Greetings, poets! Gabriella tending the bar today. Welcome to our November OpenLinkNight. This is my first time tending bar for OLN here at dVerse and I am looking forward to reading the poems you will share with us.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of Advent, and for many, Christians or not, the beginning of the Holiday Season. Wherever we live and whatever significance Christmas has for us, December is a festive period.
In fact it is a month filled with holidays, starting on December 6 with Saint Nicholas Day – a festival for children in many European countries. On December 8 Buddhists commemorate Bodhi Day. On December 13, Scandinavians celebrate Saint Lucy’s Day. Hanukkhah starts this year on December 17 and will end eight days later. December 21 will be the Winter Solstice. Kwanzaa will start on December 26, a day after Christmas. And, of course, we will celebrate the end of this calendar year on the last day of the month.
Holidays are occasions for family meals and reunion, parties with friends, trips abroad or quiet times at home far from the rat race.
Join in the conversation and tell us about your country’s holidays and traditions. What is your favorite holiday? How do you prefer to celebrate? Do you have a particular memory of a special holiday?
So welcome poets to the bar tonight. Just a quick reminder of the house-rules:
▪ Write a poem, post it to your blog or webpage
▪ Click on Mr Linky below and enter your name and web address (url) of your poem
▪ Visit others, let them know what you think of their poem.
▪ Have fun.
dVerse 
Hello, everyone. It is getting cold outside. Come in and share your poetry.
Hello – can you serve me some mulled wine a cold night like this..
It will be my pleasure, Bjorn. I hope it is as good as Swedish mulled wine. 🙂
We already had some sips 🙂
Greetings Gabriella and a warm hello all… I’ve had my hands very full these past couple of months – but great to be back in the dVerse community once again and with something brand new to share. Also looking forward to lots of inspired reading later tonight… Happy days!
Always nice to see you, Scott!
Hello everyone – as usual I share our monthly collaboration .. My own contribution minor.. Still involve a workm spanning continents.
Greetings Gabriella, thanks for handling the forum tonight, and a white cross laid over the ghost of a snow angel to all …
Greetings, Brendan.
Greetings, Poets! Brrrrrh, the chill is in the air here; but let’s think positively….it is a good day to warm ourselves with some good poetry!! Thanks for hosting, Gabriella.
You are welcome, Mary!
Thank you, Gabriella. I feel a a bit unworthy for OLN this month, not having contributed very much to Meeting the Bar and Poetics. I’m still punch drunk from the September and October challenges. But I’ll see what I can come up with.
Hi, Viv! Nice to see you. Whatever you share will be welcome!
Gabriella, thank you for a lovely intro. Christmas, for me, is the most special, magical celebration of the year. We do an Advent wreath to prepare spiritually. For me, it means the presence of God in our lives…in nature, in others. I think the idea of light in the midst of darkness is important and it’s interesting to see how it seeps into so many spiritual and cultural traditions.
Victoria, I too like the idea of light in the midst of darkness. And by darkness I do not just mean that the days are getting shorter. As your poem illustrates today there is far too much darkness in this world. Every candle counts.
Thanks goodness for email as the last Saturday of the month passes my memory so easy now that i do not work the 9 to 5 grind….
Well.. the Christmas Holidays to me always seems to spell many hours in shopping stores.. and speaking of that i hear the call of my wife for her extended Black Saturday shopping so i will be back later to read and comment MUCH MORE.;) as i will dance walk the dance of me while everyone else shops in OMG so many metro area stores that are soon to be my fate as well as theirs..;) And nah.. my wife cannot do it by herself as I am her mandatory escort of dance.. with her issue with Epilepsy that does not allow her to drive or shop alone.. but with love there is always assistance standing or dancing nearby.. FREE..:) IN LOVE…..
Happy shopping katiemiafrederick!
Somehow it has just felt right for dVerse to keep the OLN to one Saturday a month, for the other 8-9 prompts for Poetics, MTB, & FFA are responded to by the loving hardcore members of the dVerse pack, & reciprocation for comments seems effortless, warm, & informative. The Christmas break is here soon for dVerse, then 2015 will be upon us; wow, what happened to 2014? We had our first snowfall here in Western WA this morning, but melted off by noon; but the Arctic Express is not so king elsewhere it seems.
That would be AE not so “kind”, or course; smile.
Yes, Glenn, it does seem that reciprocity is better in Poetics & MTB. I’ve noticed that as well. I agree…what happened to 2014? Seems the whole year has flown by!
Wow, Mr. Linky got tough with me, & kicked me off with my first comment. What’s up with that? Was just saying that it has felt comfortable to have OLN being held only once a month, & to put our focus on the 8-9 dVerse challenges of MTB, FFA, & Poetics, where the hardy hardcore members of the poetry pack practice wonderful reciprocity; tightening the girth of fellowship this year has brought.
Well, my goodness ( first I typed godness, gosh) it seems that Mr. Linky is having his way with me today; we do love those cyber gnomes.
I can see all your comments now, Glenn. No idea what the issue was.
just coming in from dinner at grammas house…
will be around visiting those that are visiting soon….
Hope you had a nice time, Brian. Turkey?
a much more traditional fare with gramma…she is 92…and quite an interesting character….ha…hopefully this year she does not fall….she has the last 3 years at christmas….
Ouch! Yes, 3 times was bad enough, she certainly does not need another fall. Very nice that she still likes to invite family over to her house.
ah she is a strong one….she would drive if we let her…
and she lets us know that…lol…
🙂
I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season!
Have a wonderful one too, Madeleine!
Dear Gabriella, lovely to have you hosting – and I’m sorry that I’ve linked up to a less than cheerful poem. Usually, I love the start of Advent and the build-up of excitement to Christmas, but this year (maybe because of my recurring migraines, or the unseasonal weather) I’ve found it hard to get thrilled or organised.
Thank you! Life is what it is, MarinaSofia. I am sorry about the migraines. I know how horrible they can make people feel.
I wrote this one to Marina’s prompt a while back and saved it for today. Curious to see what you make of it, which is more abstract, which is more concrete. I’ll be coing round to visit …
Thank you for posting, Susan!
I am late to the party, but glad to be here just the same.
Greetings, Gabriella! I have to say that Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, though I also love Christmas. I think I just love this time of year, winding down, settling in for the cold winter months, looking for the light.
Happy OLN to all, looking forward to reading your work!
Hi, Kelly. Nice too see you here. I like the idea of unwinding, settling down (with a warm drink on a couch preferably) and waiting for the light too.
Gabriella,
Thank you for hosting open link night.
Hi Gabriella! I am late, and just wrote a little something on the spur of the moment…I am off to bed, but will do my rounds in the morning! So grateful for this community. You inspire me!
Hi, Dawn. Nice to see you here at dVerse.
Hey everyone! I did partake in the American festivities of Thanksgiving, although slightly more celebratory than ours in Canada which takes place in October. I have chosen to share something that didn’t quite make it in time for Anthony’s poetic prompt last week. Hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a wonderful one! Settling in for the night but I look forward to some great reads tomorrow.
I think Thanksgiving is a holiday those who are not American are a bit jealous of.Thank you for posting!
In late – looking forward to reading ~