I’m sure you’ve noticed we’re deep in the “holiday season,” our yearly exercise in excessive expectations. Contrary to any purported “war on Christmas,” it begins to feel like Black Friday now begins on Thursday before we’ve swallowed our last bites of pumpkin pie. By now, lines form, credit cards max out, “seasonal” music flows out of every storefront and strings of light sparkle everywhere. I love the fun and have no intention of “Grinching” out on you, but another part of me yearns for something quieter.
This Friday, December 21, is the Winter Solstice, also called Yule, which is either the first day of winter or “midwinter,” depending on your tradition. Winter is the season our ancestors had to survive, so welcoming it has a primal aspect we often miss in the middle of procuring cards and bows. Friday is, in fact, the shortest, darkest day of the year (in the northern hemisphere), but celebration is in order: this very short day is the same day the scales tip back, and every span of daylight from now until midsummer will be a tiny bit longer than the one before. It’s the rebirth of light!