December arrives with the gloomy warning: hunker down, it will be a long cold one! Some people escape to warmer climates, but even if I sprouted snowbird wings I wouldn’t leave. Would then returning from climates that nurture stunning tropical flowers, not demean our paltry pansies? How could I then rejoice in the emergence of cheerful hyacinths? What joy would our shy little forget-me-nots bring? How would I revel in those chartreuse halos, the promise of leaves that April bestows on trees? How would I appreciate the lavish colours of tulips in May and celebrate the blossoming of cherry trees?