Custom Content Challenge: December 2014: Winter Holidays

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

This might seem a little left field but

 

 

Stonehenge winter solstice celebrations.

 

TR

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rjshae]

               

Meanwhile, in Australia....

 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

Ah but you forget, this is Winter holidays, forget the date. Skis anyone?

 

TR

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               

Thankfully Australian independence day is the middle of the summer, January 1st!

 

 

(a 4th of July in Australia is a great ski day)

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Pstemarie]

               

Egads! How can ye'all ferget dis guy...

 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               

New Years Ball?

 

 

(Fireworks, Champagne and Party Favors?)

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

Couple of other UK (Scottish to be precise) winter Festivals. First there is Uphelia wherein the people of the Shetland Isles celebrate their Viking heritage on the Last Tuesday in January.

 

 

Then of course there is hogmanay the Scottish New Year celebrations.

 

TR

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               

As generic Clan of the Cave Bear/Reindeer Moon Neolithic Paganism: 

 

 

Midwinter aka Winter Solstice (an important time for all star-mapping+ era (25k-15k BC) civilizations) = longest night of the year, the time once passed celebrations were held, as the time reserved for the opening the 2nd half of winter stores. (Assumedly included gift giving during food festivals?)

 

 

It also represented the start of longer days and shorter nights, a time to begin hunting again as spring animals became more active. (Black Friday?)

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

OK, onto concrete suggestions now. How about

• Ceremonial Druid's Winter staff(s) with evergreen plants (holly, ivy, fir tree branches etc.) wrapped around it (see picture featuring a snow covered Stonehenge above)


• Good planar beings of cold aka Snow Angels


• Coloured snow (other than a certain shade of yellow). This actually occurs in nature caused by extremophile creatures


• Decorative lanterns in strings or singly


• Party hats etc.


• Special signs for inns, shops etc.


• Lantern on a pole as seen on Christmas cards depicting Victorian carol singers


• Exploding Christmas puddings


• Large bonfire (e.g. taller than the PC) both lit and unlit


• Special drinking glasses, punch bowls etc

There is a faintly vague possibility that I may try re-skinning one or two statues to turn them into ice sculptures - depends how hard it is to do.

 

TR

 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_ia.Pepper]

               

OK, onto concrete suggestions now. How about

• Ceremonial Druid's Winter staff(s) with evergreen plants (holly, ivy, fir tree branches etc.) wrapped around it (see picture featuring a snow covered Stonehenge above)


• Good planar beings of cold aka Snow Angels


• Coloured snow (other than a certain shade of yellow). This actually occurs in nature caused by extremophile creatures


• Decorative lanterns in strings or singly


• Party hats etc.


• Special signs for inns, shops etc.


• Lantern on a pole as seen on Christmas cards depicting Victorian carol singers


• Exploding Christmas puddings


• Large bonfire (e.g. taller than the PC) both lit and unlit


• Special drinking glasses, punch bowls etc

There is a faintly vague possibility that I may try re-skinning one or two statues to turn them into ice sculptures - depends how hard it is to do.

 

TR

 

 

Can we/I see a picture of that colored snow? I have never heard of that, but I have seen snow in my area turning slight shades of blue, purple, and even green, in layers. It's quite an odd sight, and typically only happens in glaciers that have been exposed. Saw it one year, was very pretty, but very unpleasant at the same time. Because no matter how colorful the snow had gotten, it was still 3 feet of glacier snow.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shemsu-Heru]

               

What about "the Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen:

 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

@ia.Pepper Google images for "algae coloured snow". It is also known as watermelon snow. Also, remember that just because the range of colours (pink, red, purple & green) appears limited in nature that doesn't mean that any such colouring in NwN has to be so limited.

 

TR

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_ia.Pepper]

               

  That's really cool, actually! And of course, NWN can be more fantastical than normal, always! I am not sure why the snow in my area was turning different colors in the bottom layers, but it was pretty. Not nearly as vibrant as that watermelon snow though! '>  I have always been a fan of blue, pink, and purple environments that appear lot more fantastical than even the beauty of nature as we have it. I would love to see a snowy environment that takes from watermelon snow though as inspiration.

 

  I won't be making any such things myself, probably won't even be touching this challenge. I can't say it peaks my interest greatly topic wise, unfortunately! If I did do anything, I would probably make something silly anyways, like a carnivorous candy cane.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rjshae]

               

I won't be making any such things myself, probably won't even be touching this challenge. I can't say it peaks my interest greatly topic wise, unfortunately! If I did do anything, I would probably make something silly anyways, like a carnivorous candy cane.

 

Why not? It could always be used in some mad wizard's dreamscape adventure...

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

(With apologies to a certain fictitious Mr. Gecko) Silly is good (Bomb Beasts anyone), the trick is to take it seriously. Animated candy cane weapons sound good. Go for it.

 

Oh and I forgot to mention that due to a sulphur rich spring, located on a glacier in the Borup Fiord Pass on Ellesmere Island, makes the snow there a different shade of yellow ->

 

 

TR