I LOVE November. On our small farm things are finally slowing down and I can do cozy things indoors. The early evening means candles at supper time and more hours on the couch with the dogs warmed by the fire. And then the month ends with a big family reunion and pumpkin pie.
November has become a liminal space, hasn't it? I have my harvest gratitude decor up, but will begin incorporating some advent and nativity elements next weekend. After all, what more is there to be grateful for than the Incarnation?
November used to be the most desolating month to me. But in recent years I've noticed how many glorious sunny, though chilly days we can get in November; what beautiful hikes I can still do before winter sets in; how charming the transition from heat to cold can be now (blankets, candles, rusty colours), before the cold gets real and there's little poetry left. (January has come to be desolating to me now -- curious to see if your devotionals may change my mind...)
Thank you for weighing in, Zoe! It's funny you say that; January is often my most difficult month, too, and has been for years. But writing through it definitely has changed my thoughts. Hopefully we can find a more inspiring path through January together! 😁🌿
As a Miami native, it was difficult to relate to season changes until I moved to other states. We go from swimming through the air to a breathable 80 F by November (and the home stretch of the hurricane season!). So the "transitions" for us are purely marked by the decorations.
With that said, I've always seen November as the real start of "The Holidays." To skip over November is to skip Thanksgiving, the first holiday of the season to come together as a family - something very important for immigrant families like mine.
I don’t know that I have a lot of feelings about November in general, but this year I am harvesting every last drop of sunlight, storing it in my skin and cells and soul for the long winter ahead. October is a big celebration month for us with my husband’s birthday, our anniversary and my birthday, so November feels like the pause between two of my very favorite songs.
November is everything to my family - beginning with my husband's and my wedding anniversary on All Saints' Day and followed by his and then, our son's birthday. The month ends with a quiet, four-person (traditional) Thanksgiving dinner with my mom. I'm an only child, with an only child - we're low-key and not so much into the hustle-bustle. ♡
I like November. The grey and the storms still feel mysterious, the indoors still cozy, unlike late February when the storms feel incessant and the indoors feels confining. Also, November gives a not-long-enough respite between harvesting and putting up the garden things, and the holidays.
I love November. Here in my area it is still autumn (albeit usually quite a bit chillier. Except today which is almost 80 degrees!) and the busy season at my work begins to slow down just a tad. For many years, November has felt like a place to breathe and ground myself before the holidays begin. It's a beautiful time to pause and rest. When we rush to the next season, we miss the beauty and wisdom November has to offer us.
"good boots and strong coffee and soft blankets" I lean into November as the start of the season when these are needed (they're even more necessary in January, when the Christmas cheer is fading and the gray stretches out for weeks mores). I'm not ready for the flurry of Advent and Christmastide, yet... let me snuggle up on the couch, first, and take a deep breath of chilly air scented by decaying leaves
November is time to dig into almost frozen ground and plant sleeping bulbs, reminding me it’s ok to also put this bulb in my head into hibernation, stillness and rest.
I was born in November, so despite the sometimes horrible weather I've always had an affection for it. Some days the rain creeps up under your coat and the cold through your socks to the bone, but when it snows - as it did today - only a little (not enough to shovel), and you have a cup of tea in hand, there is something beautiful about the bareness of the weather.
I can honestly say I'm not sure I've ever given November her due. I've nerve been one to hang onto Halloween (in its commercialized form. I'm learning much more about it's roots only this year). But I've also never jumped headfirst into Christmas. Other than trying not to be a glutton on Thanksgiving, I've only seen November as an empty space. This year I'm going to do my best to find a spot on my land to sit and listen because it's a shame how little I understand November. It's time to change that.
Beautiful writing 🍁 I love the change that the different seasons and months bring, each in their own way. The festive season can wait and I’ve moved on from Halloween. I enjoy the dark crisp nights and seeing the stars and the peace of November before things get all crazy on December.
As a musician, November can be a very busy time for me as the groups I support prepare for various holiday concerts and shows. Some shows happen the week before Thanksgiving. So, I already have lots of holiday music swimming through my head. Fortunately, I enjoy the process of preparation, so it is a fun time for me.
November houses my wedding anniversary and both my husband’s and my birthdays. Never an in between month for us! I suppose it’s a month of reflection and celebration of more time.
I LOVE November. On our small farm things are finally slowing down and I can do cozy things indoors. The early evening means candles at supper time and more hours on the couch with the dogs warmed by the fire. And then the month ends with a big family reunion and pumpkin pie.
