Splash No. 184 - Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice
Things only stop starting when they start stopping, right? That’s what happens every year on the Winter Solstice, as the Northern Hemisphere tilts as far from the sun as it gets to create the longest night. Leading up to the Solstice, every night grows longer and longer until it reaches its peak, and after, each night shrinks, lending more and more time to the days instead. The lengthening of night stops and the lengthening of day begins. Much of what we associate with Christmas, such as gift-giving, came from pagan celebrations of the solstice. It makes sense to celebrate such a period — not the beginning nor the end, just an inflection point in time.
Our solstice always arrives soon before the end of the year, creating an inevitable day of contemplation. In 2012, we anticipated the Mayan prediction of our world ending, but most years we simply look forward to Christmas and the New Year. In this time of endings and beginnings, we look for ways to change, in the small shifts that Christmas celebrations and presents give or the New Years’ resolutions that we helplessly attach ourselves to.
I look forward to the small ways I know I change from being around my family for the holidays — a greater desire to announce that I’m starting a diet, a reinforced addiction to chai, and a constant hankering to watch British crime dramas. Even as the world continues to change in big ways, such things are certain. I love to lean into the difference between my day-to-day life and my life at home, to embrace the familiar through the lens of my time apart. And the contrasts draw things into focus differently, a new lens through which to analyze my life, so I can finally come up with a list of resolutions that will instantly turn me into the perfect person.
Our Christmas traditions aren’t set in stone — the only constants are Michael Bublé and time spent with family, which keeps things loose. I remember our Christmas dinner at Waffle House just as fondly as our Christmas dinners at home (though significantly more fondly than one Christmas dinner at IHOP). No, I don’t know what to expect from my celebrations for the holidays, but what I do know is that it will be a wonderful time.
Drops of the Week
PLAYLIST - Vendetta Listens: Japanese Soul/Funk Edition - truly just found this on TikTok
ARTICLE - "An Education While Incarcerated" by Hua Hsu - fascinating read about an Asian American man who lived many lives
POEM - "The End of Poetry" by Ada Limón - indescribably good
With each day, we can move closer to a more equitable world. Reminders:
Donate to a housing insecure family in Atlanta Mutual Aid Networks
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Wintrily,
Nikhil