The Solstice is Coming--have you decked your halls?

Yes, I've decked my halls, and I've been decked by the malls!

Could I use one of my favorite Tips From Quinn and spray paint the cobwebs? Green, of course.

Kirsten--

You'll feel better in the morning.

Roger--

Green-painted cobwebs are acceptable--unless they are left over from Halloween.

Winter Solstice (Solar Longitude..270.0deg) .. one of the most important date-time's of the year:
Dec 22, 2003 07h 03m 20s Greenwich Mean Time: 02h 03m 20s EST.

I just did this afternoon! Now I can say it was, like, purposeful!

Yeah.

I had a wreath, and a Christmas tree inside, and had chopped off a bunch of branches from the bottom of the tree for decorations, but hadn't used those yet, just did a bunch of stuff outside. Stuck boughs in windowboxes, that sort of thing. It's COLD out there. Whew.

Yep, all taken care of:
-pottage of mixed grains
-heavy club to stun victim
-leather ligature to strangle victim
-handy bog to bury victim

Check, check, check, check - now all I need is the victim.

??

Thank you!

Now, I know what my husband can do today: trim the trees and bushes so we will have a properly prepared house for the new solstice.

Excellent.

'Tis the yeares midnight and it is the dayes
Lucies, who scarce seaven houres herself unmaskes,
The Sunne is spent, and now his flasks
Send forth light squibs, no constant rayes
The worlds whole sap is sunke

from A Nocturnall upon S. Lucies Day
(the day of the winter solstice; according to the old calendar this was December 12/13th)

(It was after 1300's that St. Lucy's day (Dec 13) happend to be the day of winter solstice. Around 1570~1600, winter solstice was on Dec 11/12 on Julian Calendar.)

I love St. Lucy, she's my patron saint. We both have bad eyes.

Mr.S - you forgot the charred bread.

Me too.... this is weird! How are yours bad?

They look a little wilted now , and the dog took a large branch off of the plant yesterday, but I still have a cluster of roses blooming in my yard. All in all, I'd say it's pretty green around here.

I've just finished the last of my Christmas cleaning (dumb way to celebrate, but my mother taught me you must clean at least four times every year). My greenery (with memories) is arranged around the candle in the window and if the sun doesn't turn around tomorrow morning, I'm not responsible.

From the morning newspaper I learned that the Romans called the Winter Solstice the festival of Dies Invicti Solis, The Day of the Invincible Son. Obviously the Romans were not aware that the Invicible Sun needed help. Then the barbarians streamed over the Alps and Rome fell.

Mr. Stillwater-- Is a human sacrifice really necessary? Isn't your peat bog almost full by this time?

Happy Solstice, everyone.

I'm all set. The decorations outside look real nice covered with a bit of snow.

Clary -- My eyes ache a lot of the time, I need glasses for anything close and I have the beginnings of glaucoma, so I've had to take drops for three years. I have excellent far-off vision though, almost like having a pair of binoculars strapped on. How are yours?


Happy Solstice!

"O love, as summer goes,
I must be gone, steal forth with silent drums,
That you may hail anew the bird and rose
When I come back to you, as summer comes."
ESVM

Oh, you mean the Christian Solstice celebrations!! I was thinking of the traditional Celtic celebrations to keep the order of things (Spring and the return of the sun) ticking over. Cheery people our ancestors. Just everything short of bringing the tree inside (Germanic) has been co-opted from earlier seasonal rituals.

Christian, Mr. Stillwater? Nay. I'm just distressed by overpopulation in the peat bogs. Besides, didn't the peat bogs freeze up in winter?

Three volunteers already, that's what I love about this time of year - it brings out the community spirit. Better use the deep bog for this lot......