Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, and I am so happy it is here. After today we get more sunlight day by day until the snow melts back into water, soaks into the soil, and the world around us is reborn with the arrival of Spring. Today is also the first official day of Winter, so we have a long way to go.
The Winter Solstice is also the beginning of the Twelve Days of Christmas (December 21 through January 1) & the official start of holiday related festivities and traditions. In keeping with tradition Brendan and I took Harrison to cut down his first Christmas tree this past Saturday. After my rant about the Santa Claus photograph tradition I won't go into my feelings about cutting down a tree so we can decorate it and keep it in the house for a week, after which we toss it...I can justify it by saying trees are a renewable resource, we were supporting a local farmer and the local economy, and when we're done with it we put ours in the woods behind our house where wild critters can use it for habitat...and there's nothing quite like the smell of a real Christmas tree wafting through the house. We dressed Harrison in his new puffy snowsuit with matching booties, grabbed our saw, and headed into the trees of Stiles Farm in Fort Ann just as the sun was beginning to set over the mountains. It was a warm afternoon for the first time in weeks, and Harrison enjoyed the opportunity to be outside after so many days of being cooped up in the house.
We chose a smaller tree this year...last year we had to tie our tree up from the top because the it was a little too tall for the stand. Harrison looked at us like we were a little bit nuts as we carried our tree to the car and put it in...I guess seeing this for the first time would be strange! As we were leaving the tree farm the sun finally set, and the sky was amazing...the pictures really don't do it justice.
On the way home the lights on the slopes of West Mountain looked like a strand of Christmas lights, and our cozy little family of three snuggled a little further into our coats while the temperatures outside dropped. We sang along with the carols on the radio and counted our blessings the whole way home.
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