Magic And Mystery

Day 54: Seein' as how I already broke with tradition and made the St. Nicholas' Day cookies several days ahead of time, I chose to celebrate by putting up the Solstice Shrub today instead of on the 10th. The world could use more Light right now, both literally and metaphorically. I wasn't sure I'd get beyond erecting the tree, but by noon, all the birds were in their roosts, nestled among the boughs alongside snowflakes, icicles, a few frogs, a cat or two and the occasional sheep. Easily 80% of my ornaments are avian, probably closer to 85%. There are jays and nuthatches, goldfinches, parrots and penguins, cardinals galore, as well as dozens of purely whimsical, stylized birds but front and center is a Cockatoo representing the love of my life, gone now some twenty years though always close in my heart. His is always the first ornament to go on the tree and last to come down (unless there's a stray hiding somewhere). So many memories hang on my Solstice Shrub in caricature! Today, it shines in anticipation of the returning Light, illuminated by warm recollections of seasons past.

The Bird Tree

Day 54: It's St. Nicholas' Day, and that means it was time to put up the Christmas tree. This has become my tradition, although it was not one which carried over from my childhood. The decorations have gone through several iterations, but when I no longer had a life-partner with whom to share the holidays, birds began to dominate the boughs. Nowaways, at least 90% of my ornaments are birds, the remainder largely dedicated to other creatures from nature such as frogs, a caterpillar on a leaf, a beehive and a few sheep. To be sure, there are snowflakes and icicles as well, presented as backdrops for my avian horde. One might notice a preponderance of cockatoos and to a lesser extent parrots, nods to feathered family members long gone but no less dear for the passage of time. I do not celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense, but rather as a somewhat tardy acknowledgement of the Solstice, a festival of light and renewal, and of remembrance.