Midwinter holidays are always a strange time.
First you have the intense kitch of christmas, hanukka, newtonmas, midwinter solstice or however you call it. This may, or may not be, the time to revive some old arguments with your family, or start new ones. Lots of food is consumed, presents are exchanged around the tree (with or without sneaky glances at what others got).
I personally quite like it, because i’m blessed with a fun and relaxed family, but i can imagine that it can be a cause of stress. Not to mention spending christmas alone must make you feel like the last of rejects, which is unnecessary.
Then there’s New Year, aka the compulsory annual piss-up. For some strange reason, one is supposed to have fun. You have to. There’s no way around it.
But at the same time, such dates are also the time to reminisce, to make a balance of the last year, to formulate wishes for the next. There may be times where that’s not so cheerful. And so, until a few years ago, this was the cue for me to drink (more). And this didn’t make it a whole lot better – hangover next day guaranteed.
So my wish to you is: may this be a peaceful time. The days will get longer again (they already started), and if your mood is dark because of the lack of sunlight, rest assured that it will get better. May the next solar revolution bring joy, health and prosperity to you and yours !