White River Junction, Vermont, USA

Happy New Year! January has been the first month of the year since 153 BC. Before that (and in some parts of the West, long after that), the new year began in March. Which one seems more logical to you? [2022]

Jasper, Texas, USA

♫ Joy to the world, the Lord is come.

Let Earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room.

And Heaven and nature sing.

And Heaven and nature sing.

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. ♫

[2022]

Norfolk, Virginia, USA

Tonight will be a busy one for Santa. He must take flight at jet speed to make his way around the entire world. That means he will be leaving his ersatz reindeer (see the antlers and red nose?) behind in favor of the real Rudolph and his team. [2020]

Alexandria, Louisiana, USA

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday have passed; November is on its way out; and tomorrow begins a month of planning for Christmas. Kids everywhere will be writing letters to Santa, and some communities will have a special delivery service to the North Pole. [2022]

Hinton, West Virginia, USA

The turkey came to Europe from America, but no one in Europe knew that. The meaty bird (compare with quail) just showed up. Even though it was after 1492, Europeans still assumed anything new came from the eastern Mediterranean and beyond. In this case they decided the new addition to their diet came from Turkey and named it accordingly. [2014]

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

You should have seen the restless souls out on the prowl last night! The dead came back to life to haunt the living, and sometimes their fate was harrowing. Oh well, this poor soul was dead already. [2021]

Fairhope, Alabama, USA

Witches, along with ghouls and goblins, will dominate both earth and sky tonight. Some may even show up at your front door. Please don't pretend you are not at home! If you do, you might get a trick. It's far easier to ward off such evil by doling out treats. [2005]

Half Moon Bay, California, USA

What happened on Good Friday? A dark turn of events that was totally unexpected less than a week before. Jesus, after entering Jerusalem triumphantly on Palm Sunday, was put to death on a hill outside the city walls. Today, we often symbolize death, or eternal sleep, with poppies. [2010]

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Medieval harlequin history is preserved in Mardi Gras celebrations, which culminate today, the day before Ash Wednesday. An old French spelling, hellequin, associates these madcap performers with the underworld and the night-riding demons who live there. Today is the last day to put those demons behind you, for tomorrow begins the season of Lent. [2022]

Greenmount, Pennsylvania, USA

Eating pork and sauerkraut (with mashed potatoes) on New Year's Day will bring you luck in the year ahead. Just ask anybody from Pennsylvania Dutch country. What will they will be serving on July 1? Chicken Corn Soup, another Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. By the way, don't call us Pennsylvania Germans. We are Pennsylvania Dutch! [2021]

Lisbon, Portugal

Merry Christmas! Maybe you've never been to Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, but you still recognize the scene portrayed in its Gothic embellishments. You find it all over the world. It's a ubiquitous emblem of the Christian faith. If you had to boil Christianity down to only 12 iconic images (for the 12 days of Christmas) which ones would you choose? [2009]

Monroe, North Carolina, USA

That's one happy muralist (glassist? fenestrist?) and one scary depiction of the season. Please, St. Nicholas, save that poor boy from being snatched away from all things good and wholesome and carried away (in a garbage bag?) to the realm of sin and darkness. [2020]

Snow Hill, Maryland, USA

Here be two elves in the flesh. They may not work at the North Pole, but they do work at Snow Hill, and that can't be far away. Because of its name, we should give Snow Hill a pass on starting Christmas early. As for other places: Please let us celebrate Thanksgiving first! [2021]

Cape Charles, Virginia, USA

Halloween, yesterday, wasn't the holiday. It was the eve of the holiday. Today is the holiday: It's All Saints Day, formerly known as All Hallows Day or Hallowmas. A hallow is a saint, so today is a time for honoring everyone who has found a new home in heaven, while their skeletons (see them?) remain behind. [2020]

Glenns Ferry, Idaho, USA

Odds and Evens, Ones and Twos, Singles and Doubles, Which one be You? Here is one way the mating of the Pillsbury Dough Boy and the Michelin Man works out. Actually, it's just better to think about him as Stay-Puft, here serving as a ghostly harbinger of Halloween. [2020]

Dundee, Michigan, USA

Odds and Evens, Ones and Twos, Singles and Doubles, Which one be You? Here are two happy hooligans getting ready for their favorite holiday. The setting: a sunny afternoon au coin de la maison. [2008]

Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

Odds and Evens, Ones and Twos, Singles and Doubles, Which one be You? Here is what remains of a marshmallow toaster who loved to roast the fluffy treats but not eat them. He's nothing but skin and bones, without the skin. The setting: a residential front yard leading up to Halloween. [2020]

Marion, Virginia, USA

Hundreds of white crosses topped by American flags create a forest of honor on the Smyth County court house lawn. It's an annual Memorial Day tradition that helps the community remember veterans who lost their lives defending our country. The tradition persisted during 2020 and continues this year. [2019]

Chicago, Illinois, USA

What do we know about the new normal? That the Chicago River will continue to be colored green for St. Patrick's Day. How do we know it? Because even though the the great god Corona declared a cessation to the St. Patrick's Day Parade, his threats did not deter the great green river's once-a-year wardrobe change. [1995]

Cruz Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Hope you didn't take down your crèche the day after Christmas. The wise men did not arrive until January 6, which we call Three Kings' Day or Epiphany. Seems like today should really be the day of gift giving. Christmastide ended last evening, so it is now permissible to send the magi back to your attic for another year. [2014]