The season continues to fill and overflow for me (and, I'll bet, for you).  In bringing forward Reflections from several years ago I hope to set a good example.  How might you adjust one of your commitments to better fit the holiday picture?

The most intense concentration of winter holidays cluster in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.  They also center on the winter solstice, the day with least sun and most darkness in the northern hemisphere.  Why do we gather now to celebrate our deepest religious convictions, express love and generosity, give thanks, and begin anew?

Winter is a season of challenge for life forms ranging from algae to alligators, protozoa to people.  Virtually the entire tree of life depends upon the sun for energy, transformed by plants into food for animals and so on up the food chain.  During the time of year that sun is most scarce, the living world has reason for collective concern.  Our ancestors in the far north developed ceremonies that bid farewell to the sun and reminded it to return in spring.  Even today, we know that mood can be affected by darkness and recent headlines declare that no one gets enough Vitamin D , the "sunshine vitamin" in the winter. 

Outside of the tropics, winter is also a season of cold.  Plants die or go dormant with freezing temperatures.  Animals migrate or hibernate or shift their strategies to deal with lack of warmth and food.  Humans layer on the clothes, crank up the heating system, and make travel plans for Arizona, Florida, and the Caribbean.

It is no coincidence that we have generated traditions that foster festivity and celebration in mid-winter, when we need it most.  This is just the right time to give thanks for our blessings, including the fruits of fall harvest.  It is a perfect time to remember our most inspiring beliefs and to connect with our source of meaning and purpose.  As the darkest day comes and goes, we recharge our optimism.  The sunlight is returning, and we declare a new year.  And, because we are a social species, we share our gratitude, faith, and renewal with those we love the most.

These reflections on midwinter celebration point our species' reasons for the season.  They also point to our personal values and the core aspects of holiday observance that mean the most.  I love the color and beauty of holiday lights and decorations.  I enjoy exchanging cards and letters with loved ones from other times and places in my life.  I value the spiritual renewal of re-connecting with the central stories of my religious tradition.

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What are your deepest holiday values?  If you had to pare your celebration down to its three most important observances, what would they be?