--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Christmas frost had come at midsummer…" description: "\"A Christmas frost had come at midsummer; a white December storm had whirled over June; ice glazed the ripe apples, drifts crushed the blowing roses; on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/charlotte-bronte-144_apples_a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer_2363601.jpg" --- # A Christmas frost had come at midsummer; a white December… ![“A Christmas frost had come at midsummer; a white December storm had whirled over June; ice glazed the ripe apples, drifts crushed the blowing roses; on hayfield and cornfield lay a frozen shroud: lanes which last night blushed full of flowers, to-day were pathless with untrodden snow; and the…” quote by Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/charlotte-bronte-144_apples_a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer_2363601.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/charlotte-bronte-144_apples_a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer_2363601.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/charlotte-bronte-144_apples_a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer_2363601.jpg) > “A Christmas frost had come at midsummer; a white December storm had whirled over June; ice glazed the ripe apples, drifts crushed the blowing roses; on hayfield and cornfield lay a frozen shroud: lanes which last night blushed full of flowers, to-day were pathless with untrodden snow; and the woods, which twelve hours since waved leafy and flagrant as groves between the tropics, now spread, waste, wild, and white as pine-forests in wintry Norway.” [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid contrast of summer and winter symbols highlights the sudden, unsettling change in nature and emotions. **In simple terms:** Summer turned to winter, showing abrupt change. Key Takeaway Accept that change can be abrupt and unsettling. Themes change contrast nature emotion surrealism Mood melancholic reflective surreal Type literary descriptive poetic When to use this quote - personal loss - climate shock - creative writing - visual art - mental health Key Concepts symbolism juxtaposition transformation Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond when familiar surroundings become alien? - What emotions does this stark contrast evoke? A Different Perspective The imagery may romanticize hardship, overlooking practical impacts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [December](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/december/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers/) [Forests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice/) [June](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/june/) [Midsummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midsummer/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Norway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/norway/) [Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose/) [Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snow/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Wintry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wintry/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [“Giant gold snowflakes Now the Trees are bare”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-l-ratliff/giant-gold-snowflakes-now-the-trees-are-bare/) [Richard L. Ratliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-l-ratliff/) > [“Over the wintry forest, winds howl in rage with no leaves to blow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsume-s-seki/over-the-wintry-forest-winds-howl-in-rage-with-no-leaves-to-blow/) [Natsume Sōseki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsume-s-seki/) > [“At last the anchor was up, the sails were set, and off we glided. It was a short, cold Christmas; and as the short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/at-last-the-anchor-was-up-the-sails-were-set-and-off-we-glided-it-was-2/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“We grew in age—and love—together, Roaming the forest, and the wild; My breast her shield in wintry weather— And, when the friendly sunshine smil’d,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/we-grew-in-age-and-love-together-roaming-the-forest-and-the-wild-my/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“Wolf Star shines on wintry high; Gazing northward by and by. Ice and snow on shorelines lie; Wind and spirits haunt the sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-t-mckinstry/wolf-star-shines-on-wintry-high-gazing-northward-by-and-by-ice-and/) [F.T. McKinstry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-t-mckinstry/) > [Chill air and wintry winds! My ear has grown familiar with your song; I hear it in the opening year, I listen, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/chill-air-and-wintry-winds-my-ear-has-grown-familiar-with-your-song-i/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Not only is the day waning, but the year. The low sun is fiery and yet cold behind the monastery ruin, and the Virginia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/not-only-is-the-day-waning-but-the-year-the-low-sun-is-fiery-and-yet/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“There was a strong sense of being alone, in wintry deadness. Nothing made sense in any direction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/there-was-a-strong-sense-of-being-alone-in-wintry-deadness-nothing/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [At last the anchor was up, the sails were set, and off we glided. It was a sharp, cold Christmas; and as the short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/at-last-the-anchor-was-up-the-sails-were-set-and-off-we-glided-it-was/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [The wind is tossing the lilacs, The new leaves laugh in the sun, And the petals fall on the orchard wall, But for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/the-wind-is-tossing-the-lilacs-the-new-leaves-laugh-in-the-sun-and/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [Wintry Wishes. May this season bring you the gifts of peace, hope and joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wintry-wishes-may-this-season-bring-you-the-gifts-of-peace-hope-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For mankind you've made your wintry bed. A shipwreck of your own mortality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-symeou/for-mankind-you-ve-made-your-wintry-bed-a-shipwreck-of-your-own/) [Marie Symeou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-symeou/) > [There is nothing better on a cold wintry day than a properly made pot pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/there-is-nothing-better-on-a-cold-wintry-day-than-a-properly-made-pot/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [“It was a short, cold Christmas; and as the short northern day merged into night, we found ourselves almost broad upon the wintry ocean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/it-was-a-short-cold-christmas-and-as-the-short-northern-day-merged/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/no-warmth-could-warm-no-wintry-weather-chill-him-no-wind-that-blew/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) ## More by Charlotte Bronte > [When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should - so hard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-we-are-struck-at-without-a-reason-we-should-strike-back-again/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“A deal of people, Miss, are for trusting all to Providence; but I say Providence will not dispense with the means, though He often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/a-deal-of-people-miss-are-for-trusting-all-to-providence-but-i-say/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“This night is not calm; the equinox still struggles in its storms. The wild rains of the day are abated; the great single