tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post784117678103734880..comments2024-03-28T21:32:26.550+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: Midwinter Day (NOT the 'first day' of winter!); and I do NOT wish you a 'Happy New Year'Bruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-71644969339973493032016-12-23T21:35:29.912+00:002016-12-23T21:35:29.912+00:00@Wm - I don't really object to Merry on its ow...@Wm - I don't really object to Merry on its own, and the Dickensian aspect is quite appealing; but dislike the phrase with New Year included. <br /><br />The British have a particular problem with alcohol, and a blind spot about that problem. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-85991550793692713992016-12-23T19:01:36.312+00:002016-12-23T19:01:36.312+00:00Ah, as in "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomo...Ah, as in "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die"? Perhaps it still has that connotation in England. In America, the word is pretty much used for Christmas greetings only. It never occurred to me to associate it with drunkenness.Wm Jas Tychonievichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07446790072877463982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-47784976874491374772016-12-23T10:33:13.910+00:002016-12-23T10:33:13.910+00:00@Nick - I can't make sense of your comment, I&...@Nick - I can't make sense of your comment, I'm afraid; except that the coldest and hottest times of year (on average) do indeed come after the solstices - there is a lag; maybe that is what you intend by the offset. That was one of the points of my post. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-963589950390872512016-12-22T22:18:13.563+00:002016-12-22T22:18:13.563+00:00December 21st is the shortest day of the year in t...December 21st is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. It is Winter Solstice. It is also the first day of winter from a perspective of the calendar. Why it is that way probably has more to do with the lag between weather and solar seasons. If we go back 45 days to November 7th and forward 45 days to February 4th there is a distinct difference in mean temperature, snow and ice accumulation, et cetera. My suspicion is that this is why the calendar has its seasons offset by 45 days to the solar seasons.Nicholas Fulfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02335736929533911612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-50425743572429559422016-12-21T18:12:08.617+00:002016-12-21T18:12:08.617+00:00@WmJas - I know - and it has an appropriate Jovian...@WmJas - I know - and it has an appropriate Jovian pagan connotation; but it has been preserved for the wrong reasons - ie that Merry is the standard, rather cloying, euphemism for public, extravert alcoholic intoxication with disinhibition. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-26035578097508263872016-12-21T17:24:31.899+00:002016-12-21T17:24:31.899+00:00"Merry Christmas" is actually the older,..."Merry Christmas" is actually the older, more traditional greeting, still preserved in America.Wm Jas Tychonievichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07446790072877463982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-50911259661013507932016-12-21T14:04:28.289+00:002016-12-21T14:04:28.289+00:00My three-year-old told my neighbor "Happy Chr...My three-year-old told my neighbor "Happy Christmas" and I thought "no... it's Merry" but didn't say anything. Then I read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and saw it as "Happy again - and now you! Certainly we should listen to our children.Nathanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04531664498277638757noreply@blogger.com