Winter Solstice

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The Full Cold Moon For The Winter Solstice

With the Winter Solstice, we also celebrate the first Full Moon of Winter tonight. Officially, the Moon won’t be full before 11:49 am (CST) tomorrow. By that time it has set for us here in Texas, and therefore we can not see it. The December Full Moon is called Full Cold Moon or Long Nights Moon. Last time, we had a Full Moon on Winter Solstice was in 2010. The next Winter Solstice/Full Cold Moon will occur in 2094.

Tonight’s Full Cold Moon (12-21-2018)
With the Winter Sostice, we also celebrate the Full Cold Moon tonight.
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Winter Solstice/Yuletide 2018

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Today is the shortest day and the longest night of the year, in the Northern Hemisphere. The Sun will be ‘reborn” and “climb its way to the top of the hill”, until Summer Solstice in June, before the days will become shorter again. We call it the Winter Solstice, when the days are short and the nights are long. And the days start to become longer.

Katelynn and Sara had their last day of school for 2018. It is also the end of the first semester in school. When the girls go back, Katelynn will have a new schedule in January. And Sara will begin to prepare for the STAAR tests, in Spring. But first, we will enjoy the last days of this year. Hopefully, we have a good start into the new year, 2019. We will visit the family in North Carolina for a few days. The girls want to see their grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. They always enjoy traveling and seeing something new on the road. It never gets old for them. 😉

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Snow in Bill Allen Memorial park in The Colony, Texas (March 2015)

☃️Blessed Yuletide! Happy First Day of Winter!

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Tomtenisse ~ Scandinavian Christmas Gnome

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Since the Scandinavian Christmas Gnome became popular in the US, I started like this cute, little Nisse (Danish), Tomte (Norwegian), Tomtenisse (Swedish), and Tontto (Finnish). It is a mythological folklore associated with the Winter Solstice and Christmas in Scandinavia. The gnomes cute little nose, his long beard, and the cap covering his eyes, are just too adorable. ❤ I might have found a new “character”, I can collect for Christmas. 😉

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My adorable tontenisse (Swedish for “Christmas Gnome”)

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The First Advent Sunday

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Today, we celebrate the 1st Advent.

Today is the first Advent Sunday. Three more Sundays will follow, before Christmas will be here. On each Sunday, we will burn a candle. So, by the Sunday which will be followed by Christmas, all four candles will burn on our Advent wreath. Advent is the season to prepare for the Birth of Christ. But it actually originated from the ancient Celtic tradition. It has the symbolic meaning of the season leading to the Winter Solstice. Yule is upon us.