Search Results for: blog books for winter solstice

Books for Winter Solstice

Winter is approaching. Wait, did you think that it was already here? Not yet, even if it is cold. This year, winter arrives in the Northern Hemisphere on December 21st or 22nd, depending on where you live. Technically, the winter solstice is just one brief moment in time. It is the time at which your particular part of the earth is tilted as far from the sun as it will get. While that just lasts a moment, the day on which this occurs is sometimes also called solstice, since it is the day on which night is the longest and … Continue reading →

Those Funny Groundhogs: A Literary History

Groundhog Day falls on February 2nd. It’s the mid point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. If the groundhog sees his shadow, according to folk tales there will be six more weeks of winter. If it is cloudy and there is no shadow, spring is coming! The day originates from the German tradition of looking to a badger or a hedgehog’s shadow for a weather report in early February. A groundhog is a rodent who live in a burrow under the ground. Groundhogs hibernate during the winter and emerge from the burrow in the spring. Whether these books … Continue reading →

Surviving in a World of Ice

Tis the season of all things icy. From skating to ice cream on mince tarts, kids love to explore the cool side of winter time. Some animals live in places where it seems to be winter most of the time. Polar bears and arctic foxes just have a few months of summer before the season cools once again. In the south, penguins also face frigid water most of the time. How do animals survive in icy water? How do beluga whales survive in an icy environment? How do sea otters survive in icy ocean water? These animals have different survival … Continue reading →

End of Year: Rituals and Boxes of Choc-ah-lates!

Winter is a time of reflection, as we move in for the long, cold nights and stay warm as possible, awaiting the new year, the new life to begin. The winter solstice, the official “longest night,” is full of magic and awe. Slowly the days begin to get longer, even as the nights get colder and the snow gets heavier. At this time, the time where winter begins, we honor this period of hibernation, of waiting. While I don’t consider myself especially religious, I do think that marking the end of year in some way is important. The New Year … Continue reading →