Welcoming Winter
December 21, marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It is on this day that we experience the least amount of daylight as we welcome the winter solstice. Petite North Fork chatted with two local educators on the importance of recognizing the winter solstice and learned of ways to celebrate and embrace the season.
“Even though it is easy to lose track of it, we live in a world of rhythm: day and night, waking and sleeping, rhythms of the week, the seasons of the year, and the cycles of life,” Ashley Wade, founder of Miss Ashley’s Nest, an early childhood, Waldorf-inspired program located in Jamesport, told us. “Through these rhythms, children come to know the world and their place in it, and in the security of these rhythms, they grow and begin to venture out into the world. Winter solstice is an important day to recognize with our children how this rhythm of the year unfolds.”
Wellness and spirituality mentor Stephanie Visek, founder of Its A Vibe added “Winter solstice is a day celebrated throughout folklore and by many groups of people all over the world. Leaning more into the pagan, earthy traditions, the winter solstice is a day when we get together and call more light into our lives.”
Stephanie believes that winter is a time for reflection. “I have a hard time accepting that days get shorter and the weather gets colder in the winter, but I know all of the seasons serve a purpose in the cycle. Winter’s purpose is to be a time of reflection, to look inward at oneself. That’s a hard thing to do but it’s also a very necessary thing to do for growth.”
Ways to celebrate the winter solstice
Stephanie suggests spending a night in candlelight, “Turn off all electricity and spend your night doing all the regular nighttime things with soft, ambient lighting.”
Miss Ashley’s Nest and its community also experience a candlelit evening but in the form of an annual winter spiral festival held at the school.
“The spiral is ancient and symbolizes the inward-turning we tend to experience as the night grows longer and tends to bring us indoors. This winter spiral has been done all over the world by many. It is a festival of reflection on the past year and preparation for the next year,” Ashley shared.
Photo courtesy of Miss Ashley’s Nest
During the festival, teachers, children, and their families gather in the darkness around a winter spiral adorned with evergreen boughs, a symbol of life amidst the dead of winter. While listening to a song sung by a single voice, children, one by one, with the assistance of an adult, venture to the center of the spiral to partake in the lighting of the candles that await them.
Beyond a beautiful and memorable evening, the Spiral Festival is a symbolic one.
“When you walk the spiral with your child you are walking inward in darkness to find the inner light in the center of the spiral. Once you have lit your candle, you are holding their light with them to then place down on the spiral as they are walking out of the darkness. Once everyone has had a turn, we surround the spiral in silence, we admire the candle-lit spiral. Just as if we have reflected on where we have been and where we are going,” Ashley said.
“Celebrating any season can help you come to accept and embrace change. Instead of fighting change, celebrating it can help life flow smoothly,” added Stephanie.
One fun way that Stephanie suggests celebrating winter with kids of all ages is to go outside and howl at the moon.
“The moon is the light in the darkness! With the winter solstice being the shortest day of the year, we are welcoming in more light, literally welcoming in more daylight each day until we reach the summer solstice. So, going outside and bringing attention to the light in the dark is a playful way to honor the solstice,” she said.
Another hands-on experience for older kids and teens is to gather evergreen and juniper and make your own winter solstice headpiece. “Think flower crown, but winterized!”
If you love the idea of celebrating light but aren’t up for creating your own spiral, Ashley suggests an easy way to celebrate the light. “Lighting a candle at the dinner table is an easy way to celebrate the solstice. The child can snuff the candle or blow it out when it is time to end the meal.”
Shining the light on gratitude
“Seeing every part of your life through the lease of gratitude can be a light and beautiful perspective to take during the wintertime,” Stephanie added.
Despite the calendar New Year, winter is not the time for newness. Instead, focus on gratitude and thankfulness for the things you already have. It’s within those aspects that you and your family will find light and joy.
Stephanie suggests journaling as a way to recognize gratitude. “Encourage your family to write about all of the things you were blessed with this year and start setting intentions for what you’d like to call in in the coming year. Coming together with loved ones and sharing all the things you're grateful for will keep you feeling light through the winter season.”
“As adults is hold that inner light in us for children to see,” added Ashley. “This will give them joy through the darkest times of the year. Being present with them, getting down to their level to hear them out, and staying calm are our the tools they need most this winter season.”