the daylight this month. Which birds can you hear singing at dawn? Are the owls busy near you at dusk? Can you spot squirrels trying to find the nuts they buried in the early autumn? It’s not only humans that are busy preparing food and gathering supplies at this time of year!
December may be the start of winter, but by the end of the month the days are already getting longer. It is because of this promise of longer, lighter days that the longest night has traditionally been a time for celebration. The dark can be sad or scary sometimes, but just think:
if there was no darkness, there would be no light! This is what all the festivals this month are about: finding light in the darkness.
The one thing you may hope for and not get this month is snow. You are far more likely to get snow from February through to March in Britain.
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