Lighter nights are just around the corner

[alan refail]

Just remembered that it's time for my annual optimistic reminder. Although the darkest days are yet to come, sunset will be a few minutes later every week, starting on Saturday

Sunset herehas been 1603 for more than a week now; at the wekend it will be 16.04, then it's all lighter in the afternoons. Still darker mornings though 'til the new year.

If you want to know your local times, put you postcode in HERE

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Alan, we seem to have got there very quick his year. Some years it really does seem to drag.

Sunset is 15.53pm here and sunrises at 8.02am.

It's all so exciting.

[Monika]

Sunset here 15.48 and sunrise 08.18.

Although I do like the idea of Christmas (who doesn't?), as I am not religious at all, it's the idea of the lengthening days which really thrills me. Just think, in ancient days without gas and electricity, it must have been truly wonderful when the days started to get longer again.

[Geoff]

Having got interested in local history I have learnt that electricity got here in 1960 so not such ancient times. It would be nice to have a bit more daylight during the day - proper bright frosty weather rather than dark drizzle.

[John]

I never think we turn the corner and go into the New Year until after perihelion (Jan 3rd 2010) when the earth begins another journey round the Sun.

John

[Colin Miles]

As the Carmarthenshire CC have voted to switch off lights I'm looking forward to darker nights next year. Bought a telescope 2 months ago. All we need now is for it to stop raining!

[glallotments]

Sunset here 15.48 and sunrise 08.18.

Although I do like the idea of Christmas (who doesn't?).

Sorry Monika - I don't - just often feel too shy to admit it.

[peter]

....Although I do like the idea of Christmas (who doesn't?).

Sorry Monika - I don't - just often feel too shy to admit it.

Join the club GL.

Each year an already rather thin event gets stretched further and further.
When I was a kid my parents had an advent calendar with a religious picture behind each window not chocolate, put the decorations up on Christmas Eve and took them down on 12th night. Christmas was concentrated and enjoyable with stuff you did not get at other times of year,such as satsumas and brazil nuts. We went to church and at some point in December prior to Christmas expected to see carol singers.
Nowadays one can get Christmas cards in summer and perish the thought that any religion be brought into Christmas, in truth it is purely a commercial festival now.
Even as an athiest I find that sad , never mind the spend spend spend, and don't get me started on the idiotic waste of fossil fuels to do one upmanship on house & garden illuminations.

[Diane]

The precise moment of the 2009 solstice will be Mon., Dec. 21, 12:47 PM EST.

[alan refail]

The precise moment of the 2009 solstice will be Mon., Dec. 21, 12:47 PM EST.

Sorry to be my usual pedantic self, Diane

The time is 17.47 UTC (=GMT) 21 December 2009

[EST is Eastern Standard Time - USA]

[Monika]

That makes me rather sad, GL and Peter, that you don't like Christmas. As I said before, I am not religious, but I find there is a wonderful stillness about Christmas Eve. Just go outside and listen - if you don't already live miles away from any road, you will find that there is not a car on the road, with a sort of expectancy in the air. Presumably it's just my imagination, but with nine grandchildren, I can't help being drawn into the joy of waiting.

I do agree that the "business" of Christmas has grown out of all proportion, but that's not Christmas' fault, is it (if one could identify it/him/her), but modern business which will try to screw money out of anything. I, too, remember the Christmases of my childhood with simple pleasures. At Christmas 1945, my only presents were a small book without pictures and a little peg doll made by my mother from a peg, a hankie and some wire with a pushchair made by my older sister out of cardboard (the handle was a tiny pencil from an old diary, I remember). I loved that doll and was overjoyed by the presents.

Books are still very important to me and, even now, when some grandchildren are getting past their teens and prefer money as a present, I insist that they also have a book. So it's still possible to celebrate the winter solstice/Christmas, call what you will, without splashing out or going over the top. Enjoy!

[oldherbaceous]

Very well said Monika, you don't have to get drawn into all the glitter and expence of Christmas to enjoy it.

[glallotments]

It's not the commerciallism etc that bothers me it is just as I said that too many bad things have happened to me over the Christmas period such as family illnesses and deaths and visiting hospitals etc. So Christmas is full of reminders of sad times and not a time of happiness for us. Now these reminders as Peter said are spread over an elongated period.

[Diane]

Thank you Alan (didn't notice the EST bit).

[peter]

The stillness I enjoy, but is generally repeated in my area on most bank holidays.

The hypocrisy and commercialism bother me a lot, but the assumption that everyone enjoys Christmas does strike an anti-chord with me as we did have one rather trying Christmas when my late mother fell and broke both her wrist and hip putting up decorations.

We then had nearly a year of looking after her house and affairs before she was back home, after an MRSA infection, where the experience of bed ridden isolation in an individual room and barrier nursing with disposable gloves and aprons, led to an extended visit to the psychiatric ward. This was an "interesting" time where one consultant became an evil melange of; Prince Charles, Tony Blair and Dr Harold Shipman, who was going to take over the world via the hospital, starting by killing her with deadly chemicals, i.e. her medicines.