December 2024 - Winter’s Gifts
“What gifts will we offer the earth this season?
Even if she isn’t asking for anything, how can we return the love and generosity she has gifted us this year?”
Here we are. December. A new month that started with a new moon as we head towards the Solstice and a new year.
For me, the last month of the year often brings a sense of anticipation.
For what may come.
For what still needs to be done.
For what needs to be put away, literally and figuratively.
Before winter arrives.
Before the family gathers.
Before the Old Year turns into the New.
I used to dread December, especially when I was younger. The season's consumption overwhelmed me, as did the excitement of so many parties and the crush of school and work before the semester’s end. But especially, the darkness of almost winter overwhelmed me. I spent winter runs longing for spring, then summer. I marched from the bus stop with my head down, hating every minute of gray and cold, except for snow days and the occasional ski trip.
But somewhere in my early twenties, I fell in love with winter. I remember the exact moment, too. I was night skiing on a small lake in northern Minnesota, ice groaning beneath me. I looked up at the stars and the silhouettes of the trees, felt the prickle of cold on my cheeks, and was awestruck by it all.
The way the frozen water held my weight.
The way the Milky Way looked so close.
The way the evening light illuminated fox tracks in the snow.
The way I knew a hot drink and a fire and friends were waiting for me in the lodge.
After years of despairing over winter, I realized that this season's darkness might be its greatest gift.
December’s darkness - if we embrace it - invites us to slow down, to pause. It asks us to reflect a moment longer, to feel a little more deeply. December gives us the gift of gathering and celebration and time to give thanks and also to grieve because we all know this “holiday” season doesn’t always feel like a holiday for some of us.
And, of course, December gives us the gift of light. As soon as we hit the Winter Solstice, the light is actually returning! Each day after, the days are lengthening again, if only by seconds.
And when I had this realization, almost 20 years ago now, it changed my whole perspective on winter. Suddenly, all I could think was,
How generous is this earth? To offer us this precious gift - light in the darkness - at precisely the right moment without asking for anything in return?
And instead of distaining the dark and cold, like so many do, I found myself singing her praises (much to the annoyance of my warm-weather-loving friends).
Today, I ask you what I ask myself each December, as late fall turns towards Winter:
What gifts will we offer the earth this season? Even if she isn’t asking for anything, how can we return the love and generosity she has gifted us this year?
I bet, if you stand with your feet on the ground and look up at the sky this month, you might find your answer in the stars and the prickle of cold on your cheeks.
May you be well,
Emily