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ROSS’S ALMANAC

Compiled by Kirk Ross

The wintry west extends his blast / And hail and rain does blaw
— Robert Burns, Winter: A Dirge

The Winter Solstice slips in Dec. 22 this year at 30 minutes past midnight. The best thing you can say about the onset of winter is that the steady loss of daylight comes to an end. The first day of winter, you see, is a happy moment — for the days grow longer from then on. Unfortunately, that means a long journey into night through the better part of December. So take your Vitamin D and run outside in midday as often as possible. Sunlight is precious. Savor it. Oh, and bundle up.

Dec. 1 – Sunrise: 7:07 a.m.; Sunset: 5:02 p.m.
Dec. 30 – Sunset: 7:26 a.m.; Sunset: 5:12 p.m.

Moon Phases
First Quarter – Dec. 2 Full Moon – Dec. 10
Last Quarter – Dec. 17 New Moon — Dec. 24

The Full Moon in December is the Cold Moon, Oak Moon, Frost Moon, Winter Moon and Long Night’s Moon (you catching the theme here?).

Planets & Stars: Venus rules the morning sky while Jupiter rules the night. The month is also another big one for meteor showers. The Geminids burst out of Gemini around the 14th and the Ursids can be found near the Little Dipper around Dec. 22. And since it will be winter, check out the Winter Triangle — Betelgeuse, Procyon and Sirius — near Orion.

December is Bingo Month, Universal Human Rights Month and, according to The Onion, National Awareness Month.

Significant Dates
• Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day and Rosa Parks Day
• Dec. 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities
• National Cookie Day is Dec. 4
• Bill of Rights Day is Dec. 15
• National Maple Syrup Day is Dec. 17
• Chanukah begins on Dec. 21
• National Egg Nog Day is Dec. 24
• Christmas Day is Dec. 25
• Dec. 26 is Boxing Day and the start of Kwanzaa

For more of Ross’s Almanac, please visit rossalmanac.com/journal