DOUBLE DIPPING WITH SOLSTICE AND CHRISTMAS
Brenda Whiteside
http://www.brendawhiteside.com
According
to one interpretation of the Mayan calendar, the world as we know it
could’ve come to an end on December 21, 2012. Another interpretation saw
an era ending and a new one beginning on the winter solstice date.
Since that date has come and gone and we're all still here, I'm going
with this gentler interpretation. It was the first winter solstice for
our family in our new home. We started a new tradition which rang in a
new era for the first year on Tortuga Flats Farm.
The mid-winter
Solstice celebration has been around as far back as history is recorded.
Cultures all over the world celebrated the darkest time of winter.
Neolithic farmers were fearful the sun and their crops might not return.
Fire played a part in symbolically bringing back the warm sunny days.
Romans decorated their homes with evergreen plants and had various
celebrations to lift the spirits during the long winter months. Celtic
traditions are many for winter and the Solstice. Native Americans had
Solstice traditions. It was a time to reflect on the past year and hope
for the new. Sprinkled in all these traditions across the globe were
Shaman gift givers, Santas in various forms, holly, ivy, bells and all
the other things we associate with Christmas.
As farmers, we
decided to start our own traditions for this season. Our first Solstice
included a meal with much of our own produce. After dinner we gathered
outside around a fire and we each reflected on our first year as farmers
and what we hoped next year might bring. We ended with s'mores! I doubt
the ancient Neolithic farmers had s'mores, but after all that
reflection, chocolate and marshmallows were in order. Back inside, we
exchanged gifts.
We haven’t thrown over more traditional
Christmas celebrations. On Christmas Eve we have another big dinner and
continue to give thanks. Christmas morning we empty our stockings and
find a gift from Santa. We then go south and visit the rest of our
family.
We had a great time with our first Solstice. This year
we’ll have one new person, my granddaughter! She won't be able to add
verbally to the fire circle, but her presence will add to our richness.
Brenda
spends most of her time writing stories of discovery and love. The rest
of her time is spent tending vegetables on the small family farm she
shares with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
Together, they’ve embraced an age-old lifestyle that has been mostly
lost in the United States - multiple generations living under one roof,
who share the workload, follow their individual dreams and reap the
benefits of combined talents.
Although she didn’t start out to
write romance, she’s found all good stories involve complicated human
relationships. She’s also found no matter a person’s age, a new
discovery is right around every corner. Whether humorous or serious,
straight contemporary or mystery, all her books revolve around those two
facts.
Her latest release, Amanda in the Summer, has received
great reviews on its Amazon debut. Amanda will release worldwide
December 18, 2013.
Visit Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com.
Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/brendawhitesid2
She blogs on the 9th and 24th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com
She blogs about writing and prairie life at http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/
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7 comments:
What a lovely new tradition. There's nothing better than a cozy fire, especially when you follow it up with s'mores!
And today is Solstice! It's unusually chilly here this week. Tonight's fire will be needed, Debra.
Love your new tradition. My favorite thing about this time of year (besides Christmas) is that tomorrow is the 22nd...and the days will start getting longer again. Woo hoo! I miss the longer days of summer and now, we are once again waning toward the spring. Happy solstice and a very Merry Christmas to you and Tortuga Flats.
Love your new tradition. My favorite thing about this time of year (besides Christmas) is that tomorrow is the 22nd...and the days will start getting longer again. Woo hoo! I miss the longer days of summer and now, we are once again waning toward the spring. Happy solstice and a very Merry Christmas to you and Tortuga Flats.
Hi Lilly. Those longer days are welcomed for sure!
What a wonderful traditions. Lovely!
What I like about this time of year is the weather. I can pull out my sweaters and boots!
We definitely had our sweaters and boots on tonight for Solstice, Karen.
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