01/01/2026
The Winter Solstice Mission
Sharing this personal story ... truly a special gift and memory made this holiday season. For me, it was a perfect reminder that we all need to share in the joy, love, and kindness that fuels hope. No better way to end the year and begin a new one! Happy New Year!
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It’s been happening for years, a traditional reading aloud of “The Polar Express” to the children (young & old), during our annual family holiday celebration.
This year’s celebration took place over the weekend of the Winter Solstice. Several of the “children”, who are now young adults, took this timely opportunity to incorporate the traditions of the season into an interactive ritual celebration, performed exclusively by members of my family.
Traditional practices of welcoming in the year’s Long Night were incorporated, alongside the holiday themes of spreading joy, love, and kindness to those around us, into a ceremony that captured the imaginations of the children while teaching them the importance of keeping the light inside themselves, warm and bright.
Handmade props, live music, and a lot of creative lighting made for a magical evening that ended with hot cocoa around a yule log made by my nephew, and an opportunity to set our intentions for the New Year over the magic of a warm fire.
So, I hope you enjoy this sneak peek, and will leave you with the words used by my niece, to close the ceremony:
~May the days ahead rise gently to meet you. May your steps be steady. May your heart find room for new joys.
The Old Year behind us, and the New Year beginning, brighter and braver because of the hope we shared.~
