You know, it's my firm belief that we would be wise to revive the custom of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  Imagine with me for a moment:  After suitably fulfilling our obligation to Thanksgiving, we would begin the Christmas anticipation.  NOT the celebration, but the anticipation.  We would burrow through the boxes of decorations and scurry through the stores, yet reserve our delight in the knowledge of the festivities to come.  Then, when the day itself arrived, we would pull out all the stops, pop the corks on the bottles of sparkling cider, open wide our houses and celebrate mightily--for it is, after all, a great holiday (holy-day) we are celebrating.  This would continue through New Year's Day until the Feast of the Epiphany, at which point we would subside somewhat and return to normal life (leaving up the evergreens, please), but throw a few dinners in January and February for good measure.  How's that for a way to beat the winter doldrums?

Well, I haven't persuaded the world yet, but I try to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas as I can.  Accordingly, on this 5th Day of Christmas, I present a few observations on the holiday in addition to the winter world.

Our Christmas tree was blessed with new lights this year.

Technically speaking this may not be my best picture, but who could resist the
joie de vivre of this angelic hog?

If I look carefully, I still find green in the garden... among other interesting details.

I'm not the only one out enjoying the wintry weather: these are ice-fishing shanties.

I consider this my shot of the week (on the same lake).

Let me leave you on a festive note...

Why, hello!  Welcome to the Observatory.  You're one of my first visitors—thank you so much for coming.  Who am I, you ask?  I'm Edith, the keeper of the Observatory.  This is my first project of this kind, and today's the Grand Opening, you know!  It's the first day of winter and I thought that would be a good time to start.

May I show you around?  Although the Observatory has its Grand Opening today, I've been collecting observations steadily for over a month.

The autumn was beautiful and full of color in late November.  I had a lovely walk in the autumn rain.

The nights were misty and increasingly cool.  (I thought I should just add, this photo is completely unedited—it was taken through a window.)

The southward-slanting light made things fun to photograph, especially in the afternoon...

...and I was having fun noticing details I'd never stopped to examine before.  (This is birch bark, but it reminds me of a Japanese illustration of mountains.)

Signs of winter were starting to creep in; here Christmas comes to the garden center.

In early December we got our first sprinkling of snow.

Then, almost halfway through the month, a Blizzard hit!  I bundled myself up and fought my way through the flurries and drifts as it came down:

The next day the landscape had been transfigured.

Since then, I've been enjoying the snow and carrying on my mission of noticing and documenting the quotidian.

(Seasons mix at their edges)

(Many neighborhood trees are majestic, once noticed)

(Even ordinary fences deserve a second look)

(On a tree in front of a store; nature is irrepressibly wonderful!)

My, how the time has gone!  I hope you enjoyed the tour...

... and I hope to see you again soon!

* If you enjoyed this post, I invite you to follow the Observatory through the RSS direct link or in many web readers through Feedburner.  If you REALLY liked it, perhaps you'd be willing to mention it to a friend!  Thank you!
                                    ~Edith