Silent Sunday
Tankar
Lens-Artists Challenge #128 – And Here Comes the Holiday Season…
A strange, surreal Holiday Season. For many of us, it will be very different from earlier years.
I know many creative plans are being made to make these celebrations work – somehow and anyway. This last LAPC challenge, of the strange year 2020, is all about your Holiday Season. So what will your holidays look like? What are your plans and/or memories? Will you create new traditions or will you just ”survive” this one, looking forward to a ”normalized” celebrating next year?
For me, the holidays are all about Christmas – memories of Christmases gone by and what Christmas really, essentially means to me. What traditions can still be kept this year, and what will I have to let go of…
Well, let us begin… be my guest!
”So this is Christmas…” – John Lennon and Yoko Ono – is always present when we are decorating the Christmas tree. In Sweden we celebrate Christmas, even though not many of us are truly religious. But the message is much the same – Imagine… Wishes for Peace and Harmony. Caring for family and each other – Love for everything living. Gratitude.
One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
To me, Christmas also means discussing, listening to music and playing games together. Happy music, classical music, religious music…
Candle light was made for these the darkest days of winter. Lights in our windows are glowing the whole day – to chase the darkness away. Today’s sunrise was 8.34 AM – and sunset 15.35 PM. No complaining when I compare to my daughter Emma’s situation in Umeå: 9.27 AM and 13.45 PM. (But where I live, the sun has not shown its face for the last two months.)
Adding – just listening to the news it seems people are decorating their houses double up this year – I too bought new lights for the path up to our door…75 meters!
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. – Buddha
So far, these holidays look much the same as every year. But, Imagine Covid19 was over and gone …. then more of the happy celebrating would come alive – Going to Denmark for delicious food, coffee and cake, attending Christmas markets, traveling to beautiful places, finding snow again – at least for the Christmas card photos… and having the youngsters back for baking, laughing and pottering!
Luckily we Will have three youngsters here with us this holiday season – which makes me truly happy. Corona safe, no hugging or kissing. I know many families with mixed generations have booked barbecue places to eat outdoors in recreation areas. A very good idea.
The greatest differences will be the lack of hugs and kisses. And, our mother and grandmother will not be here with us to celebrate. Her photo is standing where she used to sit at the table, with a candle lit by her side. Maybe she Is watching us somehow, from somewhere. I’d like to think she is.
The much longed for light will slowly return, starting with the Winter Solstice, December 21. This year has made it crystal clear just how much we have to be grateful for – and how little we can take for granted.
Please include a link to my post and use the Lens-Artists tag so that everyone can find your post in the WP Reader. We look very much forward to seeing your creative work!
Special thanks to Amy for her beautiful “Precious Moments.” And thank You for sharing with us so many positive and loving moments! Smiles and tears in a beautiful mix.
Finally we send our deepest and most grateful Thank You to you all for being an endless inspirational resource this special year, 2020. Hopefully we have helped each other stay reasonably sane in a crazy world. I want to close with John Lennon’s words in:
Happy Xmas (War is Over)
………………………………………..
A very Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear
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– someday soon we hope this invisible enemy, Corona and Covid19, will be defeated too –
Have you seen these:
KFBuchsbaum posted a Christmas card treasure
Big and small moments with Mei-Mei of Jedi by Night
Get starstruck at David M’s Photoblog
Announcement: We’ll be on break until January 2nd at which point our theme will be Favorite Photos of 2020.
Short Note: There have been issues with WP pingbacks not working. If you don’t receive a reply or a comment from us, please let us know.
Thursday Thoughts – Winter Memories
Today we went to the forest again, dreaming of frosty days and snow …
Milo was a youngster – I think it must have been a long time ago…
Wordless Wednesday
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #127 Precious Moments
Amy is hosting this week, and she says: ”This week, as we are approaching the end of 2020, let us share some of the precious moments we have had, before or during the pandemic.”
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? – Mary Oliver
So, my images are all from before the pandemic – when planning was possible.
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. – Marcus Aurelius
The most precious resource we have is time. – Adam Neumann
Life is short, and every moment is precious. – Gad Saad
We invite you to share your own precious moments, from traveling, holidays or with family and friends. Include a link to Amy’s post here and use the lens-Artists tag so that everyone can find your post in the WP Reader. We look forward to seeing your creative work.
Special thanks to Patti for her inspirational “Subjects That Begin with the Letter A.” Marvelous!
Finally – stay tuned for December 19, when I, Leya, will be your host. Until then, be safe and well.
Silent Sunday
Thursday Thoughts – Foggy Days Forever?
Can you feel it?
The need for crisp air and eyelifting skies? Totti enjoying a frosty morning some years ago – so fresh in the air…so easy to walk.
Today was announced on the news, that November and December were the darkest ever in Sweden since they started measuring hundreds of years ago. So little sun and so little light. Stockholm didn’t have a single sunny hour in these last 7 weeks.
Grey can be beautiful – but not every day for two months – and there are three more to go before early Spring.
But in less than two weeks The Winter Solstice will be here. I can’t tell you how much we need it!
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #126: –Subjects That Begin with the Letter A.
An Alphabet challenge! This week Patti invites us to share images that feature a subject on the letter A. We can also include signs and graffiti with the letter A. For an added challenge, Patti suggests capturing an image that illustrates a concept with the letter A, such as alone, abstract, or afraid.
I have chosen Art, Arch, Architecture and Abstract.
When it comes to impressive new artwork, one of my greatest favorites are The Kelpies in Scotland. We visited in 2014 when they were just put in place. The Kelpies are 30-metre-high horse-head sculptures depicting kelpies (shape-shifting water spirits), located near Falkirk, standing next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal. The Kelpies were designed by sculptor Andy Scott as a monument to horse-powered heritage across Scotland.
Thank you for all your inspirational entries for Tina’s challenge last week! A beautiful highlighting of the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi.
We are looking forward to seeing your new choices – please include a link to Patti’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag so that everyone can find your post in the WP Reader. We hope you will join the fun!
Finally, stay tuned for Amy’s challenge next week – and until then, stay safe and well.
Silent Sunday
Thursday Thoughts – Younger Days II
I was born and raised in a tiny village, consisting of about 15 houses situated on a ridge above the school house. Here I spent every day of my first 12 years, climbing and running, strolling and roaming the farm land, meadows and forests. I had a happy childhood.
This is the gate I climbed every day – or, this might be a newer one, but it still looks the same to me… There are huge stones in the meadow above, and we used to bring buns and milk to feast on when we had finished climbing and settled on top of the highest one. To us they were mountains – but in reality, boulders from the ice age, left here when the ice moved away.
Leya 
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