by Uncialle
Solstices were and are celebrated in many ways by many cultures. December 21, the shortest day of the year, is just past, but you can still celebrate midwinter! Uncialle urges everyone who loves the earth and the sky to celebrate midwinter. The ideas below are some possibilities. Take them, and welcome!
Watch the sun go down. Say farewell to the sun on his shortest days.
Host a starwatching gathering, or simply bundle up and stand in your own special place, and enjoy the night sky. If you have a telescope, wonderful. If not, use binoculars.
Decorate with greenery--vases and swags of leafy branches, ivy, holly, evergreens--even weeds!
String tiny green and white lights everywhere. (Uncialle gets these in post-Christmas sales.)
Display anything with celestial motifs--sun, stars, moons, planets, galaxies (table linens, posters, bowls--anything).
Candles, lanterns, and open fires--use flame with a lavish hand, wherever it's safe.
Water to reflect fire and lights is magical--put wide bowls of water near the candles.
Ice is for winter! Decorate with candles in bowls of ice, or do an ice sculpture, or bring in some icicles plucked from the eves, place them upright in a bowl, and light them with candles, bee lights, or even a tiny oil lamp.
Play some atmospheric music. Try Vaughan Williams' "Fantasy on a Theme by Thomas Tallis."
Sing!
Listen to the sounds of the night. This time of year, Uncialle's stronghold thrills to the chilling cries of coyotes and great horned owls. Small creatures beware!
You will need: duct tape; a candle in a holder; florist's foam; willow or other slender branches; ivy (real or artificial); push-pins; two strings of 50--100 green lights; two strings of 50--100 white lights; evergreen boughs, a Green Man plaque (found at garden stores); and two crow decoys (available from Cabela's outdoor catalogue). The crows represent Odin's ravens, Thought and Memory. A small table is needed to hold the display.
Uncialle has a wall of rough wood, but a painted backdrop of plywood, cardboard, or Fomecore would serve as well, placed on the tabletop and propped against the wall.
1. Hang the Green Man plaque.
2. Cover the tabletop with aluminum foil, oilcloth, or plastic to protect it.
3. Using push-pins, tack the lights up the wall toward the Green Man, using one string of white lights and one string of green.
4. Using push-pins, tack long ivy branches over the wires of the lights.
5. Duct tape a piece of florist's foam (about 3" by 10") to the back center of the tabletop. In a fan-shaped array, stick the willow twigs into the foam. Near the center put in a few evergreen branches and ivy trailers.
6. Arrange the two remaining strings of lights on the tabletop, trying to cover it evenly. Arrange evergreen boughs over the lights, pulling individual lights up through the boughs so they can be seen easily.
7. In the center of the table, place a pillar candle in a holder that keeps it well away from the evergreens.
8. Place a raven on each side of the candle.
9. Turn off all other lights and enjoy!
