If one needs a message one the eve of the new year, (and OK, you probably don't), mine would be a wish for peace, symbolised by the dove, and conveniently for my purposes, the symbolism of "saving" as represented by these dovecotes.
Now, you'll have to bear with me here. A dovecote, or doocot, (Scotland), columbarium, (Roman) actually housed more pigeons rather than doves, but this inconvenient fact would defeat my argument for peace. (Who ever heard of the pigeon of peace?)
They were built in the grounds of monasteries and manor houses and proved to be a highly valued source of food, when the normal supply was seasonally scarce.
These images show the internal workings of the structure, as well as one of the many varied shapes from the outside. They were found all over Europe, and not surprisingly they became associated with power: droit de colombier.
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