The Gift of Weather at Christmas

Our weather this Christmas took center stage. I could be wrong, but this might have been the best Christmas, weather wise, we’ve experienced here on the homestead.

Red sky at morning, sailors take warning...(Photo; Mark A. Zeiger).

Red sky at morning, sailors take warning…(Photo; Mark A. Zeiger).

We’ve had more than a week of snow, ending with a cold, clear Christmas Eve. As the moon approached its Christmas night full, it lit the snow covered beaches so brightly I began to glance at the charge controller to see if any of it registered on the solar panels. We didn’t see any aurora borealis, but misting snow blown from overhead branches, caught in the moonlight, made a comparable show.

On Christmas morning, we watched a clear sunrise over the mountains. It must be an exemplary day, as it tempted us away from opening gifts to bundle up, run outside, and look at the day.

A reddish sunrise to the south reinforced the winter storm warning that came across the weather radio this morning, waking us up at 5:00 a.m. with its blaring alarm. It warned of heavy snow developing Christmas night. As the day progressed, the sky grew increasingly hazy, so the prediction seemed likely.

The cabin on Christmas morning (and Michelle photo bombing on the right side) (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

The cabin on Christmas morning (and Michelle photo bombing on the right side) (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

That meant that we wouldn’t see the unobstructed glory of the full moon on Christmas night, the first one on the date since the ’70s, and not to be seen again for another 19 years. We saw it through hazy clouds, which was good enough.

Somewhere on the other side of the snow storm, we’re told to expect rain. But, we had a white Christmas, and excellent weather on the day. In this region, we can’t ask for more than that.

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