Saturday, December 25, 2021

... the close and holy darkness ...


"One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six ...

... I got into bed.  I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept."

(Dylan Thomas)

*

It snowed a little bit last night, as promised, before I went to bed.  We've had no snow to speak of until now.  When I woke up at 4 a.m. this morning, there was only a dusting of snow.  Just now I looked out again in the darkness and see that it is snowing steadily. 

December is full of celebrations from numerous traditions and days that are meaningful to me because of what happened in my life on those days.  It is a joy to celebrate all of the days in December, including those of Hanukkah, Bodhi Day, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Ramadan when it occurs in December.

And then a New Year begins in January.


Always sending love to blog friends near and far.

4 comments:

ellen abbott said...

December, the dark month. No wonder celebrations of light endure. I wonder though, in the southern hemisphere when June is the dark month if they have celebrations of light.

Anonymous said...

I was hoping to wake to some snow here this morning, but it didn't happen. There may be snow as low as 1000 feet here this weekend. It would be so lovely, so Christmas-y to have it snow. Enjoy your little flurry there and this holiday. Yes, December is a month celebrations. We rejoice with the return of the sun.

Pixie said...

Sending love back to you. We're all sick here but hopefully on the mend soon.

Joared said...

I hope your Christmas/holiday celebration has been special.

What a delightful video story I had never viewed before. I'm reminded of how life was in my mother's day before radio and television when family members provided their own entertainment. Growing up mostly in a Great Lakes state here in the U.S. as I did, and even years later after I had left, then returned, snow was a given on Christmas. Always now for me, Christmas and snow are intertwined even though I've lived many years now in SoCal in an area where the only snow I see is at a distance in the mountains. Still, Christmas never quite seems the same without snow in my yard Christmas Day. Only once in all these years here did snow flurries descend to our elevation to soon melt when they reached the ground. The impressions and experiences of youth are memorable and stay with us always.