The little planet on which we all travel revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit, all the while rotating on its axis, which is ever so slightly tilted away from being perpendicular to its orbital path. Together, these two physical realities are sufficient to cause most parts of the earth to have fairly predicatable variations in temperature and climate over the course of our annual pilgrimage through our solar system.
.
Another effect — and part of what contributes to the seasons — is that everywhere other than the equator, the amount of daylight and darkness that we get varies throughout the year, and the further you travel from the equator the more it varies. In summer this is wonderful (I think) because it results in long days, when it’s easy to get up in the morning, and I don’t seem to need as much sleep as I do during the rest of the year. If I lived in the land of the midnight sun I would likely feel differently about those extended days, but 4ish in the morning to 10ish at night isn’t too bad. The winter, however, is another thing altogether.
In addition to the regular depression with which I do battle, I also have Seasonal Affective Disorder — aptly abbreviated as SAD — and as the daylight hours get shorter, my mood sinks lower and lower, dragging my energy and motivation levels with it. For approximately three months, November through January, it is dark when I leave for work, and dark again by the time I’m heading home. And since work is indoors, for those three months I don’t see much sunlight except on my days off. The place where I currently live also tends to be predominantly overcast and drizzly for this half of the year, and that compounds the problem.
There is hope, however, because each year on December the 21st (in the Northern Hemispehre) come the fewest hours of daylight, followed by the longest night of the year. At first glance the longest night of the year might seem like something that I would dread rather than celebrate; but it marks a turning point, and even as I notice the days getting shorter and shorter, and depression rising, I KNOW, absolutely and without the shadow of a doubt, that when the sun rises on December 22nd the days will begin to get longer again, and that slowly the sun will return and things will start to get at least a little bit better. It’s physics; an irrefutable astronomical fact that can’t be denied by rational persons, and even in the grip of my darkest moods and on the darkest night of the year I am still (somewhat) rational.
That is why the winter solstice is my favourite holiday, and one that I think anyone, regardless of their faith, or lack thereof, can celebrate.
Bonus freature: there is also a summer solstice, which has the longest day and the shortest night — two potentially universal holidays for the price of one.
