This month at QT Bird
December
rest and reflect
December is the long, quiet hush of the year. Snow settles on the evergreens, the cardinals glow red against it, and the feeder is the busiest spot in the yard. Indoors, the amaryllis buds swell on the windowsill and the kitchen fills with cookies, cocoa, and gifts made by hand. It’s a month to slow down, gather close, and look back on the year.
- Nature’s calendar
- At the feeder
- Indoor blooms
- The cookie tray
- A December supper
- Gifts from the kitchen
- Make it
- Books
- Sayings and Signs
Phenology
Nature’s calendar
What to watch for as winter settles in. Timing shifts with where you live, so the North runs a little ahead and the South a little behind.
Early December
- American tree sparrows, with their rusty caps, come down from the far North to scratch under the feeder.
- Snow covers the ground for good in the North, and tracks show who visited the yard overnight.
- Winterberry holly and crabapples hold their fruit, a feast for robins and waxwings that stay the winter.
- Squirrels tuck into leafy nests high in the oaks.
Mid-December
- The Christmas Bird Count begins on the 14th, and volunteers across the country count every bird they see.
- Chickadees hide seeds in bark and remember where they put them.
- Ponds freeze over, and open water becomes precious for birds.
- Wild turkeys gather in big flocks and roam the edges of fields.
Late December
- The winter solstice on the 21st brings the longest night of the year. From here, the days grow longer.
- Great horned owls call back and forth on cold, still nights.
- Some bucks begin to drop their antlers.
- Christmas cactus opens its blooms on the windowsill.
At the feeder
Keep the feeders full
On the coldest days, a full feeder can make all the difference to a small bird. Suet, black oil sunflower seed, and peanuts give them the fat and energy they need to get through long, freezing nights. Here are the best foods to feed birds in winter.
Open water is just as important once the ponds freeze, so a heated birdbath is a gift they’ll use every day. And if you’d like to help the birds count, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count runs from December 14 to January 5. Volunteers in each area count every bird they see on one day, and if you live inside a count circle, you can even count from your own feeder. Here’s how to join the Christmas Bird Count.
At your feeder this month
Indoor blooms
Holiday flowers
Outside the garden sleeps under snow, but the windowsill is in full color. These are the plants that carry us through the holidays.
Amaryllis
Bulbs potted in November are sending up their buds now. Turn the pot a little every day so the stalk grows straight. Want to keep it for next year? Here’s how.
Paperwhites
Start a new pot every week or two for flowers all winter. Our bulb forcing guide shows the pebble and soil methods.
Christmas cactus
Once the buds form, keep it in one spot. Moving it or a sudden draft can make the buds drop.
Poinsettia
Keep it in bright light, away from drafts and heat vents. It’s not the deadly plant people think, but the sap can upset pets’ stomachs, so keep it out of reach.
From the oven
The cookie tray
National Cookie Day is December 4, and it’s the perfect excuse to start the holiday baking. A few batches now, and the tray is ready for company.
A December supper
Soup and rolls on a snowy night
simple and warm
- MainDreaming of a White Christmas Soup
- On the sideHot Roll Mix
- DessertEggnog Pudding
Holiday leftovers? Here’s how to turn leftovers into new meals.
In season
At the market this month
Gifts from the kitchen
Made with love
A jar of something homemade, tied with a ribbon and a handwritten tag, is the kind of gift people remember.
Gifts in a jar
How to layer, seal, and tag them, with 10 favorites to start. Gifts in a Jar, or browse all the Homemade Mixes & Jar Gifts.
Warm mugs
Cocoa and spiced cider mixes for cold nights. Try the Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix or the Wassail Mix.
A house that smells like Christmas
Fill a pot with spices and let it simmer. The Gingerbread Simmer Pot makes a sweet hostess gift too.
Make it
Reindeer Seed Jar
A mason jar of mixed seed dressed up as a reindeer. The birds eat right out of it, and it’s an easy one to make with kids.
Make it
- Fill a clean mason jar with mixed birdseed.
- Glue on two googly eyes and a red pom-pom nose.
- Twist brown pipe cleaners around the neck of the jar for antlers.
Set it out
- Take the lid off and set the jar on a tray feeder.
- Refill it as the birds empty it.
On the nightstand
Books for a December evening
The Comfort of Crows
Margaret Renkl, 2023
A year in a Nashville backyard, one short essay a week, with her brother’s paintings. Lovely to read a little at a time.
The Backyard Bird Chronicles
Amy Tan, 2024
The novelist’s nature journal and sketches of the birds in her yard, with a foreword by David Allen Sibley.
Birder’s Life List and Journal
National Geographic, 2023
A keepsake book for logging every new bird you see in the U.S. and Canada, with room for dates, places, and notes.
Winter World
Bernd Heinrich, 2003
How chickadees, kinglets, and other animals survive the cold. You’ll never look at the feeder the same way.
Old lore
Sayings and Signs
- Old names
- The Anglo-Saxons called December “before Yule,” the month leading up to the midwinter feast.
- The moon
- December’s full moon is the Cold Moon, or Long Night Moon, because it rides high through the longest nights of the year. In 2026 it is full on the evening of Wednesday, December 23.
- Halcyon days
- The calm days around the winter solstice were once called halcyon days, after an old legend that the kingfisher calmed the seas to nest at midwinter.
- The solstice
- The shortest day of the year falls on Monday, December 21, in 2026. People have lit candles and fires against the dark at midwinter for thousands of years.
Dates to know
December 2026
Free printable: the December garden checklist, with spots to note your first snow and the birds at your feeder.
Download the PDF