Walk the Winter Solstice - PaganSquare - PaganSquare

Here’s a cool yule idea for you: get outside! Winter Solstice hikes are all the rage, and there are many to choose from; sponsored by area state parks, conservatories, and small businesses. Have your troop meet you at your destination site for the scheduled walk. Revel in the crisp winter air, and observe the magical changes Mother Nature has woven around you. I cannot stress this enough – layers, layers, layers. You can never have too many, and you can always wrap something around your waist, shoulders, or neck if you need to make a temperature adjustment. Don’t worry about hat hair. This really isn’t a time of year for the overly fashion-conscious. By partaking in this healthy ritual, you are embracing the colder season, not fighting it. Chances are good that you will also work up a deserved thirst and appetite.

If your band of merry travelers wish to continue celebrating with an after-party, invite them over to your place for hot cocoa, cider, and mulled wine. Keep it easy and informal. Have a cookie exchange, where people can bring over some of their excess baked treats to share. (There are always an excess of goodies in folks’ homes this time of year!) Be sure to supply plenty of candles on hand, so that everyone has one to light.

Get cozy and hang out by candlelight; sing songs; share fond memories of the past year and Solstices past. Stay up until at least midnight together, to take stock and appreciate the shortest day of light of the year. If the barrage of car commercials urging to buy new luxury vehicles with big red bows on them is getting you down, don’t fret. This little party is the perfect remedy.

Listed below are links to Winter Solstice hikes for December 2014. Here are eight, throughout the States:

ILLINOIS

http://maconcountyconservation.org/events/winter-night-hike-sand-creek/

MINNESOTA

http://westwoodhillsnaturecenter.org/winter-solstice-walk.html

NEW YORK

http://nysparks.com/events/event.aspx?e=128-11809.0

OHIO

http://www.serpentmound.org/Lighting.html

CALIFORNIA

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/events/2014/dec/20/winter-solstice-hike-3dc7d722-e09dbb52/?et=126774

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