Winter Solstice

December 21, marked the first day of winter or the winter solstice.  

According to National Geographic, “a solstice is an event in which a planet’s poles are most extremely inclined toward or away from the star it orbits.” 

For you and I living in the Northern Hemisphere the sun is the farthest away from us in winter.  This makes the first day of the new season the “shortest” day of the year because it has the least amount of daylight.

As children, anyone with a birthday today surely felt that life was totally unfair! How could it be that they had the shortest day to celebrate?  Someone needed to tell them that a day is twenty-four hours so they have as much time as anyone!

You could travel to Stonehenge in Great Britain or Machu Picchu and see monuments to the winter solstice but traveling might be a bit too much.

Another way to observe the winter solstice is by reading poetry about it.  It’s an adjustment for many of us to lose the daylight earlier so a bit of poetry could help pass the time.

Read the poem below and see if you can feel the season and the shortest day of the year.  It is from Robert Frost and it’s called “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

Whose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village though;He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.The little horse must think it queerTo stop without a farmhouse nearBetween the woods and frozen lakeThe darkest evening of the year.He gives his harness bells a shakeTo ask if there is some mistake.The only other sound’s the sweepOf easy wind and downy flake.The woods are lovely dark and deep.But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep.

Private Home Health Care finds poetry relaxing.  We hope you can enjoy some poetry, short or long on this “shortest” day of the year.