For Christmas Eve I thought I would share another picture from the before time. This is of Rice Park in downtown St. Paul. It was taken in November of 2011 before the snow arrived and as I recall we had a lot of snow that year.
The park was remodeled in 2018 and has fewer trees. The large tree was brought in for the holidays and we will probably see it again in 2021.
Merry Christmas.
A snowless first day of winter is uncommon in these parts but it has been an uncommon year. We may end up with a brown Christmas.
During the winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere has its shortest day and longest night of the year. Here in the bold north, there are less than 9 hours between sunrise and sunset. By Christmas, the days will be 14 seconds longer, but still very short.
The picture is from the before time, which was before the pandemic of course. It was taken in December 8 years ago. We were coming out of the recession and it was one of the merrier holiday seasons as I remember it.
It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. Most everyone has heard of old St. Nick, but his half-demon, half-goat, devilish companion, Krampus is less well know. Krampus punishes naughty children. Personally, I have never believed in punishing naughty children, but it isn’t my call. I would think just seeing one of these things would scare the naughty out of most children.
I took the picture at this year’s Saint Paul Winter Carnival Grand day parade at the corner of West 7th and Grand Avenue. That of course was during the before time that now seems so long ago.
They are so very photogenic.
This year’s annual lighting of the Rice Park tree is going to be a virtual event. I’ll do my best to get my annual picture of the lights this weekend early in the morning when it is absolutely crowd-free.
The lighting of the tree at the Union Depot will be on Friday, December 4th and it will involve video. I should be able to get a few shots of that tree too.
No this isn’t the new normal it is the 2020 holiday season normal.
Many local businesses started offering outdoor dining. In the pictures, the street is blocked off. The tables are set up far apart and we have outdoor dining. The season for dining out in the street is pretty short in Minnesota. Let this serve as your reminder to support local small businesses and take advantage of outdoor dining while you can.
There are several restaurants and taprooms in the area that are open with outdoor seating using parts of parking lots and sidewalks.
When there isn’t a protest going on the grounds at the State Capitol building are one of the quietest and most peaceful places around.
