Merry Meet dear readers!
As we approach Winter Holidays , I wanted to share the deeper significance of this special time of year for my family and I.
While our family gatherings may include Christmas and Hanukkah traditions, we have embraced our own unique way of celebrating this season that is focused around Winter Solstice.
Our little family observes The Wheel of the Year and the point of Winter Solstice holds a special place in our hearts. The holiday season surrounding it is a time when we come together to bring warmth into the coldest season, light into the darkest days, and color back into a world that is blanketed in white snow like a blank canvas. It is also a period of renewal in the cycle of the wheel of the year. Our family simply refers to this time as Winter Solstice or Winter Holidays to encapsulate the seasonal point in the wheel of the year as well as the many types of celebrations at this time.
The winter solstice , the longest night of the year, represents a time of transition and renewal, a moment when nature begins its journey toward the return of light and life. Just as the earth experiences a period of dormancy and then emerges into a new cycle of growth, we too see this season as an opportunity for personal and collective renewal.
In nature, the winter solstice marks the turning point when the sun, which has been steadily decreasing in its presence, begins its ascent once again. We look at this celestial event as mirroring the cyclical nature of our own lives and behaviors. It is a time for introspection, for shedding old habits and patterns, and for embracing the potential for growth and transformation.
The symbolism of rebirth is woven into the fabric of the winter solstice across various cultural and spiritual traditions. From the ancient megalithic sites of Newgrange and Stonehenge, carefully aligned with the winter solstice sunrise and sunset, to the modern observances of pagans and Druids, the theme of rebirth and the return of fertile seasons is deeply ingrained in the celebration of this time.
In our own observance, which we celebrate pretty much throughout all of December until New Year’s Eve, we find ways to embody the spirit of renewal. We conclude the holiday season on New Year’s Eve when we take time to reflect on the past year, acknowledging the challenges we have faced and the growth we have experienced. We engage in acts of renewal, such as planting seeds of intention for the coming year and setting goals for personal and communal transformation. If you’re looking for resources or prompts to help your family do some New Year reflections and goal setting, Big Life Journal puts out a New Year kit every year which we use and find really engaging and fun! (I think they may even have a Black Friday deal goin on right now!)
In our home, shortly after the Halloween celebrations end, we decorate and prepare for the upcoming Winter season, not only in literal ways but also in metaphorical ways. We strive to bring warmth through acts of kindness that warm our hearts, and we spread love, light, and color through our joy, actions and connections with each other and the environment around us. Our celebrations are a reflection of our non-theist/ naturalistic or more Atheopagan aligned beliefs and our deep sense of interconnectedness with the world.
We have found that by focusing on these things as the broader message of the season for us, we can still partake in family traditions and celebrations while infusing them with our own beliefs. We light the menorah and recount the stories from my husband’s heritage, and we also decorate a “solstice tree” and wait for Santa to visit, who fills our stockings and brings us joy and warmth with the message of good deeds and generosity. We also do things together to observe and appreciate nature at this point in the wheel of the year and practice traditions and family rituals that help us stay grounded in gratitude for all that we have.
Our holiday music may include classic Christmas carols and reference Christmas as well as modern Hanukkah songs referencing the 8 night celebration, but they bring us joy, comfort, and nostalgia. Sometimes we will switch up some words (like subbing out Christmas for Solstice) at times, but otherwise we just enjoy the good holiday tunes for what they are!
We have always explained to our children that people have different reasons for celebrating this time of year, and we embrace celebrating with everyone while simultaneously instilling in them our own beliefs and why this season is special to us.
We choose to officially celebrate the solstice on the 25th, as it aligns with our family’s tradition of celebrating Christmas, making it easier to keep the same day while distinguishing our personal beliefs. Our children are proud of their beliefs and find joy in this time of year, but sometimes find it challenging to explain the differences and similarities to their friends. Even I sometimes opt to just describe how we celebrate to people as “Secular Christmas” just for simplicity. But in truth, it is more deep and sacred than that to us.
As we admire our “Solstice Tree”, light our candles and bring warmth through love and kindness, exchanging gifts and nurturing our connections, we are reminded of the resilience of nature and the enduring cycle of life. We ground ourselves in gratitude and remember loved ones who no longer can join us in our celebrations and allow our love for them to pour out in kind actions for others in their honour. We find inspiration in the “rebirth” of the sun and the promise of longer days ahead. This season encourages us to embrace the potential for new beginnings and to nurture the seeds of change within ourselves and our community.
As we celebrate Winter Solstice, we invite you to join us in honoring the spirit of renewal. Let us embrace this season as an opportunity to reignite the light within ourselves and to welcome the promise of a new cycle of growth and transformation as well as a rekindling of the connection we share with each other and our natural environment.
In conclusion, no matter what you celebrate during this season, we wish all our readers a meaningful Winter Holiday Season, filled with the warmth of love and safety, the brilliance of light and connection, the colours of joy and health in your life and the promise of renewal in the start of a new year.
Happy Holidays,
From Our Prairie Fable to yours!
Our Prairie Fable 