Dear December, do tell!
weathermail@weatherbyday.ca Cindyday-weather December is half over, and winter is just a few days away; I'm not sure which of the two is scarier.
I love winter and snow so I will go with the former. My grandmother didn't embrace frozen precipitation as I do, so she was always in search of signs of an easy winter; for Grandma, that meant very little snow in the months ahead. Of all the months, I think December doles out the most weather lore.
Here are some of Grandma's favourites. Perhaps some of these will sound familiar.
DECEMBER WEATHER LORE Sunshine
• If Christmas day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year.
• So many hours of sun on Christmas Day, so many frosts in May.
• If the sun shines through an apple tree on Christmas, there will be an abundant crop of apples in the coming year.
• A bright Christmas foretells that hens will lay well.
• A dark Christmas foretells that cows will give much milk.
Rain
• If December is rainy, mild, and unsettled, the winter will not be harsh.
• If it rains on Christmas, there will be four weeks with no sun.
• If there's thunder during Christmas week, the winter will be anything but meek.
Wind
• The wind at the end of midnight mass will be the dominant wind in the coming year.
• A windy Christmas is a sign of a good year to come.
• If there is much wind on Christmas Day, trees will bear much fruit.
• If the wind grows stormy before sunset on Christmas, expect sickness in the coming spring and autumn.
Cold
• If at Christmas, ice hangs on the willow, then clover may be cut at Easter.
• If ice will bear a man at Christmas, it will not bear a mouse afterward.
Snow/no snow
• White Christmas, green Easter. Green Christmas, white Easter.
• A green Christmas brings a heavy harvest.
• A green Christmas makes a fat churchyard.
The moon
• The nearer the new moon to Christmas Day, the harder the winter.
That should cover almost everything.
Since the weather is so very different from one end of Atlantic Canada to the other, I would love for you to keep a journal and circle back when winter is over. I think it would be very interesting to see which of these old wives tales is the most accurate. Be sure to let me know.