December’s name has its origins from the Latin name decem, meaning ten, because it was originally the tenth month in the Roman calendar.

December on the whole is almost completely overwhelmed by different holiday customs and traditions, with little focus on anything else. There are many different religious holidays throughout December. The first week of Advent begins on Sunday, December 3, and December 7 marks the beginning of Hanukkah, with its eight day Festival of Lights. December 8 is Bodhi Day in the Buddhist calendar, celebrating Buddha’s enlightenment.

St. Lucia Day falls on December 13 which has also long been associated with festivals of light. A woman named Lucia, which means light, was born to a noble and prosperous family. Lucia’s father died when she was young and she was raised by her mother in the Christian tradition. Lucia’s mother became ill and Lucia promised God that if her mother was healed, she vowed to remain unmarried and devote her life to God. Lucia’s mother was healed. Lucia convinced her mother to give her inheritance, which would have been her dowry, to the poor. Lucia’s suitor was furious, not only had he lost beautiful Lucia, but her generous dowry as well. The suitor reported Lucia to the government as being a witch and helping the Christians. Lucia was called before a judge, and was killed because she refused to denounce the Christian faith. Lucia was one of the earliest Christian martyrs, St. Lucia was killed by the Romans in 304 CE. According to Swedish legend, after Lucia’s death a ship carrying a maiden “clothed in white and crowned with light” appeared during great famine. St. Lucia distributed food and clothing to the needy, thus endearing herself to the Swedish people. In Sweden, Lucia symbolizes the end of the long winter nights and the return of light to the world.

December 28 has been considered to be the unluckiest day of the Christian calendar for thousands of years. At one time, the day known as The Feast of the Holy Innocents was considered cursed. The origins of this superstition lie in the story of Jesus Christ. It was on this day that King Herod ordered that all baby boys be put to death in an attempt to kill Jesus Christ. Until the seventeenth century, it was believed that ritually beating a child with a stick on December 28, brought the beater good luck and reminded the child of both King Herod’s viciousness and the suffering of Jesus. Catholics still observe December 28 with prayers and readings referencing King Herod’s slaughter of babies.

There are four birth stones for the month of December, all four are blue in color. Blue gem stones are considered very spiritual as they represent both the color of the heavens and life-giving water. Blue stones in general are thought to provide vitality both physically and emotionally. Turquoise is the traditional birth stone of December. Turquoise is believed to symbolize prosperity, love, and good fortune. Blue Zircon is thought to ward off evil spirits, aid sleep, and enhance the wearer’s intuition. It also possesses a protective aura. Tanzanite is a transformative gemstone that facilitates inner calm and stimulates psychic abilities. Blue topaz is believed to help relieve stress, soothe sore throats, and body aches and pains.

On December 30, 1803, the United States essentially doubled in size when it formally took control of Louisiana. The U.S. acquired the territory of Louisiana, some 885,000 square miles from France through the Louisiana Purchase costing the U.S. government 15 million dollars.

December’s flower is the Narcissus. The fragrant narcissus usually blooms in spring, the paperwhite species blooms in winter. Narcissus means hope and joy.

Those born in December, the final fire sign of the zodiac, Sagittarius are unlike any other sign, they are totally unique. Sagittarians are faithful, intelligent, forceful, and sympathetic. They are one-of-a-kind, gifted, and wise beyond their years. Freedom is one of the most obvious attributes of a Sagittarius. More than any other sign, a Sagittarius values independence and the ability to do what they want, when they want, above all else. Those born under the sign of Sagittarius are among the most imaginative people on the globe. They are known for their emotional intelligence which helps them connect with others. Sagittarius’ ruling planet is Jupiter , the planet of abundance. Jupiter is all about excess, it expands anything it touches. Sagittarius are natural leaders, they are fun, playful, and extremely philosophical.

For millennia, Full Moons have wielded a magnetic charm that has seized human hearts and minds. Across diverse cultures and eras, this consistent monthly event has been the inspiration behind innumerable myths, tales, and traditions. December’s full Moon on Tuesday, December 26 is called the Cold Moon, a Mohawk name that conveys the frigid conditions this time of year. The moon will appear high and full on Christmas Day. It is the first full Moon after the solstice and it will be above the horizon for longer than most full Moons.

Kate Emery General is a retired chef/restaurant owner that was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. Kate loves her grandchildren, knitting and watercolor painting. Kate and her husband , Matt are longtime residents of Cambridge’s West End where they enjoy swimming and bicycling.

Even under less than ideal weather conditions, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum bravely opened the doors to their new Welcome Center on Saturday. The 12,000-square-foot, fully ADA-accessible building overlooking Fogg’s Cove was designed to provide guests with a warm welcome to campus with three exhibition spaces, reception area, restrooms, and the new Museum Store.

During the Grand Opening ceremony, CBMM staff and friends commemorated the years-in-the-making project, recognize all who have made it possible, and officially open the Welcome Center.

Afterward, guests are invited to explore the new building while also getting a taste of “Winter on the Chesapeake” through themed activities led by CBMM staff and community partners.

