As I write this, the days continue to get shorter at a rate of about two minutes per day. There is something womb-like about this time of year, as darkness wraps around us like a quilt; an indigo sky accented with diamond stars and alabaster moon. A time of reflection, of quiet and inner growth.

Our tendency is to shun the darkness, to fill it's still, silent void with artificial light and sound and frantic movement. In the preparations for our most holy days, the coming of the light, perhaps we need to step outside, figuratively and literally.

Take the time to embrace the darkness, experience the calm, breathe in the clarity. Open your senses to the subtleties of the season: the graceful bending branches of unadorned trees casting sensuous shadows on moonlit moraines, the wistful wails of coyotes, heard across miles of crystalline air, the salubrious scent of new-fallen snow. Whether you experience this place physically or in the landscapes of your mind, the effect is the same. Peace in your personal world.

I, along with the entire Fine Print family, wish you inner peace this holiday season.

Kate Dardine
Editor

Send us an image (small jpeg, 72 ppi) before December 23, illustrating your holiday tradition, with a short (100 words or less) description and we'll pick five to publish on our website - PLUS, everyone who sends us an image will get a coupon worth $10 off their next order.

Please write "Traditions" in the subject line of your emailed entry. Thanks :-)

Click here to see the images and words from last month's theme, "Giving Thanks".

image credit: Jim Benest