Autumn into Winter

I still have pumpkins by my front door and an autumn garland hanging in my window. Almost all the leaves have fallen from our trees but mine is the only house on our street that's still missing Christmas lights and bouncy snowmen dancing on the lawn.
 
Hello winter. Many years ago I loved winter just as much as autumn. I loved the deep evergreens, dark crimson and winter white hues kissed with glittery silver and gold. I loved this season so much that my wedding was in December, in a small candlelit church lined with trees draped with tiny white fairy lights.
 
Image source here.
 
The Winter Moon
Its the sweet sultry taste of winter on my lips,
the shadow of the pale moonlight on my eyes,
and behind the thin drapes of midnight clouds,
amidst the stars shining bright and clear,
smiles the radiance of the winter moon.
If I had seen heaven,
I would admit I had seen it,
hiding shyly behind the curtains of the night,
the winter moon at zenith, smiles down at me.
Its this breeze blowing gently,
mixing the scent of the winter with the moon,
and I stay awake,
my heart filled to the brim with love,
appreciating the splendour of the winter moon!
 
 
Winter makes me want to curl up and shut the rest of the world out. Where I try to squeeze every bit of magic out of autumn I find I often walk through winter in a fuzzy haze. Although winter holds it's own kind of magic there is an underlying unease about it that I find bittersweet.
 
Image source here.
 
My natural instinct is to hibernate and turn inward. My senses get overloaded and it seems to get worse each year....with each birthday :)
 
So before I can no longer avoid the holiday frenzy and madness I'm going to enjoy the very last traces of Autumn 2012. I'm leaving the leaves on my lawn, I don't care how many times my neighbor comes out with his leaf blower and blows them back over to me.
 
I've had my nose in a book the last couple of weeks. I just reread Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches and I'm about to start book two of her trilogy, Shadow of Night. I read that a movie might possibly be in the works and I'm hoping they do it right. Now all I need is that cozy witch's cottage, a mug of hot cocoa with tons of whipped cream of course and just a dusting of snow on my pumpkins under a bewitching winter moon.
 
Cottage from movie The Holiday
 
I hope you're having a lovely week whether you've already embraced winter's bliss or still hanging on to autumn just a little bit longer.
 
Happy December