Dec. 20-26, 2010

Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes
Wherein our Savior’s Birth is celebrated,
The bird of dawning singeth all night long;
And then, they say, no spirit can walk abroad;
The nights are wholesome;
Then no planets strike, no fairy takes,
Nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallow’d and so gracious is the time.
-William Shakespeare

Lunar phase and lore
The Orchid Moon, turning full on Dec. 21 at 3:13 a.m., wanes throughout the period, entering its last quarter on Dec. 27 at 11:18 p.m. Leaving Gemini for Cancer on Dec. 21, the moon moves into Leo on Dec. 23, Virgo on Christmas Day and Libra on Dec. 27.

Lunar influence will be greatest before sunrise this week, as the moon moves overhead after midnight. High-pressure systems due on Dec. 25 and 28 are expected to enhance fishing and hunting before the cold arrives – especially at the second-best lunar time, in the middle to late afternoon.

Most fruitcake is expected to disappear before dawn this week, because of moon-induced hunger, and some studies show that crime and bizarre behavior will increase on full moon day.

Gardeners should order seeds, prepare soil and set up grow-lights (or just plain shop lights) so that everything will be ready when the moon becomes darker after Jan. 1, in anticipation for new moon on Jan. 4.

Weather patterns

Most high temperatures are in the 30s and 40s this week of the year, but warm 50s and 60s come an average of 10-15 percent of the time. On the other hand, highs only in the teens or 20s can occur an average of one day out of 10.
Dec. 22 is usually the mildest day of the week, bringing a 55 percent chance for a high above 50. The coldest day in the period is Christmas day; it only brings 50s or 60s once in 15 years.

Daybook
Dec. 20: The Dec. 20 high-pressure wave is the first of two “white-Christmas” fronts. It is often a relatively mild system, but it has about a 40 percent chance of producing snow. Travel is typically favored after the arrival of this front, but before the general meteorological disturbances of Dec. 24.

Dec. 21: The Orchid Moon is full today, bringing all the greenhouse orchids into bloom but also contributing to pre-Christmas stress and slippery roads.

Dec. 22: This is the last of the days on which the sun’s declination remains steady at its lowest of the year – 23 degrees, 26 minutes below the ecliptic. Starting Dec. 23, the day begins and ends a little bit further to the north every 24 hours. Spring is on the way.

Dec. 23: Amaranth is bowing to set its seeds. Black pokeberries dangle on their soft, dried stems. Foxtail grasses cling to one another. Snapdragons finally succumb to the cold, their foliage dark green with the freeze. Japanese honeysuckle leaves are blackening. The crisp zinnias are windswept in their rigor mortis.

Dec. 24: This day is the first day of the Season of the Rising Sun, a period which divides the year into two equal halves. It lasts until the sun stops at its highest point above the horizon, between June 19-23, and then begins to fall back toward winter solstice on June 24.

Dec. 25: In the wetlands, foliage of dock, leafcup, buttercups and ragwort is burned and limp from the cold, but the watercress is still bright green – even when it is frozen solid in the streams.

Dec. 26: The moon’s position in Virgo today does not favor indoor planting, but is favorable for selecting and ordering seeds. It is an excellent day for making plans to set in the seeds you already have when the Orchid Moon becomes the Jessamine Moon on Jan. 4.

Living with the seasons

For some people, winter brings on more angina, increased pain from PMS and more severe diabetic reactions than at any other time of year. Diet could be related to some of these problems; the more sugar and alcohol you pour into your system for the holidays, the harder your body has to work to keep its balance.

And although your livestock may not drink rum or eat Christmas cookies, they may experience more physical problems as the weather becomes colder. Accidental injuries also increase as the New Year comes in, partially due to parties, partially due to the predictable ice and snow.

Almanac classics
The Christmas Dinner
By Naomi Bliss
Switzerland County, Ind.

We think of Christmas as the season for giving. I grew up in a home where giving went on 365 days a year. I recall one Christmas especially.
The dinner was going to be remarkably good. We were to have turkey – unusual in those long-ago days. With it would be dressing, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, all topped off with the fruitcake made at Thanksgiving.

Mama was up early on Christmas morning. Soon the family gathered for a skimpy breakfast, and then we opened gifts. After all the festivity, the aroma of our dinner filled the air.

Toward noon, Mama called for brother Harry to come to the kitchen. A little later, sister Ema was called. Then sister Mabel, next cousin Hap, then cousin Gene. Then, my name was called.

As I entered the kitchen, Mama said, “Get into your coat and cap and take this basket to Jim Wright.” I hurried and grabbed the heavy basket and was off across the fields to the Wrights. They lived in an old house on top of a hill.
Little smoke came from the chimney. Broken window panes were stuffed with old pillows. Mr. Wright opened the door and invited me in. Mrs. Wright and her several children huddled around the rusty stove. I handed Mrs. Wright my basket, wished them all a happy Christmas and hurried home.

My siblings and cousins had returned by then, and we were called to the table. After thanks were given, Mama went to the kitchen and carried in the large soup tureen. Glances were exchanged. Where was our turkey?

We soon knew. Mama had given our turkey dinner to the several families she knew would be without much to eat on Christmas. Our own dinner was bean soup and corn bread. It took a day or two, but most of us decided that Mama’s way was what Christmas was all about.