Free image Fairyland Christmas landscape (Free photobank torange.biz) / ©torange.biz
The obsession with a White Christmas has always fascinated me. Especially since the occurrence of them in our Tristate area is more often rare vs the norm, especially along the coast, which makes them all the more magical when they do occur. In researching this article for you, I consulted climatological data from NOAA, nicely shared in an article by the Washington Post. Some other facts that are interesting are that there is truth behind a lot of our favorite tales, including the Grinch! There was a period of time when celebrating Christmas was outlawed! Most of our traditions seem to hail from the Victorian period in England and then romanticized and immortalized by Hollywood and our favorite singers and song writers. But where did these ideas come from? And what about all these cold weather stories, with reindeer which are native to Arctic regions, Skating and Sleigh Rides! Nowadays, we hardly have cold weather long enough to skate on outdoor ponds. Now I am not making an argument for global warming, but rather pointing to a period of time where we were actually in a time of a Mini Ice Age! As an avid History Channel fan, I had heard of this period of time before, but never made the connection to the Christmas and Victorian celebrations. Back in February, I was in the Berkshires and picked up a local newsletter and found a great article written by Peter Cameron of Otis MA in the Otis Observer. I will share the article for you here. It details the weather in Otis MA during the 17th and 18th centuries, even discussing times in the late 1800’s when Long Island Sound was frozen over! Commuting would be very different then! Most of this climatological chill was a result of a volcanic eruption, you have heard of Krakatoa I am sure. But my biggest takeaway from reading up on traditions and the weather was that this season and traditions were molded, blended and created to celebrate life. Give thanks, share joy with one another and share our abundance. So whether you are continuing long family traditions or starting a new tradition of your own, do it with joy and love in your heart. And maybe we will be lucky enough to be touched by the magic of a White Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanza, and Happy New Year, too!
Sending Warm Wishes to all with a heart full of gratitude for each of you that played a part in our lives this year. Thank you for your business.