HOOK

HOOK 9 Facing page: Watercolor Pain4ng by Ellen Hopkins Fountain. www.ellenhopkinsfountain.com. Right: Photograph by Irene Vejar. At Return to Free- dom, Wild Horse Conserva4on.@returntofreedom There I was, 7 years old and dreaming of horses, when I received the holiday gi% I'll never forget. A bright green box with a real red sa4n bow—and in- side was my very own Album of Horses, the classic picture book I s4ll turn to even today. Every year, when all along the Hudson, stores, homes, and town centers begin wearing green and red wreathes and twinkling lights, it takes me back to the thrill of re- ceiving that green and red package. How did green and red become the universal col- ors of the winter holidays in the first place? It goes back to ancient peoples celebra4ng the Winter Sol- s4ce, the shortest day of the year, a%er which days grow longer un4l Spring turns nature green again as more hours of sun warm the earth. Green symbol- ized the coming harvests, and red, the embers of the bonfires marking the winter fes4vals. Cultures around the world had holiday feasts, with fire and lights—even Stone Age monuments focused their most drama4c ligh4ng effects on the Sols4ce sky. Here in the Hudson Valley, Winter Sols4ce this year will be Sunday, December 21, 10:08 am, when we are 4lted the farthest away from the sun; then over the next six months, we'll gradually 4lt closer, creat- ing nature's rebirth and return of light. You'll find sprigs of green holly with red berries re- placing our summer daisies in décor throughout the holiday season, but it's not just in our region. Holly grows nearly all over the world, except in polar re- gions like Antarc4ca and deserts like the Sahara, so the holly plant has become the unofficial "official By Sheila Hollihan-Elliot Wrapped In Color

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