For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, today is the shortest day—and the longest night—of the year. Winter has officially begun and every day now gets a bit lighter than the one before.
The Shortest Day
So the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us — listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!
—Susan Cooper
Be cozy. Happy winter!
[Photos: Local Milk // Hither & Thither (Truckee River) // The Online Stylist // Hither & Thither (Madison Square Park) // Always with Butter // Remain Simple // Coffee in the Mountains / Remain Simple // A Well Traveled Woman // Wit & Delight // Hither & Thither (Donner Summit) // Style Me Pretty]
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