Tonight was our annual Winter Solstice Dinner. This tradition we all look forward to for the last few years. It is our way to reflect during this hectic season. Winter Solstice is the shortest day/ the longest night of the year, meaning there is more darkness than light today. A Winter Solstice is the shorts day/ the longest night of the year, meaning there is more darkness than light today. As a person who doesn’t always feel very “jolly and bright” during the Holiday season, we use this time to remind ourselves that sometimes the darkness is more prolonged, but the sun always comes back out again. I wanted to teach my daughters this critical lesson, especially now that they are all teenagers.
Every year I make chicken pot pie, and we eat dinner by candlelight. (Pot pie is good food that we don’t have to worry about mixing the foods some of the kids don’t want to touch. 😉) It is a great way to remind ourselves that a bit of light goes a long way in the darkness.
After dinner, we all right down our goals for the upcoming year or season. This reminds us of what we are working towards to help reflame the fire to reach our goals. This enables us to push back when the darkness feels overwhelming.
Since the weather was decent, we had a small fire in the fire pit and made smores. Using the firepit is genuinely one of our favorite family activities, and we always talk and laugh together. It is always a great time to reconnect as a family.
Once we came into the house, just before bedtime, I gave each of the girls a gift from me (also one of our traditions). The older girls all received journals, and Lou got a Bluey Toy set since she is not quite big enough to journal just yet.
Link to the vlog:
The thing I treasure the most about this yearly celebration is that I can always see a shift in my girls. Sometimes it is tiny, and only their mother would notice. Then other times, more often than not, I see them get excited about upcoming projects, making plans on how to reach their goals better, or connecting with their friends. This night where we reflect coming out of the darkness into the light always seems to make them go into the week of Christmas with a grateful attitude and cherish the little moments even more. My biggest goal is to teach my daughters to focus on the important moments and not the holiday madness.
Thanks for taking a minute to be part of our Crazy! Until Next time...
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