December is a peculiar month, the most ethereal page on the calendar.

It is a study in contrasts. Light and dark. Festivity and quiet. Communal gatherings and moments alone. Joy and sorrow. The end of one year and the prelude to another.

We are deep into it now. Its mysteries and magic are doing their work, confounding and comforting us in what sometimes seems to be nearly equal measure.

The duality has nearly reached its peak, with the shortest day of the year arriving Sunday. The winter solstice brings with it the longest stretch of darkness and the least amount of daylight. But what daylight it is.

It's light that makes you work. Winter landscapes are black and white, you have to focus to ferret out the color. But when a blue jay lands on your backyard bird bath, the burst of color is breathtaking. Summer lays out the palette. Winter makes you conjure it.

A roundup of highlights from........

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