Oh, Solstice Tree

 

It's hard to believe that it's the final month of 2024 already. For years now I have been much more connected to the Winter Solstice than I have been to Christmas but this year feels even more so. It's hard to get behind celebrating Christian holidays when so many awful things are being done or said by people who profess to be Christian. Even though the UCC is not at all like the more conservative end of the Christian fatith spectrum (we are, after all, lovingly refered to as the Unitarians Considering Christ), it's still hard to want to be associated at all given the current climate. I often feel like I should have been raised pagan (or secular pagan) or Unitarian even, as nature and the ryhtms of the year align so much more with my parents views/beliefs/what they hold dear. Regardless, I am grateful that Dave, the girls and I celebrate the rhythm of the seasons and find comfort in the natural world around us. It is so very fitting that our tree reflects that. This year, and likely the four to come, will be even more essential to finding peace, beauty, harmony and wonder in our little part of the world. xo