@brittarnhild
A little more than a month ago, on December 4th, I cut three tiny branches from the fruit trees in the garden. It was Santa Barbara Day, and in parts of Germany the tradition says that if you cut branches that day and put them in water, they will give you flowers for Christmas.
My branches were all still brown and looked dead on Christmas Eve, but today, on Epiphany, the first tiny green seedlings are out. A wonderful sign of spring, and of hope.
You can read more about St.Barbara Day here.