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| Photo by JustLiza via Wikimedia Creative Commons |
by Peggy Robin
Today is the Double Twelve (12-12) and so time for a few fun
facts about the date, the month, and events:
December 2015 welcomes the first full moon on Christmas since 1977.
That means if you are younger than 38 years old, you have never seen a
full moon on Christmas before. Hang on to the memory, folks --or take some pictures--
because you won’t see another one until 2034.
I’m sure you’ve already heard (since it’s been all over
every single media outlet in America) that today is Frank Sinatra’s 100th
birthday. Since we’ll have a full moon on Christmas, what better tune to
celebrate the Sinatra Centenary than “Fly Me to the Moon”?
A few days before Christmas, on December 21, Washington, DC
will experience the winter solstice, the longest night of the year:
It’s a little hard to get into a wintry frame of mind when
it’s 70 degrees outside. But this mid-winter warm-up is not all that unusual -- see http://wtop.com/local/2015/12/winter-weather-december-get-even-warmer/ As noted over at WTOP: ”Over the past five years, five days in December reached
70 degrees or warmer at DCA; there were 19 days with temperatures at 60 degrees
or above. Meanwhile, at BWI, four December have hit 70 degrees or above; there
were 16 days at 60. At Dulles, four days reached 70 or above; 15 days reached
60 or above.”
While today we tied the record high at BWI (matching the 71
degrees recorded in 1979), over at National the temperature made it no higher
than 66, leaving intact the old record high of 71 from 1873. The puzzler for
me is how can there be a record at National Airport established at a date long
before there was a National Airport? (See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/12/12/weird-december-weather-ties-at-least-one-record-high-in-the-d-c-region/)
Since tomorrow will continue to be balmy – even warmer than
today – it sounds like a good day to stroll and shop and relax at a cool artisan,
food, and beer festival [from Thrillist DC]:
Arts & Artisans is
a holiday hat-trick. First, it’s a blast of a party in a brewery where you can
indulge in Dirty South Deli, Sloppy Mama’s Barbecue, and Rappahannock River
Oysters. Then there’s the fact you can “shop small” and score all of your gifts
-- many of them irresistible and edible (which means no re-gifting). Finally a
DJ will be spinning tunes and the Bohemian Belly Dance Troupe will perform.
Also plan to see Buttercream Bakeshop, Millstone Cellars, WhistlePig Whiskey,
Jerkface Jerky, and Qualia Coffee. The event runs from 1-6pm and tickets are
$15 at http://3starsbrewing.com/events/
Or maybe you would prefer to dream of snowy scenes? Then let me leave you with more Sinatra -- here's his "Walking in a Winter Wonderland": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqKxGdvGV6E
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Still Life with Robin is published on The Cleveland ParkListserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.
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