The Weary Winter Solstice Shines On

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Perhaps the word weary shouldn’t be part of my solstice celebration newsletter headline…but, y’all, weary I am and weary I shall remain for the foreseeable future. 2023 has been A CHALLENGE. Challenge implies I’m up for it, and I’m really not, but since the only forward is through, let’s just say I love the sparkle of the holidays, but I am bone tired.

Since my dad moved in, I have written less. Since Dad fell and landed in the hospital, I have not written at all. It hurts not to write, and I can’t live without writing in my life. How did it come to this? I used to write all the time. So that’s the goal for the New Year. Find the writing joy again. What do you need back in your life?

I don’t have a story like I usually share; nonetheless, I did make time to work on The Princess Detective. It’s not much, and I don’t have time for rewrites, but the point is more fun, less worry. (I’m still worried, but fake it ‘til you feel it.)

The river, wide and frozen, holds nearly the entire celebration. The queen and king sit on their thrones built just for the Solstice. The royal family has the best view of the dancers and musicians. Winter flowers, blue and purple, silver and dark red, hang from garlands. Ribbons and bells delight in the cold breeze. Magicians and storytellers weave through the crowds, earning coins with their talents. It’s the most anticipated holiday of the year. 

Everyone, from queen to peasant, shows honor to the stars. Children, in hats, coats, and boots, run by holding sticks wired with silver stars and ribbons. Adults show off their newest scarves or hats or gloves stitched with stars and moons and spirals of light. No one remembers a Solstice night that wasn’t clear and just shy of too cold. And everyone is beautiful. 

But this year an edge of unease has wound its way through the celebrations. The music plays and the stars shimmer as they’ve always done, but this year a dias has been built in the middle of the frozen river. A few citizens avoid looking at it, but most can’t help but stare at its grim, undecorated beams. It’s out of place, an affront to the light of the stars everyone has come to pray to. Yet, no one dares mention their discomfort. At least, they say nothing in view of the queen and her king. If the royal couple have decided someone must die on the longest night of the year, then someone must. And who could really disagree if the executed was guilty of murdering the prince? Didn’t such a person deserve to die? 

And so the Solstice celebration begins. Everyone says it's the coldest night in living memory. Everyone murmurs about the low and heavy clouds. Everyone watches as the executioner marches across the ice with her polished, shining ax.  

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Watch and Read

What can I recommend this time around? Not much! Not only have I not been writing, I’ve barely been reading. Came across this video though.

What’s not to love about wild holiday traditions? Especially with horses. Even creepy horses.

And this

Recently a friend sent me a copy of The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo. It’s a charming illustrated book, I suppose meant for “young readers,” but I recommend for anyone who can be beguiled by a puppet with sharp teeth. For more grownup reading, I’m slowly reading Ghost: A Cultural History. I hadn’t much thought about the history of ghosts. How have ghosts appeared? How did the image of the floating sheet begin? Well, now you can know!

Celebrate!

For some of us, the winter solstice dawns. If you celebrate, here are ideas over at this magazine: Mother. I like to watch the solstice over at Stonehenge. Stonehenge doesn’t enamor everyone, of course, but I just enjoy watching the sunrise from over 4 thousand miles away. But should I ever have the funds to actually travel to the UK, plenty of other magical stone circles beckon. If a wee bit of solstice history is more up your alley, PBS explains the importance of the day around the world. If you have a solstice tradition or a good solstice story, let me know in the comments. Or any ideas to create something new? That would be fun!

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Sending you magic for this longest night of the year (for y’all in my hemisphere). I’m still struggling with the way my life is now. As we wind down from the solstice to the end of the year, I’ll be contemplating the balance of filial obligations, energy levels, and the need to write and make things. Thanks for reading. And if you’d like art in your mailbox or help more art come into the world, there’s always Patreon and Etsy! Every Patron makes a difference.

I’d like to think of something more brilliant to share, but family obligations call. Happy Solstice!