cloud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/this-night-is-not-calm-the-equinox-still-struggles-in-its-storms-the/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“How dare I, Mrs Reed? How dare I? Because it is the truth. You think I have no feelings, and that I can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/how-dare-i-mrs-reed-how-dare-i-because-it-is-the-truth-you-think-i/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“If men could see us as we really are, they would be a little amazed; but the cleverest, the acutest men are often under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-men-could-see-us-as-we-really-are-they-would-be-a-little-amazed/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Poverty, for me, is synonymous with degradation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/poverty-for-me-is-synonymous-with-degradation/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [When his first-born was put into his arms, he could see that the boy had inherited his own eyes, as they once were -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-his-first-born-was-put-into-his-arms-he-could-see-that-the-boy/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Talented people almost always know full well the excellence that is in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/talented-people-almost-always-know-full-well-the-excellence-that-is/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Not one spark of spirit, not one symptom of resistance, would they have shown till the hand of the Corsican bandit had grasped that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/not-one-spark-of-spirit-not-one-symptom-of-resistance-would-they-have/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Love can excuse anything except meanness; but meanness kills love, cripples even natural affection; without esteem true love cannot exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/love-can-excuse-anything-except-meanness-but-meanness-kills-love/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [I think you will learn to be natural with me, as I find it impossible to be conventional with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-think-you-will-learn-to-be-natural-with-me-as-i-find-it-impossible/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“You are no ruin sir--no lighting-struck tree: you are green and vigorous. Plants will grow about your roots, whether you ask them or not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/you-are-no-ruin-sir-no-lighting-struck-tree-you-are-green-and/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) [Explore all 1,082 Charlotte Bronte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) ## More Apples quotes > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I named my son Noah for the same reason Chris Martin named his apple: we're asses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-named-my-son-noah-for-the-same-reason-chris-martin-named-his-apple/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [I think, however, that Astaire's coordination is better than Kelly's... his sense of rhythm is uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, is the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/i-think-however-that-astaire-s-coordination-is-better-than-kelly-s/) [Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/) > [“In the back of the fridge I checked out some stewed apples destined to fester. I examined them closely and reckoned they had only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-brown/in-the-back-of-the-fridge-i-checked-out-some-stewed-apples-destined/) [Helen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-brown/) > [Fortunately, like most children, I had learned what is most valuable, most indispensable for life before school years began, taught by apple trees, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/fortunately-like-most-children-i-had-learned-what-is-most-valuable/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [I'm not only a fan of Apple products, I have stock in the company. I think Steve Jobs has started one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-m-not-only-a-fan-of-apple-products-i-have-stock-in-the-company-i/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [I love to eat an apple after a meal, just to cleanse my teeth - they always look polished afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-love-to-eat-an-apple-after-a-meal-just-to-cleanse-my-teeth-they/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [I have a friend who is a juggler. If I'm at his house, I don't like to take food from him, if it's in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-have-a-friend-who-is-a-juggler-if-i-m-at-his-house-i-don-t-like-to/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [A comely sight indeed it is to see, a world of blossoms on an apple tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/a-comely-sight-indeed-it-is-to-see-a-world-of-blossoms-on-an-apple/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Like a satellite in orbit, Apple is perpetually falling. It just happens to miss Earth every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-dediu/like-a-satellite-in-orbit-apple-is-perpetually-falling-it-just/) Horace Dediu > [I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-always-said-if-there-ever-came-a-day-when-i-could-no-longer/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [Therein lies the rub of a place like Berkeley Bowl. You get seduced by an 11-pound apple that turns out to be a fake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jad-abumrad/therein-lies-the-rub-of-a-place-like-berkeley-bowl-you-get-seduced-by/) [Jad Abumrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jad-abumrad/) > [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [The next time you're looking at a charity, don't ask about the rate of their overhead; ask about the scale of their dreams -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pallotta/the-next-time-you-re-looking-at-a-charity-don-t-ask-about-the-rate-of-2/) [Dan Pallotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pallotta/) [Browse all 1,262 Apples quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A Christmas frost had come at midsummer; a white December storm had whirled over June; ice glazed the ripe apples, drifts crushed the blowing roses; on hayfield and cornfield lay a frozen shroud: lanes which last night blushed full of flowers, to-day were pathless with untrodden snow; and the woods, which twelve hours since waved leafy and flagrant as groves between the tropics, now spread, waste, wild, and white as pine-forests in wintry Norway.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charlotte Bronte" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer-a-white-december-storm-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Apples" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer-a-white-december-storm-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/charlotte-bronte-144_apples_a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer_2363601.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/charlotte-bronte-144_apples_a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer_2363601.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/charlotte-bronte-144_apples_a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer_2363601.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A Christmas frost had come at midsummer; a white December storm had whirled over June; ice glazed the ripe…” — Charlotte Bronte", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charlotte Bronte", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A Christmas frost had come at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer-a-white-december-storm-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/a-christmas-frost-had-come-at-midsummer-a-white-december-storm-had/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```