Welcome December (Almanac 2024)

Sue Cartwright • 1 December 2024

Inspiration for things to see and do in Nature during the festive season

Welcome December (Almanac 2024) by Sue Cartwright, Spiral Leaf

The month of December marks the end of the longest nights as we step towards the Winter Solstice when the days begin to lengthen. This is just a matter of a few more seconds a day, and this will steadily grow until daily daylight expands by three daily minutes per day in March.

The emergence of the Cold Moon in December occurs just less than a week before the Winter Solstice. The Cold Moon represents the longest nights of the year providing the perfect opportunity to snuggle down and explore the shadows. These deep places within us often remain unexamined so this is a good time to be still and take a closer look at what lies beneath the seemingly cold and frozen surface.

December's clear skies lend themselves to bird-watching and you will find no less pleasure from Long Tailed Tits who roost together to reduce heat loss and pack themselves snuggly into a nestbox or roosting pouch. Despite one of the smallest garden birds in the British Isles, they have exceptionally long tails for their size with a fluffy appearance.

Long Tailed Tits are often seen bossing smaller birds around at the bird feeders. This confidence has been born from surviving many Winters due to the generosity of human intervention. Like so many other birds in Winter, our provision of wild bird food, wild bird fats and fresh water plays and essential role in protecting our feathered friends.

In the undergrowth, you may spot a water vole, field mouse or shrew darting along their hidden tracks, still very active collecting food for the Winter and making their burrows below ground snug and comfortable.

This is a time when you may see a fox trotting across the bleak landscape in the countryside, curcuiting his territory, hunting for food for cubs waiting for them in dens made in thick cover, hollow logs or rocky crevices. The Fox is a quintissential character of the English countryside, known for swiftness of thought and actio, playfulness and resistence. Spare a thought for every Fox (and Hound) due to be exploited this festive season. These are beautiful creatures used for entertainment and very often barbarically killed for no reason. I live for the day when cruel activities like these are banned once and for all and thereafter forbidden.

For those who love working with Nature, you will find gardening tips, vegetables, herbs, fruits and nuts in season together with wild things to forage in my Almanac for December (2023).

Poem for the month

Read or listen to my poem - Welcome December - a celebration of Nature's beauty as we approach the longest night of the year and the beginning of longer days on the cusp of the Winter Solstice.

Recipe for the month

I made a beautiful syrup from foraged Rose HIps for myself and to give away as gifts this festive season. It's a deliciously sweet Rose Hip Syrup with a fresh Lemon tang and it's packed full of goodness. Rose Hips contain twenty times more Vitamin C than Oranges which is why it is well worth making for a daily dose of sunshine through the colder months.

It is also why Rose Hips are so popular with birds and wildlife although despite this, wild Rose Hips can often be found late into the Winter season.

Dates for Moon phases

Cold New Moon - Wednesday 4 December

Cold Full Moon - Sunday 15 December

Times for Sunrise & Sunset (Devon)

First Dawn - 7.55 am

First Sunset - 4.12 pm

Last Dawn - 8.17 am

Last Sunset - 4.19 pm

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Visual odyssey across continents

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Things to do, create and give in hamony with Nature in December.

1) Forage for natural decorations

The best places to find wintry materials are in gardens, woods, hedgerows, verges and field edges. Make sure you have the permission of the landowner if you are walking on private ground and follow responsible Foraging Guidelines recommended by the Woodland Trust.

Things to collect and create include:

Ivy with flowers and leaves
Holly with red barries
Mistletoe (if you are fortunate as they grow high up in the trees)
Tall twisted sticks to hang baubles on
Fir cones and sprays of Christmas Tree or Norway Spruce for table decorations
Colourful leaves and twigs with dried berries for gift wrapping
Baskets Pine Cones dried out by the fire make fantastic firelighters
Dried pressed leaves and flowers for handmade cards and table placements
hotograph taken in Nature mounted and framed

2) Make nutritious preserves to give away

There are so many traditional berries and wild fruits in season that you can gather in your local area, out in the countryside or from Greengrocers or Farm Shops that stock organic foods and wild produce. Here are some ideas which I hope will inspire you to make something special for you and your family, or for friends as a festive gift:

Rose Hip Syrup
Cranberry Sauce
Orange or Lemon Marmalade
Quince Jelly
Sloe Gin

3) Write a letter to someone special

In a day and age when we are sending less and less on commercial cards, preferring perhaps to give someone a call, pay them a visit or make them a card of your own, writing a letter can really stand out and provide more joy to the receipient than you might imagine.

I always remember waiting in antipipation of receiving a letter in the post or they would arrive out of the blue and make my day. New research suggests that writing by hand, as opposed to using a keyboard, enhances learning and memory.

This is because brain connectivity patterns during handwriting are more elaborate and crucial for memory formation and encoding new information. Despite these benefits, writing to someone is a very personal experience which can bring much joy to writer and the recipient

5) Start a Gratutude Journal

This is the time of year to reflect on all that has happened during the year - what was good, what not so good and what we can learn to help us enjoy more and achieve more in the New Year. This starts at the Winter Solstice on 21 December - a more uplifting period when we can enjoy taking some time for ourselves before the holidays begin.

I wrote about Gratitude as a way of being earlier this year and how beneficial it is for us to appreciate those we love, the things we have achieved and all the things we are privileged to call our own. I also created a Daily Gratitude printable that you can download and use every day instead of buying a dedicated journal.

I hope you find lots of ways to get creative through the festive season. Above all, take time out to go outside for long and gentle walks to enjoy Nature at this most beautiful time of year.

I look forward to seeing you here for a new Almanac series on 1 January 2025.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf