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Winter In Connecticut 2026
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A Texas city girl in a small New England town β¦
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This morning was warm until the wind blew across the valley. It became much cooler in the afternoon. I made sure the birds, chipmunks, and squirrels would have plenty of food for the colder days and nights ahead. Meanwhile, we started our first fire of the new year. Now, one of my Kringle Winter candles is lit. And the room is warm and cozy.
~ 01/02/2022 ~
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January typically has some of the coldest days of the year, so what better way to stay warm and reap the health benefits of cuddling on National Cuddle Up Day? Whether itβs a three-dog night (a night so cold it takes three dogs to cuddle up with to stay warm) or only slightly chilly, there are multiple benefits to cuddling with a human canine or other pet.
Cuddling releases oxytocin. This hormone alone has tremendous health benefits. Besides giving us warm and fuzzy feelings, oxytocin reduces pain. So when the cold has made those muscles and joints ache, cuddling can help reduce those aches and pains. Oxytocin also helps reduce heart disease, blood pressure, stress, and anxiety. Of course, insurance carriers would probably cover cuddling if it werenβt free since itβs such a huge health benefit!
:https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-cuddle-up-day
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It snowed in the early morning hours. We got rewarded with sunshine for the rest of the day, and clear skies in the evening.
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The new year began with fog, rain, and temperatures in the mid-50s (12β) here in the Naugatuck River Valley. Since there was no wind, it felt warm outside. This allowed me to capture photos of some raindrops, seedpods, and small mushrooms. We’d better enjoy these temperatures. Tomorrow, it is supposed to freeze at night. And there might also be some snow in the forecast for this upcoming week.
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National Skating Month is mainly sponsored by U.S Figure Skating and Learn to Skate U.S.A. The holiday was created to encourage families and individuals to brave their fears and learn ice skating for the first time. Both organizations offer various programs and ideas for celebrating the month.
In 2021, U.S Figure Skating introduced kits to other organizations. For instance, a $40 kit included four Skating Month posters, a bulletin board kit, a photo booth kit, lip balms, Frisbees, gloves, stickers, sticky notes, zipper pulls, printable activities, online marketing materials, resources, giveaways, and a Q.R. code sign.
As far back as the years before the Christian era, Scandinavian people attached bones to the bottom of their boots to make for easy movement during the winter period. In fact, βskateβ is derived from the word βschaats,β which means βshank boneβ or βleg boneβ in Dutch. During the 13th and 14th centuries, wood was used in place of animal bones.
Ice skating moved from being just a means of transportation to an organized sport sometime around 1763 when the first official skating competition was held in England. The first official skating club had been founded before that, in Edinburgh in 1742.
Thanks to an American ballet dancer called Jackson Haines, skating went to the next level. He introduced new skating moves and a graceful style of skating. Though at first, his style wasnβt accepted by his fellow countrymen, he succeeded in transforming figure skating into what it is today.
:https://nationaltoday.com/national-skating-month/
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Did you know tea is the second most-consumed beverage in the world? There are over 1,000 flavors. Hot Tea has influenced different countriesβ cuisine for hundreds of years. Tea even plays a part in many countries’ culture and their representation of how to serve tea. Whether you follow the brewing traditions of the English or Chinese Customs, or you only microwave your tea, National Hot Tea Month is best celebrated with a cup.Β
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The Nor’Easter “Abraham” gave us over a foot of snow last night and into the morning. Since Kevin and Sara were in Florida, my neighbor came over with his ATV plow to clean up most of our driveway. I still need to shovel the walkway, spread some sand, and clean the car in case of an emergency. We are supposed to get some ice rain tomorrow evening. In the meantime, I enjoy the beautiful view of the Winter scape. It’s definitely Winter in New England.
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White Chocolate Chai is infused with layers of nutmeg, clove, and smooth caramel.
Frothed milk and sweet cream make for a delightful, lasting finish!