Spy special agent 86 was there to capture surveillance material.

This video is approximately one minute in length. 

The corner of Cross and High Streets was commonly referred to as “Bordley’s Corner,” due to the gentlemen’s goods and clothing store operated by Thomas S. Bordley, which operated from 1877 to 1950. The building now houses the Historical Society of Kent County. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.

Please join the Historical Society of Kent County here.

Gordan, as he preferred to be called, was described as a ‘very, very capable architect with a great deal of talent’ by Lucius White, a close architect friend, at his funeral. The statement tugged at my curiosity and prompted a deeper look. What I found was completely unexpected and is certainly germane to the current community-wide discussion regarding the fate of his 1931 armory.

Born in 1877 to a working class family in Baltimore, his foray into the field of architecture started in 1897 as a draftsman, a common path back then to become an architect. It was shared by many, including an aspiring talent named Frank Lloyd Wright, a draftsman in the Chicago office of architect Louis Sullivan. Gordan’s most notable employer was Baltimore’s leading architect Joseph Evans Sperry. His talents were readily obvious as he rose quickly and at age 32 was charged with designing the now defunct Emerson Hotel, described as Baltimore’s most popular hotel, a 17 story structure on a busy downtown corner mimicking the famous Plaza Hotel in New York City. It is therefore not surprising that American Art Annual magazine in 1924 deemed him as ‘Who’s Who in Architecture’. 

While at the office of Howard Still in 1906, he was the apprentice charged with designing a studio building for Hans Schuler, the famous award-winning ‘Monument Sculptor’ whose works grace Baltimore and Washington, DC. The association and collaboration of the two men was forged and Hans hired Gordon to design a residential addition to the studio after opening his architectural office in 1916. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and currently houses the Schuler School of Fine Arts.

Mr. White further described Gordan as ‘as an especially  good planner’. Land planning as a design discipline was emerging at the beginning of the 20th century being led by the much sought after Olmsted Brothers company, sons of the famous landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted. The brothers were hired by the Roland Park Company of Baltimore to plan a 500 acre parcel north of the city for the second planned residential community in the nation. Interestingly, Roland Park had hired Gordon to design prestigious residences in this new development and undoubtedly his interest and understanding of land planning was furthered by association with the Olmsted’s and their creation of Roland Park. As a talent with confidence and a fast learner, it appears likely that Gordon would capitalize on such opportunities to expand his creative horizons.

In nearby Catonsville, he designed the Georgian influenced Catonsville Presbyterian Church where his ability to successfully design large spaces is quite evident by the handling of its voluminous fellowship hall. Attention to natural light, proportion, scale and detail transformed the space to the level of a spiritual experience. Perhaps the best endorsement of the building is that Gordon made it his place of worship for the rest of his life.

Undoubtedly, the most relevant work relating to the Chestertown Armory was his competition winning design for a memorial to President James Buchanan at Merdian Hill in Northwest Washington, DC. The memorial was dedicated by President Herbert Hoover in 1930. The design was a fresh departure from the heavy and classically influenced monuments found in the city. In contrast, the design was distinguished by its overall lightness and simplicity featuring unadorned horizontal stone panels with clean and crisp lines, carefully planned minimalist details and a pleasing composition that features three sculptures by his friend and collaborator, Hans Schuler. The same disciplined design theme was to soon manifest as a building of stature on the waterfront of the Chester River in 1931. 

The list of noteworthy works designed by Gordon Beecher either on his own or under the employment of others is significant, including the Mechanical and Engineering building for Johns Hopkins University, the Baltimore Motor Vehicle Commission building, the Baltimore Courthouse, World War I monuments for both Calvert and Prince Georges Counties, planned residential communities and stately custom residences at Roland Park.

Additionally, he was an early voice for preservation positioning him way ahead of the movement. He was quoted as saying ‘I think that many of the picturesque by-ways of the older parts of the city are worth preserving, especially as they are fast disappearing’, and added, ‘I would like to see the old scenes preserved before it’s too late’. He became a member of the American Institute of Architects, the Maryland Historic Society and also taught at the Maryland Institute School of Architecture.

In 1957, a publication by the American Institute of Architects titled the Century of Baltimore Architecture included Gordon Beecher for his contributions in shaping the built environment of the city.

Gordon Beecher passed in 1963 at the age of 85. It is not a stretch to proclaim that Chestertown’s Historic District is very fortunate to have a building designed by the hand and vision of William Gordon Beecher. The armory is the only nationally registered 20th century building in town from this era. Designed during the crippling Great Depression and as the country was preparing a war footing, the disciplined design symbolizes a sign post from a tumultuous period in the journey of a nation.

The story will continue in Part 2 – ‘The Architect and His Armory’, with highlights and insights into the design of the Chestertown Armory. Stay tuned.

Thomas Kocubinski is the principal architect at Kocubinski Architects.

It was my first sleepover in sixth grade and I had an epiphany, my family’s diet wasn’t normal, we ate a lot of mushrooms and olives. Spaghetti was served for dinner by my friend, Karen’s, mom. It was a simple red sauce and spaghetti noodles, no chunks of tomato, no olives, onions, or mushrooms. There wasn’t any garlic bread or salad… and I loved it.

