Yule

I hope everyone had a wonderful solstice (winter or summer!). I held a ceremony on the night of the solstice welcoming the new year, and welcoming prosperity and good fortune into my home. I left an electric candle "burning" all through the night to carry the spark of light through the longest night of the year (a nice option when you're not able to stay up for a night long vigil), and got up early to see the sunrise, the sun reborn.

Yesterday the days started to get a bit longer again, and today, a little longer... by seconds. Four seconds, eight more seconds, tomorrow will see an additional 13 seconds. It's not much, but it adds up. The sun is slowly making its return, we know the light is growing - but we still have to go through winter. There are months of cold and snow coming, but we have the promise of spring and summer, too. Of course, the promise of summer also brings the promise of winter again, always a cycle.

Tonight is Christmas Eve, the night before a big celebration. Which means tonight I'll be up late again. I've done a lot of baking - mincemeat pie, pumpkin pie, gingerbread, cookies - but there's still more to be done. Lots for the family, and always some for the ancestors and spirits... and maybe a little something for Santa, too.