I love the month of December. Most of it is about anticipation – for holidays of all sorts, time with friends or family, traditional foods we indulge in only during this time of year.
But it is the quieter side of December that gets my attention. The hush of snow falling. The early dark. How stars are so crisply defined in a cold night sky. Warm bedclothes on shivery mornings. The visibility of my own breath when I walk outside.
There are quiet moments in the kitchen: sipping coffee in the early half-light; planning the next meal to share with others; remembering the presence of family in this space, all of us talking and laughing at once.
This is my December, the one that keeps me warm and centered while temperatures drop, and pressure to take part in the multitude of holiday activities and shopping mounts.
The hush of December whispers beneath all our busy-ness. It shushes in a hidden river beside us. It hums along in soft holiday music, flickers in candlelight, rises in steam from hot chocolate next to a fireplace.
It warms a hug shared with someone we love.
Welcome to December.
December is a Fine Time for Poetry
Since reading is the perfect winter activity, please consider the gift of poetry. Forget any bad stuff you might have thought about reading poems (maybe from being forced to in high school?) and come check out some very readable collections from the women poets I’ve interviewed this past year.
That Infinite Roar by Laurie Kuntz
Pequod Poems: Gaming with Moby-Dick by Wilda Morris
In Inheritance of Drowning by Dorsía Smith Silva
And, of course, there are my own poetry collections, which I hope you’ll consider as well.
Prayer Gardening co-authored by Constance Brewer and Kathleen Cassen Mickelson
How We Learned to Shut Our Own Mouths by Kathleen Cassen Mickelson
Happy winter reading, everyone.
Image courtesy of Pixabay.
One Minnesota Crone 
I like to experience the hush of the holidays. I like them quiet and simple. I don’t get into shopping and wrapping anymore. I’d rather go out to eat with a friend or two. Cook my husband breakfast. Go to see a holiday play or musical. And read in front of my twinkling Christmas tree.
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I will admit that I love when the whole family fills the house. But the quiet moments are what sustains me.
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Snow, what’s that? We’re under a fire watch. I’d rather have our yearly snowfall. On the other hand, the squirrels are fat and furry, so it must be in the works. December seems to be a fast moving month, hope you enjoy yours in the holiday rush!
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A fire watch in December in Wyoming seems very unnatural! Here’s hoping your December improves.
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