O Winter! ruler of the inverted year, . . . I crown thee king of intimate delights, Fireside enjoyments, home-born happiness, And all the comforts that the lowly roof Of undisturb'd Retirement, and the hours Of long uninterrupted evening, know.
William Cowper
This is the first year we have done anything at all for the winter solstice.
The winter solstice usually passes us by relatively unnoticed. Unlike in the Northern Hemisphere, our solstice does not coincide with Christmas and the New Year. And unlike other places where winters are long and harsh and brutally cold, ours are fairly mild, with no snow. Our summers are much crueller, with their terrible heat.
Waking this morning with a head cold, I had a craving for mulled wine, with its intoxicating fragrance of citrus and spices. Remembering that the winter solstice is tomorrow, I decided to prepare a winter solstice meal.
We had chicken with red cabbage and the adults drank mulled wine. We ate by candlelight and thought about what the winter solstice might mean.
One of the boys asked why God created summer and winter and didn't just give us autumn and spring (the 'good' seasons). I explained how cycles are important to nature and winter gives the plants time to rest. We can be thankful for the solstice because it is a reminder that spring will come.
Do you celebrate the winter solstice? How do you celebrate?
This is the first year we have done anything at all for the winter solstice.
The winter solstice usually passes us by relatively unnoticed. Unlike in the Northern Hemisphere, our solstice does not coincide with Christmas and the New Year. And unlike other places where winters are long and harsh and brutally cold, ours are fairly mild, with no snow. Our summers are much crueller, with their terrible heat.
Waking this morning with a head cold, I had a craving for mulled wine, with its intoxicating fragrance of citrus and spices. Remembering that the winter solstice is tomorrow, I decided to prepare a winter solstice meal.
We had chicken with red cabbage and the adults drank mulled wine. We ate by candlelight and thought about what the winter solstice might mean.
One of the boys asked why God created summer and winter and didn't just give us autumn and spring (the 'good' seasons). I explained how cycles are important to nature and winter gives the plants time to rest. We can be thankful for the solstice because it is a reminder that spring will come.
Do you celebrate the winter solstice? How do you celebrate?
