We thought it would be nice to include a page about the creative inspiration behind the name and efforts of "DECEMBER ROSE" and offer a few images and thoughts to help spark creative energies in our webpage visitors.
Above are a couple floral arrangements from recent Decembers, to honor the main source of my creative inspiration, the Rose Mother--Mary, Queen of the Rose. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Mother of the "December Rose" (roses in snow) concept. Since we share the same day, I've come to consider Her to be my Patron(ess) Saint and Creative Muse.
The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is quite fascinating: She visited a poor Mexican farmer named Juan Diego and produced a miracle: roses blooming in the snow! She told Juan to enfold the roses in his cape and take them to the Bishop as proof of her visitation; when he arrived and opened his cape, they were astonished to see her blazing image imprinted upon his cape! Many devout Catholics and other devotees of Our Lady make annual pilgrimages to honor this beloved Latin version of Virgin Mary.
Below is a Christmas card designed a few Decembers back... Notice the recurring theme, Roses in the Snow?! Seems it's been a lifelong theme...
One bleak Winter many decades ago, someone close to me lost the will to live. Not knowing how to help this person to find something beautiful and life-affirming to focus on, I felt nearly as desolate as the ice-and-snow-encrusted landscape around us, until an inspiring idea uplifted me and sent us both tramping through the snow to the local florist. There, we bought several beautiful long-stemmed roses and then proceeded to go through the neighborhood, knocking on doors, handing a rose to each of our neighbors--as a "cheerup" to them and to ourselves. That simple gesture, of giving--and receiving--the beauty and hope that the Rose represents, seemed to help thaw some of the ice in all our hearts and souls... and we all made it into Spring...
Another case of roses in the snow eventually led me to the altar! It wasn't December, but the beautiful bouquet of roses I found tucked in my snowy doorway one March, long ago in the Midwest, convinced me to say "I do." (!)
So really, there's just no telling when or where Roses in the Snow may crop up, or where they may lead you! The only thing for certain is that they will always inspire joy in the heart and hope in the soul.
Many musicians, composers, artists, photographers and other creative folks have long been inspired by the concept of "roses in the snow," or new life in the dead of Winter. Some songs and poems even refer to Jesus Christ as "the Christmas Rose," presumably for this same reason--Jesus embodies the metaphor of new life, hope, and beauty emerging from cold, wintry places.
Below are the words to the much-loved Christmas hymn, Gesu Bambino, by Pietro Yon:
(Click on the link, to hear the song played in Midi format.)
GESU BAMBINO / THE INFANT JESUS
Pietro A. Yon/ Frederick Martens
Even modern-day songsters like Emmylou Harris have been known to sing about "Roses in the Snow":
Our love was like a burning ember
Now you know why "December Rose" was the name chosen for these creative enterprises. And it's wonderful to consider that my day marks the very day that The Lady made those roses bloom in the snow. Fact? Fiction? Either way, it's a lovely, warm, and healing concept.
Given such universal appreciation for the miracle of rebirth represented by the image of beautiful roses springing up in the midst of wintry snows, we know our visitors and clients, online and off, will enjoy these uplifting energies and images throughout our projects. It is our hope and intention that our many creative endeavors not only live up to the beauty and truth behind the concept of "the December Rose," but that they will also energize and inspire those with whom we work, and enable them to strive for new life and beauty, even in cold, dark places.
NOTE: (If link is not yet working, it's because we're still seeking permission to post their music here.)
Copyright 1919, J. Fischer & Bro.
When blossoms flowered 'mid the snow, upon a winter's night
Was born the Child the Christmas Rose, The King of Love and Light.
The angels sang, the shepherds sang, The grateful earth rejoiced.
And at His blessed birth the stars Their exultation voiced.
O Come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Again the heart with rapture glows to greet the holy night
that gave the world its Christmas Rose, its king of Love and Light.
Let ev'ry voice acclaim His name, The grateful chorus swell.
From paradise to earth He came that we with Him might dwell.
O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
It warmed us as cold winds blow
We had sunshine in December
And grew our roses in the snow...
