The nook here is sheltered and warm in mid-December. I delight in the generous pouring of winter sun into the corner I write in. Read in. Dream in. Tucked between the walls of my cottage and the very old church, the corridor is thin. The wind looks through but opts to go around. I sit nestled in the embrace and fondness of the nook under the solstice sun, listening to the haunting song of white crowned sparrows singing their tales of Yuletide.

Our people celebrated Yule today in celebration of the birth of the sun. The longest night of the year was cold and dark, but gathering and singing door to door, bringing in a Yule tree and having a fire to warm visitors all made the season merry and bright. The celebrations of old were not evil, as the church would tell us now, but rather were celebrations and community events based on the agricultural calendar and were all about hope and renewal. Today, we light a candle and let go of the old, whilst bringing in the new. It is a beautiful ancient tradition. I wish you all the loveliest of Yuletide blessings and a hope that you will not despair on this longest night, but rather find hope and light.