Solstice...

The snowflakes fell softly on her face. The big, fat, fluffy, ones. Christmas snow a few days early. 

Solstice was her favorite. Winter solstice to be precise. Summer solstice seemed like a celebration of excess. So much daylight. Such a long day. Who needed that much sunshine? Darkness was necessary. Resting. Cozy moments sharing warmth. Darkness was important. 

A dark cold day was the most romantic of days. August was the month with the most births. Nine months after there was more dark than light to the day. More quiet than noise. More warm fires and snuggly blankets. 

The snow continued to come down. 

The world entering that in-between time that happens after a big snowfall. Where everything is muffled. Where time seems to pass at a different rate. Where even the light is new. The world looks different under a blanket of snow. It sounds different. It covers a lot of things we don't want to look at. A walk down a familiar path is suddenly new and something to pay close attention to. 

The snowflakes kept falling. 

What would the Juul feast be like this year? Would the bonfires even light under this heavy snow? Or would this be the year that all of the celebrations were inside? A yule log laid on the hearth. Heat filling their homes. The celebrations adding light and warmth where there was none. 

She liked that too. 

Make your celebration. Add winter berries and greenery. Trees with lights. Candles to electric. Ornaments. Pine cones to glass balls to collectible action figures. She wasn't one to judge. 

The snow fell softly. 

Deep in her chest she felt the rise and fall of the little ones. Sleeping soundly in their cozy burrows. Waiting until the thaw. She would hold them close all winter. Though she did wonder what they would think of seeing their world not green and lush as they expected but white and cold. Would they react with joy or with terror? If she could wake them only for a day and whisper to them that it was all okay she would. But instead she held them gently and whispered lullabies in their ears. 

Winter solstice was her favorite. She knew most thought spring meant new life, but she knew it started here. In the cold and the dark. Those who were awake adding their own light and warmth to the mix. 

The snow kept falling on her face.