No matter what your religious or political beliefs, there is a special thread that connects all of us during this time of the year. Thanks to all of you who have followed this blog. Have a wonderful holiday with your followers and friends, and lets have high hopes for healthy, peaceful, and prosperous 2012.
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Tonight at 11:30 PM (CST) the Winter Solstice occurs. Â It’s an astronomical event that always perks me up. Â What is Winter Solstice, other than some pagan holiday that probably had a lot to do with the placement of Christmas on December 25?
According to TimeandDate.com:
“The December solstice occurs when the sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees. In other words, it is when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun. Depending on the Gregorian calendar, the December solstice occurs annually on a day between December 20 and December 23. On this date, all places above a latitude of 66.5 degrees north (Arctic Polar Circle) are now in darkness, while locations below a latitude of 66.5 degrees south (Antarctic Polar Circle) receive 24 hours of daylight.”
What does that mean to those of us who just look at the sky? Â The day before the solstice (today, December 21) Â has the shortest period of daylight of any day of the year. Â From there on, daylight hours get longer for the next 6 months. Â Hope for us who have the tendency toward S.A.D.
Here’s my best gift of all, seeing my son George walk down the aisle to pick up his diploma. University of Memphis BBA. Congratualtions, George!
I haven’t been to a holiday (Christmas) parade in years, but we are going to make it Downtown to Memphis’ best parade, Saturday, 12/4 at 5PM on South Main. Lots of bands, floats, twirlers, fancy cars, Grand Marshal Jerry “the King” Lawler, and, of course good old Santa. More Details at http://jingleondowntown.com/
Joe Spake is a Memphis Real Estate Broker, Consultant, Photographer, and Social Media Junkie
Contact Joe at joe@spake.com or voice or SMS at 901.214.5563