This has sparks of Laura Ingalls Wilder's *Farmer Boy* in it. 😊
It’s one of my all time favorite books!🩵🩵🩵
I can imagine that it might be! I think it’s probably my favorite at LEAST in that series.
Yes, it’s my favorite in the series(The Long Winter a close second). My family this from upstate New York so it has a special place in my heart.
Oh, no doubt! (Yes, I remember liking The Long Winter a lot, too.)
November has become a liminal space, hasn't it? I have my harvest gratitude decor up, but will begin incorporating some advent and nativity elements next weekend. After all, what more is there to be grateful for than the Incarnation?
A beautiful thought, Stephanie! I agree. 🌿
November used to be the most desolating month to me. But in recent years I've noticed how many glorious sunny, though chilly days we can get in November; what beautiful hikes I can still do before winter sets in; how charming the transition from heat to cold can be now (blankets, candles, rusty colours), before the cold gets real and there's little poetry left. (January has come to be desolating to me now -- curious to see if your devotionals may change my mind...)
Thank you for weighing in, Zoe! It's funny you say that; January is often my most difficult month, too, and has been for years. But writing through it definitely has changed my thoughts. Hopefully we can find a more inspiring path through January together! 😁🌿
As a Miami native, it was difficult to relate to season changes until I moved to other states. We go from swimming through the air to a breathable 80 F by November (and the home stretch of the hurricane season!). So the "transitions" for us are purely marked by the decorations.
With that said, I've always seen November as the real start of "The Holidays." To skip over November is to skip Thanksgiving, the first holiday of the season to come together as a family - something very important for immigrant families like mine.
I don’t know that I have a lot of feelings about November in general, but this year I am harvesting every last drop of sunlight, storing it in my skin and cells and soul for the long winter ahead. October is a big celebration month for us with my husband’s birthday, our anniversary and my birthday, so November feels like the pause between two of my very favorite songs.
November is everything to my family - beginning with my husband's and my wedding anniversary on All Saints' Day and followed by his and then, our son's birthday. The month ends with a quiet, four-person (traditional) Thanksgiving dinner with my mom. I'm an only child, with an only child - we're low-key and not so much into the hustle-bustle. ♡
I like November. The grey and the storms still feel mysterious, the indoors still cozy, unlike late February when the storms feel incessant and the indoors feels confining. Also, November gives a not-long-enough respite between harvesting and putting up the garden things, and the holidays.
I love November. Here in my area it is still autumn (albeit usually quite a bit chillier. Except today which is almost 80 degrees!) and the busy season at my work begins to slow down just a tad. For many years, November has felt like a place to breathe and ground myself before the holidays begin. It's a beautiful time to pause and rest. When we rush to the next season, we miss the beauty and wisdom November has to offer us.
"good boots and strong coffee and soft blankets" I lean into November as the start of the season when these are needed (they're even more necessary in January, when the Christmas cheer is fading and the gray stretches out for weeks mores). I'm not ready for the flurry of Advent and Christmastide, yet... let me snuggle up on the couch, first, and take a deep breath of chilly air scented by decaying leaves
November is time to dig into almost frozen ground and plant sleeping bulbs, reminding me it’s ok to also put this bulb in my head into hibernation, stillness and rest.
I was born in November, so despite the sometimes horrible weather I've always had an affection for it. Some days the rain creeps up under your coat and the cold through your socks to the bone, but when it snows - as it did today - only a little (not enough to shovel), and you have a cup of tea in hand, there is something beautiful about the bareness of the weather.
I can honestly say I'm not sure I've ever given November her due. I've nerve been one to hang onto Halloween (in its commercialized form. I'm learning much more about it's roots only this year). But I've also never jumped headfirst into Christmas. Other than trying not to be a glutton on Thanksgiving, I've only seen November as an empty space. This year I'm going to do my best to find a spot on my land to sit and listen because it's a shame how little I understand November. It's time to change that.
Beautiful writing 🍁 I love the change that the different seasons and months bring, each in their own way. The festive season can wait and I’ve moved on from Halloween. I enjoy the dark crisp nights and seeing the stars and the peace of November before things get all crazy on December.
As a musician, November can be a very busy time for me as the groups I support prepare for various holiday concerts and shows. Some shows happen the week before Thanksgiving. So, I already have lots of holiday music swimming through my head. Fortunately, I enjoy the process of preparation, so it is a fun time for me.
November houses my wedding anniversary and both my husband’s and my birthdays. Never an in between month for us! I suppose it’s a month of reflection and celebration of more time.
She does seem to insist on a certain politeness, doesn't she? 😌🌿