…be my New Year.

For many years I’ve wanted to mark the Winter Solstice. And for many years it’s passed me by in a whirl of pre-Christmas activity. Not so this year.

As it turns out, I was able to be by a burning bonfire at the actual time of this year’s Solstice and now find myself having resurrected that bonfire to sit by with my breakfast as I start the lengthening days. And it feels great.

As a non-christian (for want of a label, I consider myself an out-and-out agnostic) Christmas lost its meaning a good few years ago. More than that, I really struggled with the forced ritual that so often created huge amounts of stress, rather than the (I would hope) originally intended joy. I’ve come through my deep discomfort with it, now accepting other people’s desire to celebrate (religiously, culturally or both) and being comfortable choosing what to partake in.

For a while I also toyed with Festivus…but that didn’t quite stick either.

And then there’s New Years. The last few years the turn from one year to the next has become, well, forced. Our calendar, useful as it is, is a human construct. And although I recognise that partying and “having a blow out” works for some people, they really don’t for me.

Which is why, this morning, by my bonfire, the realisation that I could choose my new year felt like an absolute revelation. That the Winter Solstice, a mark in time which varies year to year*, could be my turn of the year.

It feels right. It feels good. It works for me. So on that note, as I begin my day, I wish you a very Happy New Year (in Tiggerland, at least)

• Until a couple of days ago I didn’t realise that the (Northern Hemisphere) Winter Solstice can actually fall between Dec 20 and 23rd, although the extreme ends are rare occurrences!