The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that winter is only a few weeks old, but dividend stocks are blossoming again after spending the past couple of years in the cold. The Globe's John Heinzl writes that the drop in bond yields has been dramatic. In the past three months, the yield on government of Canada five-year bonds has declined more than a full percentage point, to about 3.3 per cent. All of this has provided a nice tailwind for dividend stocks in general, and his model Yield Hog Dividend Growth Portfolio in particular. The model portfolio finished 2023 with a total return, including dividends, of 5 per cent. All of that gain came in the fourth quarter as bond yields sank and the portfolio returned 9.8 per cent, beating the S&P/TSX composite by 1.7 percentage points. In 2023, 19 of the 21 securities in the model portfolio raised their payouts, the exceptions being two real estate investment trusts -- SmartCentres REIT and Canadian Apartment Properties REIT. With interest rates falling, Mr. Heinzl expects that both REITs will eventually rejoin the dividend growth club. A growing stream of dividend income is an effective tonic during periods of market turbulence, helping investors to stay calm.