Things to Look For in December

Over at the Jackdaw's Nest, there's a wonderful collection of poems about December. Marge Piercy writes:

Every day we are shortchanged a bit more,
night pressing down on the afternoon
throttling it. Wan sunrise later
and later, every day trimmed
like an old candle you beg to give
an hour's more light.

Here are a few of the things that give our winter a little more light. Links are to last year's posts:

Dark-eyed Junco by ehpien

As I get grumpy about cold weather, it's good to remind myself of the junco -- who comes down from Canada to enjoy our (relatively) balmy winter. At least we're not in Canada, I say. Plus, they're cute little birds.

Holly by Kevin H.

The garlands of greenery went up in my office building this week, just like clockwork. But the tradition of bringing holly inside at this time of year pre-dates Christmas. And there's plenty to celebrate about these berries -- and the birds they attract -- even if you're not decking the halls.

Ben's Breath by nordicshutter

Your breath is often visible around this time of year. Look at it as a measure of temperature and humidity, or enjoy the visible reminder of the breath of all life.