December Sweetness
Whales on the move, an iconic poem, and an activity to keep in touch with the shift towards winter solstice
December is here and so too comes winter!
Here are three events to watch for, two quotes for the season, and one grounding activity to get you slowing down in the month ahead.1
Three Events to Celebrate this Month
1. Winter Whale Migration has Begun
From November through mid-January, as many as 20,000 gray whales will be migrating in along the coastline Pacific Ocean as they travel south to the warm lagoons of Baja Mexico, where their calves are born. These whales tend to hug the coast to avoid their main predator, killer whales. Gray whales can be seen from many locations along the Pacific coast, often helped with the aid of binoculars.
In Oregon, coastal visitors can take advantage of Whale Watching week at the end of this month. In California, you can find several great viewing spots along the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay coasts in late December, and in southern California and the Baja Coast in January.
Meanwhile, humpback whales in both the Pacific and Atlantic are making their own migrations (and in waters near Australia in the southern hemisphere too). On the east coast, Virginia Beach is a common humpback whale spotting location in late December thru March. Residents and visitors to Hawaii (particularly Maui) have a good chance this month to see humpback whales that have migrated from the coastal Alaskan waters to to give birth to their calves. Below is a National Geographic video of one such female whale in the Hawaii waters caught on video giving birth.
2. Winter Solstice
This year the winter solstice occurs on Saturday, December 21. At that moment, half of the Earth will be tilted the farthest away from the sun, and those in the northern hemisphere will experience the least amount of daylight all year.
3. The Geminids Meteor Shower
The Geminids meteor shower, which peaks around December 13-14 this year, is considered to be one of the best and most reliable meteor showers of the year. It’s also considered one of the best for younger stargazers, since the showers begin around 9 or 10 p.m each night and last all the way until dawn.
If you are lucky enough to live in a part of the country with clear skies, the best way to see them is to bundle up, bring your travel mug of hot chocolate, and head to an area without city lights.
Two Quotes for December
1.
A quote from Scottish novelist Ali Smith’s book Winter that reminds us that winter can be a season of transformation.
“That’s what winter is: an exercise in remembering how to still yourself then how to come pliantly back to life again.”
2.
For those who find this time of year sullen and a little haunted—with its early nights and eery fog—you have a friend in Edgar Allan Poe. Here are excerpts from Poe’s iconic poem, The Raven, occurring one bleak December night:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door —
Only this, and nothing more."
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; — vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow — sorrow for the lost Lenore —
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore —
Nameless here for evermore….
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!" —
Merely this, and nothing more….
… Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door —
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door —
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.
Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore —
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore…”
Slowing Down: Try this for the month of December
Winter is a great time to observe the sky, especially the sun as it reaches its most southerly point, and its patterns on these shorter days for those of us in the northern hemisphere.
Pick a time of day in the evening or morning to take notice of this change. About once or twice a week at that time, step outside and observe.
What does the light look like? Where is the sun located? What does your shadow look like?
Each time you go out to make your observations, consider writing them down in a notebook.
If you read the newsletter regularly and want to support this work in some way, an easy way is to sign up or gift a paid subscriber to a friend or family member as a way to show your support and appreciation.
Finally, if are looking for a gift this year with an outdoor theme, please consider the gift of a shirt or mug from our cones and conifers campaign.
Credit to James Clear for his very useful 3-2-1 structure newsletter structure that inspired this post.