My oldest brother has a big ol' honkin' telescope that takes amateur star watching to the next level. It's a hobby I find endlessly fascinating, but only remember to take the time to appreciate it when I'm on a road trip in the dead of night or when I'm on vacation far enough from city lights to realize how vast and beautiful the sky can be. Usually, when the sky is truly on display, I'm asleep though. The little white lights in trees around this time of year inspire and
excite me. Seeing the sparkling lights in a darkened yard evokes the
nighttime winter sky's cold, crisp, still evening air that opens up
visibility into the cosmos. Millions of opportunities to wish upon the first star off the night, astronomical history dating tens of thousands of years, the ability to see objects light years away with the naked eye.
The other night I caught It's a Wonderful Life on tv, and as many times as I've seen bits and pieces of it, this was the first time I heard what could possibly be one of the most romantic movie quotes of all time as Jimmy Stewart tells Donna Reeds character Mary, "What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary." Stewart's impassioned dialog captures the magical essence of the season.
I say magic simply because otherwise my brain would pop out and fall on the floor. or explode. or maybe even both. But I digress.
The clarity, the depth and the profundity of the stars, reflected in the patterns of the falling snow, the lights on the trees and the sparkle of glittery holiday parties; that's the enchantment of winter.
So perhaps one might deduce that the best way to celebrate this season is to turn on the Ziggy Stardust, just don't let the vertigo hit you on your way out of the galaxy.
Goodies for your own Space Odyssey:
{1} Jez Burrows' Celestial Feats and {2 and 3} An illustrated guide to the Amazing Feats of the Night Sky available from Tiny Showcase; {4} Celestial Extinction - Lipotes vexillifer by Sub-Studio; {5} Icarus at the Edge of Time by Brian Greene; {6} Binary Star Letterpress cards from Brooklyn Book Binder; {7} You Hold Me Together by Heather Smith Jones; {8} Fridge Henge Galactic fridge magnet by Brighton Sky
And if that's just not quite enough of the holiday spirit, Star Wars brings it full circle.
Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish
thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the menu,
you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.
