by Areti Vassou
December got its name from the Latin word decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar, which began in March.
The winter days following December were not included as part of any month. Later, the months of January and February were created out of the monthless period and added to the beginning of the calendar, but December retained its name. (1)
Finally, December is here!!! Christmas fever starts…
The Anglo-Saxons referred to December–January as Ġēolamonaþ (modern English: “Yule month”). The French Republican Calendar contained December within the months of Frimaire and Nivôse. (2)
Christmas gifts are just around the corner… Who else is super excited for Christmas?
Winter Magic
December contains the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the fewest daylight hours, and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the day with the most daylight hours (excluding polar regions in both cases).
December in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to June in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. In the Northern hemisphere, the beginning of the astronomical winter is traditionally 21 December or the date of the solstice.
Meteor showers occurring in December are the Andromedids (September 25 – December 6, peaking around November 9), the Canis-Minorids (December 4 – December 15, peaking around December 10–11), the Coma Berenicids (December 12 to December 23, peaking around December 16), the Delta Cancrids (December 14 to February 14, the main shower from January 1 to January 24, peaking on January 17), the Geminids (December 13–14), the Monocerotids (December 7 to December 20, peaking on December 9.
This shower can also start in November), the Phoenicids (November 29 to December 9, with a peak occurring around 5/6 December), the Quadrantids (typically a January shower but can also start in December), the Sigma Hydrids (December 4–15), and the Ursids (December 17-to December 25/26, peaking around December 22). (3)
How to Create your own Decorations
Use your imagination, use your hands and before you start creating your own Christmas decorations, search in google for videos and how-to guides.
Usually, I start to bake cookies or Christmas sweets the first day of December. I have a notebook full of recipes and tiny extra notes with what mistakes to avoid. In this book, I keep all my tricks and tips on how to create handmade ornaments and decorations.
For starters, you must know your house very well. Sizes, heights, the right corners, where are the electricity sources, many alternatives in case that you are not satisfied with the final look and feel. But mostly, you need to have a good mood, great music, friends and family members that want to join you on this creative adventure.
To be honest, creating handmade decorations is an excuse to create unique memories with the people you love!
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Happy Holidays! I am inviting you to take part in the 12 Days of Christmas Blogging Challenge…
https://scalesimple.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/12-days-of-christmas-blogging-challenge/
I hope you can take part in the festivities 🙂 Happy December!