Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice.  The name conjures up images of an icy tundra filled with fairies and trolls...no?  It's just me?  That's a bummer.  Okay, well, what is the Winter Solstice?  Uncle Bilbo is here to tell you.  Let's dive right in, shall we?

The shortest day...

The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year.  That's not to say that there are less than 24 hours today.  It really means the day with the least amount of daylight.

So why is that significant?

There is actually a lot of science behind it.  The solstice isn't an entire day, though we celebrate it as such.  It happens in a split second when the North Pole is at it's farthest tilt from the sun and the sun is at it's Southern most point directly above the Tropic of Capricorn.  From this point forward, the days slowly begin to get longer.

Many cultures celebrate the Solstice, most notably at Stonehenge when the sun directly aligns with the center Altar and Slaughter stones.

Past all the science is the real intrigue.  Traditionally, the Winter Solstice was a Pagan celebration.  Much of your Christmas traditions have roots in the Solstice celebrations of yore.  That's right!  The Christian church created December 25th as the random celebration of Jesus' birth SPECIFICALLY so they could "borrow" celebrants of the Solstice and their traditions.  December 25th has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus.  The church figured they could bring in a larger crowd if they lumped His birthday in with the already popular Pagan holiday.  This is why the "War on Christmas" is 100% bull.  This is why it bugs me to see people whining about taking the "Christ out of Christmas".  This is why I am bothered when Christians get their panties in a bunch over saying "Happy Holidays".

There is no war on Christmas.  You celebrate your way.  Let others celebrate their way.  Christmas was a stolen holiday to begin with.  This claim by the church that it is their holiday is a lot like that old "Possession is 9/10 of the law" adage.

The Winter Solstice is a celebration of rebirth and your "Christmas" trees, holly, mistletoe, and yule logs are actually Winter Solstice symbols.

So enjoy today and thank Mother Earth.  Wish those around you a Happy Solstice or a Merry Christmas or a Happy Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or Holidays or whatever you want.  The thought is what counts and if we could all just stop being dicks to each other, does it really matter what we choose to believe in?