The deep mid-winter pushes my hibernation circuits.
I shouldn’t be surprised as my ancestors, and their Rb 1 gene, have been here for thousands of years, so we adapted to the lack of sunlight.
Today the daylight is incrementally longer than yesterday.
At first, it is too little to notice but the fact that I know that has a placebo effect on me.
A note to readers in the southern hemispheres:
Apologies as I know it’s the other way around for you folk.
In two days’ time, the annual Jesus/Mithras thing will go ahead.
Number One Daughter just made it home an hour ago, the poor baba is coughing and spluttering as her dad has been for weeks.
At least she’s here to be minded.
Baby Doctor is next door composing revision notes for the next test of her medical knowledge at Trinners.
The Big Fella is downstairs giving his mum a hand, and I’m in the study writing this for you dear reader.
I hope that you’re reading this well and in good form.
In this part of the world, back in the Palaeolithic day, many of us didn’t survive the winter.
It culled the weak and the infirm with more deadly purpose than any carnivorous predator lurking in the woods.
So the depth of the darkness was a good time to dig into the food reserves of the tribe and gather around an especially big roaring fire.
The Yule log and all that.
Now I know that that there is a little more daylight each day I start to…well… brighten up.
My energy levels start to increase.
By past experience, I know that my seasonal slump starts around the end of October and this year was no different.
An mhí Dheireadh Fómhair is a bad time for me as I’m anticipating the long dark.
The following month is usually my worst of the entire calendar.
I know that there isn’t any real escape from the increasing darkness here on my island.
In November this year the Web Summit took me to Lisboa.
Walking in the sunshine in November put it into my head that winter sun has much to commend it.
Donegal to the Portuguese capital is, on the proverbial crow’s flight path, 1125 miles closer to the equator.
That is was enough to make a difference.
As I walked back to my apartment in Bairro Alto it was still daylight when Donegal was already in darkness.
I felt better, stronger, more hopeful.
The sun was doing its thing on me.
With a medicalised narrative increasingly dominating existential issues, I’m told that I tick almost all the boxes for “Seasonal Affective Disorder”.
Perhaps it is just nature’s way of telling me that it is time to hunker down.
Over the next few days, I hope that you are all where you are meant to be and that you are surrounded by people that you care about.
If you have been raised within the Christmas tradition (many of the inhabitants of this planet have not) then is a difficult time of year to be apart from loved ones.
I know what it is to miss someone at this time of year and it is awful.
Coupled with the midwinter, it can induce bone crushing sadness.
Of course, there are those amongst us who don’t, for whatever reason, have any loved ones.
Some people don’t have a place to call home or anyone to worry about them.
I hope dear reader that you are not among their number.
If you are, then know the days are starting to be that bit longer, the sun slightly stronger in the sky and perhaps as the earth turns so too will your situation change if you so wish it.
This warm house in Ireland is full of food, and I have gifts to wrap for my brood.
We’re lucky, and I hope you too have that good fortune, dear reader.
Whatever your beliefs enjoy the turning of the year.
We all need the light.
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Seriously Phil, if you haven’t done so already, consider getting a lightbox. After a particularly rough one with the SAD last year, I got one of these appliances for my dad, and the difference it’s made has been impossible to miss. You can stick it beside you on the table while you’re at the writing, an hour a day will do it. Happy New Year to you and yours.
Best wishes to you and your family Phil, keep up the good work !
Not the best year in my humble opinion! David Bowie, then Prince and now George Michael sprinkled with other greats such as Alan Rickman and the cult hero Leonard Cohen and no doubt many many more I do not mention.
Creativity is not the possession of the many, here’s hoping the few that hold it stay with us just a little while longer.
HH
You should check out the David Bowie/Jack Steven connection on YouTube, and elsewhere, Tourtenay.
If you think the Sevco stuff is a wind-up, wait till you see this.
Here’s a joke for beekeepers, with added bonus points if you see the connection to Trumpettes, now that the Donald has stuffed his government with billionaires.
A guy at a bar overhears another punter mention to the barman he’s a beekeeper, so tells him he’s a beekeeper himself and asks how many bees he has and how big is his apiary.
