Christmas is not the same everywhere, and isn't that a good thing?

Every December when I was a young girl, the phone company set up a special phone number that we could call to hear Santa speaking from various countries. He'd tell us about Christmas traditions in those places and of course wish us a Merry Christmas. I'd then get out my globe and imagine what it might be like to celebrate Christmas around the world.

This episode is from me, not Santa, but it's my way of saying happy holidays to you by sharing a few Christmastime traditions from various countries.

See also: The Caganer nativity tale: a pooping figure in Catalan Christmas culture Japan's bizarre Christmas tradition: eating KFC (here's why)

Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Wow, pink and purple skies! I hope you've had a chance to see it this week, or at least sometime in the past or future. Let's talk about these magnificent lights.

A few resources:

What causes the northern lights?

Northern lights: what they are and how to see them

10 awesome aurora facts (from the Australian government)

Fire in the sky: the southern lights in Indigenous oral traditions

Hubble captures vivid auroras in Jupiter's atmosphere (NASA)

Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

What's something you often yearn for but then sometimes wish would leave you alone? That could be the sun. But our friendly closest star is much more than that bright circle in the sky we mainly think about when it's not visible and we're cold. It's one of the few things that are absolutely vital to life on Earth. So let's focus on the sun, without looking directly at it, of course.

A few resources:

Sun (Wikipedia)

Sun vs. atomic bomb (YouTube)

6 ancient sites aligned with the solstice and the equinox

The Light Eaters book by Zoë Schlanger

Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization by Bill McKibben

Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

You probably use a fork every day, yet you never think much about this multi-pronged utensil, do you? That may change after you hear this, and you might find yourself getting curious about other everyday things in your home as well. Why not? Everything has interesting stories, and connecting to things like forks helps us feel more connected to this complex and seemingly disjointed world. A few resources: How the simple fork almost tore apart the fabric of society (National Geographic)

A history of Western eating utensils, from the scandalous fork to the incredible spork (Smithsonian)

The rise of the fork (Slate)

Origins of the common fork (Leite's Culinaria)

Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Butterflies are incredible in so many ways! Their beauty alone is good enough reason to admire them, but there's so much more. Reacquaint yourself with their magic.

Butterflies: masters of disguise

Migration and overwintering (monarchs)

What happens inside a chrysalis? (sorry, I can only find this on one Facebook)

Monarch butterfly metamorphosis time-lapse (YouTube)

Monarch butterfly life cycle (YouTube)

Butterfly Conservation (UK-based butterfly and moth charity)

Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Cover image of butterfly from Pixabay (artist: Trek_Jason https://pixabay.com/photos/butterfly-wings-insect-eye-plant-7949342)

Almost everyone loves hearing birds sing! Even if you rarely pay attention to the birds singing around you, you'd miss them if they stopped and might even feel more depressed. So start listening for the birds in your area, and listen here to learn some of the wonders of how and why they sing.

A few resources:

What is a songbird, exactly?

5 fascinating facts about birdsong

The development of birdsong

Which birds are the best mimics?

Listening to birds sing really does soothe your brain. Here's why.

American robin sound effect from Pixabay

Crow sound clip from BBC Sound Effects, recordists: Nigel Tucker and David Tombs, 22 April 1988

Brown thrasher sound clip from Wikipedia (Creative Commons license)

Blackbird sound clip from BBC Sound Effects, recordist: Eric Simms, 1 May 1961

Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

One of my favorite childhood summertime memories is watching fireflies in the evenings. After many firefly-free years, I got to see them again last weekend. Discover why they're so cool and how they do what they do.

A few resources for your enjoyment:

Fireflies: how and why they light up

Insider Science: what's behind the firefly's glow? (YouTube)

Watch: fireflies glowing in sync to attract mates (YouTube)

Stunning fossil trapped in amber reveals previously unknown species that lived during the time of dinosaurs (CNN)

Let it glow: fireflies illuminating Japanese woodlands — in pictures (The Guardian)

Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Do you know any pigeon-haters, or pigeon-phobes? Pigeons are actually such interesting birds, and they mean us no harm at all. Bring some wonder into your next city or suburban outing, and maybe you'll see pigeons in a new light.

(Not my best-quality audio, I'm afraid, but this will have to do because I've already recorded it twice!)

A few resources:

Are pigeons as smart as primates? You can count on it.

The human relationship with pigeons: forgotten war heroes

Humans domesticated pigeons, then abandoned them. Is it time for a reappraisal?

Pigeon audio clip: BBC Sound Effects

Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0