It’s December, which means that all is cold and dark in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains. I drive in the afternoon and stubbornly keep my window shade up, refusing to believe that the sun is low enough to be in my eyes at 3:00 PM. As a girl raised in the San Antonio sunshine, winter can be miserably long in Utah. Wearing boots grows tedious after five months and scraping ice off your windshield in the morning is quaint perhaps only the first time you ever have to do it. However, I love the hush that comes with early darkness, the twinkling Christmas lights that make the valley skyline seem twice as bright from a hilly vantage point.

While Christmas is over and December is on its way out, winter intends to linger a bit longer. To help get you through the long, dark nights, give the December Journal a look. With poetry from the immensely talented Melissa Dalton-Bradford and Darlene Young, as well as an essay by the incomparable Jennifer Quist and a thoughtful introduction by our own Shelah Mastny Miner. Their words will cause you to reflect on your own experiences with the season’s chilly landscape.

—

Have you read the December Journal yet? Which of the three pieces connects the most with you?