The guy replies that he has between 250,000 and 500,000 bees and that his apiary extends to around 3 square acres.
He then asks the first guy how many bees he keeps, who replies without pause that he has over a million bees, which impresses the other no end, and who then wonders aloud about how big is his apiary.
‘Oh, I don’t have one, I keep them in a jam jar’, comes the stunning reply.
‘Over a million bees and you keep them in a jam jar?!
Aren’t you concerned for their welfare, man?!’
To which the other guy replies,
‘Nah, fuck ’em.
If they were as clever as they’re meant to be, they wouldn’t have let a clown like me stick em all in a jam jar now, would they?’
With all the terrible things happening in the world today all because of the human race, its hard to feel hopeful and see a bright future ahead BUT every year at this time when I go to Christmas mass,the feeling of hope shines through because of the Christmas message.
Thank God for Christmas and the hope and promises it gives.
I don’t mean to be a pedant but what ‘promises’ does Christmas give, Beekeeper?
promises him some sort of eternal happy place unlike all us heathens who dont subscribe to his particular deity and are all headed to the burning fire as a result apparently . . .thems the rules as I remember them . .
Ah, he means ‘fairy stories’.
And by ‘his particular deity’, you must mean Donald Trump.
Why he still even bothers coming on here is beyond me, you’d think he’d be on the Brexit pages cheering on all the waving of the butchers aprons, as he seems to think that voting for actual fascists is somehow a ‘rebellious’ act.
I pity those poor bees, I really do.
Best wishes to you and your family.Seriously Phil,invest in a decent light box.It will really help you through the SAD months.Lets hope 2017 brings a treble and a resolution to Res 12.Enjoy the gargle.
We’ll have joy, we’ll have fun, we’ll have seasons in the sun….. again! Meanwhile make the most of any daylight that comes our way. Best wishes to you and yours Phil.
YNWA.
Best wishes to you Phil, and all the readers.
Merry yulltide and a happy ever after,just to be different Phil.
Merry Christmas Phil
A question for around the Christmas table………
If it takes 4 men 1 day to dig a hole. How long would it take 8 men to dig half a hole ?????
If it takes 11 men 45 minutes to score a goal how many goals will 10 men score in 45 minutes !!!!
The reason these tossers think they can try this on is because the Celtic Board continue sit in silence taking some self.made moral high ground.
They think that the club is to good to complain, ” we’ll do our talking on the Park”,it’s time Celtic started taking care of business and its customers who invest hard earned cash building a Club steeped in history that they are and can continue to be proud of.
Season of good will to all men !
But not much goodwill from the Celtic board to the Res 12 guys, the fans, the shareholders or the club itself.
I called them out from the off, it was clear they were stalling the requisitioners months ago, and you can be sure it’s no mere accident that there’s a right wing Tory ‘Lord’ smartly placed on ‘our’ board to ensure that the business of raking in the cash from us mug punters continues in the same vein as before.
The game is rigged from top to bottom worldwide and we, the true supporters of club and international football, can only hope that the wide ranging investigation led by the German Der Spiegel newspaper really WILL uncover the multitude of sins that lie at the dark heart of the game that it promises.
I also notice there hasn’t been one comment from anyone on the links to this report shared across the intermet yet, not one Scottish fan or blogger has piped up to say that this might be the answer to our prayers in getting to the truth of this shady business cum racket that the game of football has become.
In fact, the Resolution 12 lads seem to be the only ones who understand what the word ‘Resolve’ actually means.
Merry Christmas to all in between times, especially to yourself and your family, Phil.
Dare I say that even the Blogging Awards do not do justice to the excellent journalistic work done by yourself and John James over this past year.
All the best for 2017!
Donation made Phil,have a good 1,hh
Phil thank you for a spectacular 2016 you are a shining light in the darkness that is the SMSM Keep spelling it out for the gulabillys, have a happy Christmas and a good new year
Here we go for 6 in a row
Lovely piece Phil, thanks.
To all a happy and peaceful Christmas and year ahead.
Away down to Magheraroarty beach (or up Errigal) and welcome in Storm Connor Phil. Canny promise you any sun but it’ll fair blow away any cobwebs.
