via GIPHY Illustrated GIF by Teresa Villegas (to replay gif simply refresh this page in your browser)
Yeah! It's Winter Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere! It happens at the same instant for all of us, everywhere on Earth. In 2015, That’s on December 22 at 4:48 Universal Time (on December 21st at 10:48 p.m. CST for us in the USA) It’s when the sun on our sky’s dome reaches its farthest southward point for the year. We are now in mid winter (contrary to the common misnomer as "the first day of winter") and this solstice has its shortest day and longest night of the year... Here Comes the Sun! Celebrate!!
Being a parent is what inspired me to write and illustrate "How to Celebrate Winter Solstice." Our kids' teachers were asking me to come to their 3rd grade classroom to talk about how our family celebrates Winter Solstice, thus the seeds for this book were planted, grown and harvested! Being a parent I find this time of year to be especially valuable in planting seeds within our family culture too. One of the most valuable voices I listen to about parenting is from the heart of Carrie Contey, and they couldn't have been expressed any better on this day. Enjoy!:
Today is the winter solstice. The darkest day of the year and a perfect time to slow down, enjoy the sweetness of the holiday season and send out some wishes.
I wish you peace.
I wish you sweetness.
I wish you joy.
I wish you ease.
I wish you kindness.
I wish you presence.
I wish you a pause in your day, week, month, year that allows you to connect with your sweet self and the people you love the most in the world.
Today and always, remember you are loved and that you are, without a doubt, far more than enough.
Cozy up with your your loved ones, savor the darkness and enjoy the return of the light.
With so much love,
Carrie