STACKMAS DAY TWENTY-ONE
A Solstice to Remember
Happy Solstice, everyone!
Today is the first day of Yule AND the Winter Solstice. Yule is something I’m fairly new to, as a Mexcellent American. But in the past couple of years, I’ve been moved to learn more about these traditions, as they are part of my husband’s (and therefore, my children’s) heritage that he doesn’t know much about either.
This year, I was very intentional about what I want to leave behind in 2025 and what I want to walk towards in 2026. It was a difficult and fraught year, as it was for, well, all of us, so it felt right to really slow down and feel “the coming of the light.”
I was up before dawn, as I often am during winter, reading by candlelight and the Christmas tree as the foggy light slowly arrived outside. When the solstice “officially occurred” at 7:03 am Pacific, I took my coffee out to my patio to sit in silence, tech-free, watching the light and listening to the birds wake up in the canyon behind our home. Something lifted in my spirit. I felt hope and said a prayer for the light to draw humanity away from greed, cruelty, and hate, toward love, compassion, and community.
This auspicious day also happens to be my nephew’s birthday. It was truly fulfilling to be able to get family time in on such a day.
I hope you had some still time this Solstice to contemplate how you’d like to live the first half of 2026. May it be a better year for you than this one. I believe it’s possible, but I also know we have serious work ahead.
Wishing you a happy Stackmas until tomorrow,
Margo
Watch the latest episode of the Book Versus Movie podcast on Youtube