Alert: Be aware Super Bowl 2015 falls on February 1st, so plan ahead

Wintertyders, be aware that a cluster of Wintertyde holidays fall at the very beginning of February! Celebrate Saint Brigit's Day on Super Bowl Sunday, February 1st. An option is to schedule your Saint Brigit's events for February 2nd. However, be aware that February 2nd is also Candlemas and Ground Hog Day. We will celebrate Super Bowl Sunday on February 1st. Saint Brigit's Day will be celebrated on February 2nd. It works well with Candlemas and the groundhog. All this excitement in 48 hours! However, note that February 1st is the start of Spring on the agricultural not astronomical calendar. Hence, the 2 days deserve lots of celebration and fun.

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/49

All about Saint Brigit and her day, February 1st

As we said before, we're posting all information necessary for your celebrating a spectacular Wintertyde 2015. Saint Brigit's Day falls on February 1st, the first Wintertyde holiday after Wintertyde's Day, January 7th, so be prepared. Saint Brigit's crosses in order for wreaths and tree. Irish stew recipe Green beer if you can locate it Celtic music all day Additional Irish culinary items http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigit_of_Kildare A quick note on pronunciation: Brigit is "breet." However, as everyone will also say "bridgit,: both are acceptable.

Purchase your Wintertyde decor before the Christmas rush

Halloween is fast-approaching, and basically, "It's Christmas" once the 31st has passed. We recommend that you have all your Wintertyde ducks in a row before the holiday season gets really busy. This means to select the decorative items for your Wintertyde wreaths, both exterior and interior, as well as for your tabletop Wintertyde tree. A good reason for all this advance planning is that you want to segue seamlessly from the end of Christmas and New Year's directly into Wintertyde on January 6th and 7th. Planning ahead for this change minimizes the risk for "Winter blues" to set in as you and your family will have a whole mini-season to celebrate Winter and its holidays! Silver snowflake ornaments are readily available for all your Wintertyde decorating wants. Check Amazon for ideas: Search "snowflakes" www.amazon.com Also, check Etsy and eBay for handmade artisan items!

Saint Brigit's Day February 1st gets a shamrock

Wintertyders will be adding their Saint Brigit's cross to their Wintertyde wreath and tree on January 19th to give the holiday lead-in time. Recall that Saint Brigit is a patron saint of the Irish along with Patrick, but there are differences. For example as a woman she has been marginalized for centuries. Also, she's actually Irish;Saint Patrick is English. The point being to add a bright Kelly green shamrock to your tree and wreath along with the cross.

Your Wintertyde Saint Brigit's crosses go up on Saturday January 17th, 2015

We found a good source for ready-made, rush crosses here: www.irishongrand.com

These crosses are made of traditional rush, come nicely packaged, and are not over-priced. Get one for your exterior Wintertyde wreath and one for your interior Wintertyde tabletop tree. Saint Brigit's day falls on February 1st in an incredibly action-packed week, so start early. Have them in place by January 17th for the lead-up.

"How to celebrate Wintertyde Eve"

We've decided to unpack each of the Wintertyde holidays to give wintertyders a general idea of how to celebrate each one. We will begin with Wintertyde Eve, January 6th. Plan your celebration for 6PM and later. Now then, Wintertyde Eve is a good time to swap out your Christmas wreath for your Wintertyde wreath. If you have already removed your door wreath, then you'll enjoy having that oh so empty space filled for the duration of Winter. We've already told you the protocol for the Wintertyde wreath. Have yours ready for the door by January 6th. First, attach a short set of clear mini or LED lights around the door frame. Use a small amount of light. You're not competing with Christmas. In Wintertyde "Less is more." OK, once the lights are up and working, pull out some family members to participate in the hanging of the Wintertyde wreath. OK, you're done with the exterior display. Indoors, Wintertyde Eve is a good time to set up and decorate your table top tree, ideally already lit, snowy, and white. If not pre-lighted, work through it a small strand of clear or LED lights. Next, cover the base in some sort of snowy, cottonlike material. Now you are ready to decorate. Attach your Wintertyde chickadee to the top of your tree. Next, begin hanging your decorative snowflakes. Glass icicles are an appropriate accent. Have one special snowflake that is for that particular year. All set! Meantime, during the indoor festivities, drink a good prosecco, and serve it with camembert, crackers, and nuts such as almonds or pecans.

Espumante Prosecco Visconti Della Rocca DOC Courtesy www.todovino.com.br Have fun!

Buy your Wintertyde wreath decorations now

We went shopping today for Wintertyde wreath accessories and spent a whopping $7.50. Michael's Ats and Crafts store have their Christmas decorative items displayed for sale. Shopping before Halloween provides the best selection, especially for silver and white items. We got silvered holly with mirrored berries for the 5 o'clock spot on the wreath, which is the principal one. Then snow covered fir, all identical for the 7'oclock, 11 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions. This provides balance. We'll be using the grapevine wreath as protocol calls for, wrapped in some type of silvery ribbon about 2" wide. Accent with a bit of dried flowered seed heads from grasses and native plants. We keep it simple. The Wintertyde wreath takes no bow. Once Christmas and New Year's are over, you'll be thrilled to have Wintertyde to look forward to not 3 months of gloomy gray and cold. Prep now for January 7th! www.michaels.com

It's OK to use conifers in the Wintertyde wreath...sparingly. Your final wreath should not say "Christmas."

Metal snowflake candle holder is perfect for the Wintertyde season

Here's a handsome, metal snowflake candle holder that's handmade and filled with rustic charm! Perfect for your Wintertyde decoration. "Your winter scented candles will shine bright through this beautiful snowflake! It's made from 16 gauge steel and powder coated white like bright snow! The snowflake measures 6x6 inches and has a 4.5 inch base for candles! Get yours for this holiday season!"

Handmade by TripleJSpecialties in York, Pennsylvania also www.etsy.com

Book about the Wintertyde bird: the black-capped chickadee

Wild Bird Guide: Black-Capped Chickadee (Wild Bird Guides)