Hello
It is very nearly midwinter. We’ve made it! Get yourself a cup of tea or a glass of something more festive and join me for a chat about everything winter solstice, Yule and….well, Christmas might get the odd mention too.
This is the second in my series of films about the big moments in the year, the winter and summer solstices, the equinoxes, and the four cross quarter festivals Imbolc, Beltane, Lammas and Samhain. You can find my Samhain film here.
Apologies for the frozen smiles and the reaching for camera either end - I am not very techy minded and for some reason editing these out made this refuse to upload…?! so here it is, awkward bits and all.
For those that want the important bits written down, the moment of the winter solstice will be on the 21st December at 9.48pm GMT. The Druids at Stonehenge celebrate it at the closest dawn to the moment of solstice, and this year that is the following morning, on the 22nd.
Some links I promised in the video:
Katherine May’s Substack Stray Attention
I forgot to mention this magic little skit I saw on Twitter by comedian Adrian Bliss, which neatly encapsulates a little of the idea about Christianity muscling in on the solstice…and it not being the only one… Let’s just say it is a VERY compelling moment in the year.
And finally of course I forgot to have my book to hand to wave about, giving me the perfect excuse to post it here, The Almanac 2023, a gorgeous solstice or Christmas gift.
Wishing you a gorgeous midwinter, however you spend it. Do let me know your plans and your thoughts on the film, and if you haven’t already then please do subscribe and there will be more of this sort of thing coming your way. It’s free, but there is a paid option too if you fancy supporting me to make more content like this.
Happy solstice!
Thoughts on…midwinter