Solstice

Today (for what I am sure will be all of my readers) is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of this year. The good news? From here until next June, the days will be getting longer and we will be getting more sunlight. Some days we won't see it for the clouds, but just remember: Gray days are just clouds passing over. 

Of course, Christians celebrate Christmas this time of year because they adopted the already-existing celebrations of the turn of the year for their own purposes to celebrate the coming of the One they believe is the Light of the World. Any number of Christian communities don't celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday in part because they remember the feast has pagan roots. That was the case with the church in which I was raised, which also points out that Christmas as a feast is never mentioned in scripture. (Unlike, I note in passing, the Jewish Feast of Lights -- Hanukkah -- which Jesus did celebrate, as mentioned in this blog before.) And as we all know, Christmas celebrations were associated with Roman Catholicism in the minds of the Puritan settlers of New England. Such celebrations were outlawed in the colonies for a while, as they were in England when the Puritans were in power.

So, if you are uncertain whether to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, you might want to consider Happy Solstice! Since that is an astronomical phenomenon that affects everyone, it would seem totes safe. And Christians who know their own church history -- which, sadly, too few do -- they will recognize that it is fine. As far as I can tell, no one has yet gotten excited about a War-on-Solstice!

Oh, yeah? Yuletide Greetings? Yule (which shows up in all sorts of Christmas songs and pictures and such) is a reference to the winter celebrations among the Germanic peoples in pagan or pre-Christian times. So folks who wax nostalgic about the good old Christmas tradition of the Yule log are unintentionally waxing nostalgic about a custom rooted in a pagan winter festival.

So Happy Solstice to you all, and may the Light, however you understand that, shine on you in the middle of winter.

My remarks reveal a northern hemisphere bias, of course. In the southern hemisphere, this is the longest day and they are about to head into shorter days ...