It's Raining, Get Over It

Monday night, swing by The Terrace between 7 and 10 p.m., drop off a present (new, unwrapped, worth $15 or more) and get a holiday cocktail on the house! It really is better to give than to receive. Sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Venice Neighborhood Council is meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at . The agenda is here and includes a discussion on how the VNC can help move forward the Streets to Homes program.

An open fire is always a festive occasion – provided it's a fire set on purpose, in a contained area. This video, put out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, demonstrates what happens when you forget to water your Christmas tree. Just because it's raining outside, that doesn't mean your tree is getting enough to drink.

There is a full lunar eclipse Monday night, which also happens to be the winter solstice. It begins at 10:30 and lasts until 2 a.m. Exact times can be found here. Whether or not there will be a view of the sky is another question. Maybe just tell your friends and family far from soggy Southern California?

The solstice – the moment in the year when the North Pole is tilted farthest from the sun, and the day is the shortest for the Northern Hemisphere – occurs on Tuesday at 3:38 p.m.

On Wednesday, days will begin to get longer again.