Top: Butter, Lemon, Caramel, Anise
Mid: Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Nutmeg
Base: Sweet, Milk, Cream, Maple
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In 2010, Kevin, Katelynn, Sara, and I went to our local Christmas Parade again. This time, the girls got a glimpse of Santa. Katelynn was in first grade. Her class had the school play βSantaβs Suitβ, where she was the βLegoβ Elf. On Christmas Eve, Katelynn lost her first tooth. So, the Tooth Fairy and Santa visited our home on the same night. Unfortunately, Sara had a bad cold on Christmas Day. She wasnβt too happy. But we made the best out of the situation.
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Santa left apples, oranges, nuts, and candy under the tree. Of course, Sara found the candy first and wanted some. Kevin and I said she could have some after breakfast. Instead of listening, she was very sneaky, put one in her mouth, and acted like she didnβt know what we were talking about. Lexi was happy; she had a new toy duck, which was shredded by her and Ranger the same day.






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β¦ to be continued in December 2026
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Our ancestors depended on the passage of time and seasons. And the best way to measure the seasons was by observing the Sun and the Earthβs orbit around it. The winter solstice is the time of the year when the Sun is reborn, announcing a new season.
On December 21, the day is shorter as the Sun seems to stand still at a lower elevation, making the night longer. But it is a transition period that ushers in a new season of more sunlight. Yule celebrations used to be tied with different pagan traditions, bordering on mythology and culture. Popular notions include the myth of the goddess giving birth to the Sun god. There is also the celebration of the surrender of power from the Holly King to the Oak King. Plus, the ancient festival of the Germanic people about the Wild Hunt and the god Odin is also around the same time.
All the above form the crust of the Yule celebration. But, as stated earlier, it is even more symbolic in that it helped our ancestors to determine times and seasons. Understanding times and seasons was usually the difference between life and death, food availability and famine, victory and defeat, and many other things. With the introduction of Christianity, the Yule celebration has been linked with Christmas traditions too. Itβs thought that December 25 was chosen to celebrate the birth of Christ because it is the renewal period. Yule and Christmas both share certain similarities, and they often overlap as well.
:https://nationaltoday.com/yule/
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Snowflakes are a subject of thought and appreciation on Flake Appreciation Day. The event is celebrated around December when snow begins to fall in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Snowflakes can be classified into one of 35 different shape groups based on their size and shape. When water vapor in the clouds condenses into ice crystals, snowflakes spontaneously appear in nature. Snowflakesβ shapes are influenced by elements such as dust, temperature, humidity, and air currents.
There are different numbers of water molecules in snowflakes, which cause them to form a crystal pattern. Due to diffuse reflection, snowflakes appear white, even though they are composed of clear ice. Snowflakes are usually studied by putting a chemical compound on a glass plate and allowing a flake to land on the plate. The chemical compound covers the snowflake and hardens. The snowflake leaves its shape behind after it melts.
The history of snowflakes was greatly influenced by Wilson Bentley. He was born in 1865 in Jericho, Vermont. His work is significant as he helped discover that no two snowflakes are exactly alike. He used a type of photography that uses microscopes called photomicrography to take pictures of 5,000 snowflakes. Bentley published articles and books about his findings and donated some of his photographs to the Smithsonian Institution. He was the worldβs leading snowflake expert and was referred to as βThe Snowflake Manβ until he died in 1931.
:https://nationaltoday.com/flake-appreciation-day/
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In the Christmas Season of 2006, Kevin, Katelynn, and I visited California. Since we celebrated the 60th Anniversary of Kevinβs grandparents in Anaheim, we stayed an extra day to go to Disneyland.
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In December 2007, Kevin installed his first outdoor Christmas tree made of Christmas light chains. Everything was held up by a PVC pipe.
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β¦ to be continued β¦
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Christmas 2003 was bittersweet. It was Katelynnβs first Christmas, but it was also our last Christmas in Germany.
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In December 2004, we had a Dallas Holiday Wish Celebration. The Beach Boys had a concert, and even Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto came to visit and sing and dance in front of Dallas City Hall. I have it all on videotape footage and didnβt capture too many event photos.
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In 2005, we bought our house in Texas. The same year, we celebrated Christmas/Yuletide in our new home.
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β¦ to be continued β¦

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First, the meteorologists mentioned 3-6 inches of snow for our area. But the weather system stayed further north. We were lucky; we got about an inch.
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