Yule Ramblings #21: The Solstice One

On the darkest day of the year, we celebrate the light. Why? Because from this point onward, the daylight will continue to increase second-by-second, minute-by-minute, day-by-day. Growing slowly, yet growing always.

So we decorate our homes with bright greens and reds. Vibrancy.

"Yuletide" is oftentimes considered an archaic term for Christmas. Some may even use the two interchangeably. I can understand this conclusion, but it is a bit of an oversight. ...And in fact, the two differ greatly, and are each beautiful in their own right.

Yule, as a concept and a celebration, predates Christmas. Yule is the time when we specially celebrate Winter Solstice, the onset of a new season and the lengthening of our daylight hours.

Light is of the utmost importance during this time. LED lights, candles, fireplaces... they all remind us of what is coming, what is growing.

The holiday season has now become the season of obligation, hasn't it?

We are conditioned (pressured?) to believe that we must attend each platonic, blood-related, familial, communal, social and/or work related invite. Each person that you know (even only slightly) - including the garbage man - beckons for a gift. However, "they" might not actually be the requesting a gift... in fact, it may be your guilt leading you that direction.

...But that gift? Let's be clear. No one is expecting, or mandating, a tangible item. Not the Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog. Not Amazon's Best Sellers. Maybe (and quite probably), at the end of the day, what he/she truly wants is an acknowledgement/a validation - of how grateful you/we are. And wow. This person does deserve it. In any capacity. This is a time for gratefulness. We should all do... and can do... a better job of this throughout the year.

But don't neglect the real importance of this specific season! This is specially a moment for quiet, pensive, space making. As we cross over into the new year, that, my friends, will be a time of taking action and pushing forward.

From this point onward, the daylight will continue to increase second-by-second, minute-by-minute, day-by-day. Growing slowly, yet growing always. Until it retracts. So it goes. And so it begins again.