It turns out December was an incredibly blah month.  Not good or bad, just blah.  I complained back in Challenge #3 about getting snow all through April.  In December, none untid the 31st, and even then just enough to change the color of the ground from brown with dead grass to white with dead grass.  An improvement, but nothing to write home about or go out and shoot.

So, shooting in December was a challenge (pun intended).

To start off, some Chanukah shots.  I thought my little baby gargoyle would add some fun to otherwise kinda ordinary shots, which is why it's perched at the top and bottom.

For these next two, I wanted to show the interesting patterns and textures left by the melted candle wax.

I play pub trivia every Wednesday with some friends.  This is Molly, the trivia mistress, on the night of holiday trivia.  She gave extra points for people who showed up in holiday dress.  The closest I could come is a green shirt.

Every year, my brother and sister-in-law bake cookies for the holidays and give them out to friends and family.  During the year they practice new recipes.  Here's this year's assortment. [side note: All this baking led them put publish a cookie cookbook.  If you enjoy baking, check it out at https://www.heritagecookies.net/]

Since it's December, holiday lights are a must.  Here are a couple of houses near met (and note how the neighbors get into the act in the second photo).

I have very geeky friends.  My friends Dave and Mary invited me over for a holiday meal.  Here's a small sample of how they decorate their tree.

Finally, one thing I knew I wanted to capture was a nice roaring fire.  It is endlessly fascinating and mesmerizing.