Solstice Update 1

[sleepymaggie]

The sun disappeared at 4:30pm on the dot.

(Of course, it was behind a wall of clouds, so we had to do a bit of imagining.)

It comes back at 7:16am.

(During the night I'll be doing small posts about the vigil's goings on.)

We just finished cookie-blitz phase I. Making many kinds of cookies is a great way to keep awake and focused. 'Course it's only 8pm, so really I don't need that much help yet.

(Before Hill left for a night of glamor and excitement, she gave us our Yule pressies. Pat got an assortment of strange jellies and condiments, many featuring prickly pear. I got a collection of nifty southwest spices. Wonderful present because they're edible rather than collect-dust-able.)

Cookie-blitz phase II is about to start -- so I depart.

(Back later.)

Comments

[richyvilla.livejournal.com]

I thought the solstice was tomorrow?

[sleepymaggie.livejournal.com]

The exact time is tonight at 1:08am -- so we're celebrating from sundown today into sunrise tomorrow. I think of it more as a night time thing than a day-of thing.

[richyvilla.livejournal.com]

well that makes sense :)

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the cookie updates. They are homey and comforting, somehow.

good to see you fellow solstice-celebrators

[hillbillie.livejournal.com]

Here in sunny SoCal, it nonetheless feels wintry, in a golden-grass, ruby-leaves-still-on-the-trees kind of way.

Staying up all night is not a problem for me, since I started a job about a month ago that works me from 6 to through the night..I try to stay up on my days off as well, so as not to lose the circadian rhythm.

Last night was my first day off of four. So I did my individual solstice thing then, solitaire except for a previous phone-call to some pagan-type friends.

Up all night, had previously decorated my tree that isn't really a tree; it was a large branch that had fallen off in the last windstorm, and was laying right across my path. How fortuitous is that :)
I'm posting pictures of it later.

Went up to the local mountain forests for some Yule logs, swept aside last year's ashes, burnt logs, made hot spiced wine--wassail!- and made bell music all night.
Went out at midnight-ish and hit a gong in all the directions, under a really nice full moon..

it was do-it-yourself, individual ritual, since there is not a large contingent of like-minded people in these parts. But it suited me.

A Joyous Yuletide to you and Padraic both!

(I know I'm a day and many hours late, but hey I figure the ancients didn't have our atomically-exact calibrations and would have celebrated for several nights running anyway)