All the best for 2017 to you and yours.
Merry christmas and a happy new year to everybody
A very Happy and Peaceful Christmas to all.
May that light you write of be shone upon our quisling board.
Persistance beats Resistance
Well ’tis less than six hours to go till it’s Christmas here in sunny NZ. Have a great 2017 It will be a tumultuous year. Best wishes.
Aye Phil the light nights are fair stretching out.
Hi Phil,
I suspect you may also have a wee touch of SAD. It affects may of us Celtic fans from time to time. It used to be called Rangers Affected Disorder (RAD) but now is Sevco Affected Disorder;
symptoms get worse when referees make their ‘honest mistakes’.
Stop Moaning, Phil!! I’m in Astana and it’s -30. Thank Mithras for Vodka!!!!
All the best to you & your family, Phil, and to all the peoples of the world who have been kept in the dark too long.
May the power of the truth and the light save us all from this blight on humanity.
When I was a kid Phil, I always was depressed at Christmas, my thoughts persistently centered on those who would have no-one around and their inherent vulnerabilities.
Your article therefore, strikes a deep deep chord.
I wish a blessed and fulfilling – indeed – also a healthy Christmas to you and yours and likewise in 2017.
Nice article Phil. Empathy.
Keep up the good work please
Seasons greetings to you & yours Phil & thanks for your hard work & perseverance in getting to the truth during 2016,I’m sure you’ll be on the ball again next when we’re on our way to 6 in a row & another good wee run in Europe so me & my like can have a few more enjoyable trips away meeting up with fellow tims from all over,hh mo chara
Season’s greetings to you & your family Phil,thanks for all your hard work throughout 2016 & I’m sure you’ll be on the ball again next year as the Bhoys cruise towards 6 in a row & hopefully another few trips away in Europe again for us fans to enjoy,hh mo chara
May you and your family enjoy a happy and peaceful festive holiday, Phil.
Your writings are a beacon of light in a somewhat tenebrous world.
Merry Christmas Phil and family.
As honest as the days are long….long live Phil.
All the best to you Phil, your family, and all your readers. Hail Hail to all
Thank you for all your work this year. Suffered from SAD for years without knowing it. Vitamin D and / or sunbed sessions made a difference for me. Best wishes to you and yours, you are blessed.
Happy Christmas Phil to you & your family & have a guid new year. HH
First, I echo the sentiments of earlier comments and thank you for your essays over the past year.
A couple of weeks ago my sister mentioned that a surgeon with whom she works had done some research into why she was feeling so rundown. The surgeon is originally from northern India and is fit and in her early forties. Her research led her to ask her own GP to check out her Vitamin D levels. The result showed that they weren’t just low but “at the soles of her feet.” After a couple of weeks of treatment, kickstarted by injections, she felt so much better she shared the story with colleagues. One of them, an Icelander, mentioned that supplement provision is standard in Scandinavia and Iceland. Perhaps time for health authorities in the British Isles to follow suit.
Anyway, I’m off to Alicante for four weeks in January. 🙂
Keeping the old traditions alive, eh, Cortes ..?
(See previous post) 😉
Merry Christmas Phil to you and all your family love reading everything you right
Phil, wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2017. Same to Brendan and the Bhoys – here we go 6-in-a-row. Same to all fellow Celtic supporters who frequent this blog – looking forward to visiting Lisboa in May 2017 to celebrate our Club’s greatest achievement. Hail,hail and God bless.
Nollaig mhaith duit a Phil – My Grandmother used to say that the 14th was the shortest evening – Years later I googled it and she was right the evenings are on the turn a week and increasing by a céim choiligh as they say fá Mín na craoibhe agus Mín na bPoll. Lovely seasonal article. Go dtuga dia nollaig mhór mhaith duit féin agus do mhuintir – na Ceiltigh abú
A Mac R
All the best to you and yours,
Myself and a team of mates have booked up for the West Highland Way in April this gives me something to look forward to as each day gets slightly longer by 2 minutes each day. It wont be long before we all see the evenings turn to light and our spirits lifted as the early shoots of spring start showing through the soil.
