I’m posting this early as a public service announcement….really…. Everyone needs to know that winter officially begins today – December 21 – at 12:47pm EST! Aren’t you excited? I am….

Scientifically the solstice looks like this>>>>>  the earth wobbles until the southern half gets all the sunlight and the northern part doesn’t. The South Pole is light 24 hours a day while the North Pole is in darkness.  Got it? Okay, now onto the fun….

The Winter Solstice has been observed since Neolithic times all over the world but one of the best known places is in Scotland, the Orkney Islands to be specific. The builders of Maes Howe aligned the structure so that the rays of the setting sun flow down the entrance tunnel to hit the back wall of the chamber.  I crawled/shimmied into the tomb on a tour, gawked at the Viking graffiti and imagined what it would be like to stand in the chamber and witness the sun’s approach. This is what it would look like >>>>

(BTW – you can witness it yourself if you visit www.maeshowe.co.uk NOW!!)

In history, the end of December was the time to celebrate Saturnalia — it was a week-long feast honoring the Roman god Saturn and featured a reversal in roles, lots of partying, bonfires/candles, presents and, did I mention, feasting! It was held when winter’s grasp was at its strongest and there was even a ‘king’ designated for the celebration who, unfortunately for him, was sacrificed at the end of it! Oh my!

When Christianity became prominent, many local and pagan feasts (um, like Saturnalia) were converted into

Christian feasts and holy days and it’s probably not a coincidence that the Nativity is celebrated at the end of December, even though many Biblical scholars agree that Jesus was probably born in the late spring or even early summer. The Christian Church capitalized on existing practices and borrowed them for their needs. And so, Christmas was scheduled in late December.

Another well-known festival of winter is, of course, Yule… or Juul, a Scandinavian feast to mark the returning sun. People cut a huge log, dragged it indoors and burned it until only ashes were left. Mistletoe was used to decorate, too.  BTW — this feast happened to be 12 days long…. sound familiar?

But, other than Christmas, none of these is my favorite celebration of the solstice. . . for years, I’ve waited and waited for this time of year to celebrate. . . The Festival of Bells!!  Yes, it’s the time of year when Fraggle Rock slows to a stop and unless someone finds and rings the bell at the center of the rock, all the Fraggles will stop, frozen in time and place!!  It’s a harrowing time of year and it’s nerve-wracking watching the classic episode and hoping and praying that Gobo will find the bell. My family has watched the show every year on our also classic VCR on an aging VCR tape until the series was finally released on DVD – now we have a brand- spanking-new edition and we still watch it.

Because, you see, on a grander scale this episode speaks to our need to believe in something bigger than ourselves, our need to have faith in things we can’t see and can’t prove and in our need to surround ourselves with our loved ones and to hope for a better world, a better life and a new year. So, on this Winter Solstice day, let’s all look ahead to longer days, more warmth and the festivities of the holidays as they quickly approach.

So, as my family gathers to watch the Fraggles and to remember the days when I was one of the two tallest people in my family, I want to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. As my friends, the Anglo-Saxons use to say during their solstice celebration. . . . Waes Hael!!

Do you or your family have a favorite Christmas/holiday tv show that you watch each year? Something like “The Bells of Fraggle Rock” or “A Muppet Christmas” or one of the other holiday specials or concerts? Share it by posting a comment about why it’s special to you and Terri will choose two commentors who will each win a copy of one of her favorites plus an autographed book.

Terri

Terri is also celebrating the release of her December Brava romance, A STORM OF PASSION.  Visit her website at www.terribrisbin.com to enter her Viking World Tour contest.