At Karen’s house I came to learn the joy of Campbell’s tomato soup, powdered chicken noodle soup, and Kraft macaroni and cheese. I felt as if I had finally come home, I didn’t have to carefully maneuver my fork through the battlefield of veggies in the food like at my house. I delighted in the bland, season-less dishes, not a bay leaf, sprig of rosemary, or clove of garlic in sight.

Eventually I came to appreciate my Dad’s love of cooking everything from scratch, especially the vegetables. For Christmas when I was fifteen, I asked for a copy of Julia Child’s Joy of Cooking. My Dad and I made omelets and Coq au Vin using Julia’s recipes. Some of my happiest memories are the times spent with my Dad in the kitchen, he was in his element. His attention to aesthetics was incomparable, he would deftly place a rosemary sprig on top of a fish filet being poached.

The kitchen was his domain, rows of herbs in bottles on the wall, copper pans hanging over the stove, drawers full of knives, slotted spoons, and whisks. Our kitchen on the weekend always smelled of bacon, nutmeg, and cinnamon in the morning and sautéed onions and garlic with rosemary and sage in the afternoon. Without knowing, my Dad cooked his post traumatic stress from World War Two away, standing over pans of sautéed herbs was his mood enhancer. Studies have shown that incorporating herbs into your diet is a simple way to boost your mood and support your mental health.

Rosemary has quite an interesting and varied history; from witches and fairies to weddings and burials – this herb is truly a story full of folklore. Many of the historical references and legends surrounding rosemary have grown vague with time.

Rosemary enhances spiritual connection and intuition. It also signifies love and remembrance. According to data gathered by PubMed, rosemary has positive effects on mood, learning, memory, pain, anxiety, and sleep. Greek scholars were known to twine rosemary in their hair when studying for exams in the hope of aiding their memories. In Spain, rosemary was used as protection against witchcraft and menaces on the road. One legend says that the rosemary plant can grow to six feet in thirty three years, the height and life of Jesus Christ.

Rosemary was as popular a Christmas plant as mistletoe and holly until the twentieth century. It’s making a big comeback this year for the holidays, you will find rosemary topiaries and wreaths at garden centers. The attractive foliage makes rosemary a wonderful holiday plant to give and grow. Folklore says that if you smell rosemary on Christmas Eve, you’ll have good luck in the coming year.

Mushrooms hold a prominent place in my culinary life. Cream of mushroom soup, spinach-mushroom soufflé, mushroom gravy, and sour cream-mushroom casserole were in my childhood weekly dinner rotation along with mushrooms in pastas and curries. In my vegetarian life, Lion’s Mane mushrooms have replaced steak, marinated and roasted to its “meaty’ perfection, served with potatoes and asparagus.

In ancient Egypt, mushrooms were a delicacy reserved for the highest royalty. They were often associated with immortality and buried with the pharaoh upon death to support his reign in the afterlife. Mushrooms have a long and fascinating history in folklore and mythology. Often seen as mysterious due to their magical overnight growth, mushrooms play significant roles in the stories and beliefs of various cultures worldwide.

Mushrooms are a common decoration at Christmas time because that is the time of the year that they are foraged in the wild. Known in German as the gluckspilz ( which literally means “lucky mushroom”), the red and white speckled fungi grow deep in the forest. This specific mushroom can only grow beneath certain types of trees, which happen to be those we generally think of as Christmas trees. Besides being found at the base of pine trees, this mushroom is the favorite food of reindeer. Reindeer herders use the mushrooms as treats to keep the herd together and avoid losing any strays.

Originally, the figure of Santa Claus came from Nordic countries. In this region, Arctic shamans doled out psychedelic mushrooms as part of their solstice celebrations. These shamans dressed in red wool clothing with white flecks of fur, similar to Amanita mushrooms. People enjoyed a magical experience and communed with nature on the night of the solstice. Just like Santa enters homes through the chimney, Arctic shamans entered snow-blocked homes through an opening in the roof.

Nordic shamans had a deep connection with reindeer, they were recognized as the spirit animals for the shamans. Under the influence of magic mushrooms, it’s easy to see how someone could hallucinate flying reindeer beneath a beautiful night sky in December.

Chinese medicine has long prized medicinal mushrooms like reishi for their ability to boost immune function. A USDA study in 2021 looked at common white button mushrooms, which were shown to also enhance the activity of critical cells in the body’s immune system. If there’s a multi-purpose medicine cupboard substance on this planet, it may be the mighty mushroom. The benefits of mushrooms read like a checklist for optimal health from boosting immunity to reducing stress.

There are so many varieties of mushrooms to choose from, all with different textures and profiles. Try a few and test out your culinary skills to reap the numerous benefits of these powerful nutrient sources.

Kate Emery General is a retired chef/restaurant owner that was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. Kate loves her grandchildren, knitting and watercolor painting. Kate and her husband , Matt are longtime residents of Cambridge’s West End where they enjoy swimming and bicycling.