Reading between the lines Phil you have a problem with Christmas and would rather Christmas was not the reason that so many celebrate this time of the year.
Bigotry takes many forms and i always wonder about those who profess to being a member of the enlightened left and neutral and understanding of humanity as long as no one dares to speak out in a opposite view. Brexit and the Donald Trump election have shown that those left wing loons who squeal about democracy and civil right and free speech, only believe that when everything is going their way. Fascism is alive and well in the form of (dare I say it ) left wing fascism which is every bit as bad as the common form as we know it and what the so called socialists like to shout about everytime someone dares to oppose them.
A Holy and a Merry Christmas and a properous and Healthy New year to everyone
Well here’s a heartwarming item (in French) including a lovely video showing a choir of Shia orphans singing Christmas hymns in a church in Beirut. Tears to a glass eye stuff:
http://claudeelkhal.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/le-liban-cest-ca-aussi-une-chorale.html
I hope Phil knows he has many friends, converts, admirers and supporters on this site…HIS site.
His recognition on the International Blog Awards is total justification and reward for his insight and astute writing over many years.
Phil: we salute you.
And thanks!
All the very best to you and yours, from me and mine Phil, and congratulations on raising a family to be proud of. Best of luck to each and every one of you. Merry Christmas
Nollaig Shona Duit to you and your family, Phil.
Best wishes to you and your family at this time of year.
Your journalism is as outstanding as it is isolated here in Scotland.
Phil; Wish you an your family all the best for the Holiday season and the upcoming year. Thanks for all your output during the year and for what you will bring us in 2017. Cheers!
All the very best to you and yours Phil, have really enjoyed your articles this year and long may they continue, my oldest son is in France with his lovely wife, my sweet daughter is off on a cruise to the West Indies with her boyfriend and my youngest is in Bucharest.
So me and Mrs. T on our own this festive time, alone but not lonely.
God Bless and keep up the good work.
HH
I hope the decision to play the game on Hogmanay doesn’t result in any harm , personally I think it was not thought through , the emergency services are under huge pressure at this time of year as it is , Happy Christmas to all
Lovely article….Just right for this time of year.
Season’s greetings to you and your family Phil, and all followers of Celtic.
The best Club in the world.
Hail hail
Best wishes to you and yours Phil. I hope 2017 bring you everything you wish for.
Thanks for that Phil puts it into perspective. Football is just a game after all. All the best to all the human race, on this planet and all others in the multiverse. Love and light to you all.
Slainthe
Duncan
Lang may yer lum reel, Phil
A very merry Christmas an happy 2017 to you and your family love your work keep going and have a pint Guinness on me
Have a very happy chirstmass
Have a good one Phil. Enjoy the festive period with you and yours!
Hi Phil,
That was a very caring and heartfelt wee read,some real truths in there that we can All take from.Of course,as you so rightly say,there are those who don’t have the comfort and caring of loved ones for whatever reason,and if we personally can help alleviate some of their loneliness and help them through that,well;we should.Realising that very fact is something,that for me anyway,has come as I have matured into the just over fifty mark.I always was a bit slow on the uptake.
Aye the light is increasing,thankfully,although,I wonder if any of that light will make any difference to the problems of our near cross river ‘title contenders’.According to A.Halliday they are in with a shout of doing just that,contesting the title.Maybe Mr.Halliday needs a wee ‘Holiday in the Sun’ too.
Thank you Phil,it has been an interesting year,mainly due to yourself keeping us apprised on all things £1brokes.You investigate,probe and question where others fear to tread,and long may that continue.You never know maybe her maj has you pencilled in on the New Years honours list,although I doubt that you accept anything from her royalness.
Lang May Yir Lumm Reek.HH YNWA.⚽☮⚽HNY.
Seasons greetings Phil, have a good one.
best wishes phil to you and yours from glasgow city
Phil, all the best to you and yours.
Like many, I’ve really enjoyed your output, journalistic endeavour and honesty in a small country that has so many institutional liars.
Look forward to more in 2017.
All the best Phil to you and your Family.
Have enjoyed your work this year.