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On Saturday morning I was up around 6AM and got the poor cat fed. I’d slept nearly 9 hours, so I guessed I was sick. I got my post up and sat down to rest as I was not feeling so good. I had taken my elderberry, Vit C and made a double strength ThroatCoat tea.
After a while I got up and got the kitchen cleaned up and rested some more.
I had a lot of presents to wrap so I started collecting all the materials: paper, ribbons and bows, name tags, boxes, tape and scissors, and the presents.
I had to rest again a few times during this process and while I was, the last present was delivered. Yay!
It took a few tries but I finally had them all wrapped so I rested and watched a Christmas movie and tried to nap.
I got up around 3PM and hadn’t really napped. I got the soup heating in preparation for blending it and adding the cream.
I bagged up all the presents and then got a bag to hold miscellaneous stuff like a blanket for sitting outside, my boot liners to keep my feet warm, 2 cameras in case one crapped out, a big thermos of ThroatCoat tea, 2 packs of Kleenex, and a mask.
I rested a while then got a shower. I got the stoves going, the candles lit and fed the cat early. He was delighted. Tom called, later than planned, and was on his way so I got a 15 minute rest before he arrived.
Once at his house, we got unloaded, the soup warming on the stove, and it was time for the Solstice circle. Candles were handed out.
The fire had been burning well when I arrived but it had been given too of big pieces and died out. So there was a great effort to get it going well before the ceremony started.
Once everyone had arrived and the fire was going, the lighting of candles started. There were easily 60+ people in the circle.
Newcomers were hugging friends and there was a lot of chatter and greetings. I didn’t hug anyone because I had a cold.
I’d snagged a chair and was wrapped in my blanket, boot liners and warmest coat. Across from me my general helper and #1 intern were sitting, looking cold.
Over by the fire Tom’s grandson had his candle and looked entranced. He’s nearly 2½ years old.
Once the candles were lit, one person spoke briefly and we sang the solstice song, then blew out the candles and headed inside to warm up and get at the food.
There was lots of good food and desserts, hot cider, and my soup. I mostly sat in the living room sort of away from others and didn’t talk much. Talking brought on coughing.
There were ever changing groups of young people sitting in small groups of 3 or 4. Most were homeschooling friends, even though most had graduated. They are a very tight group of young people.
There were 3 toddlers/baby in this group. There are several musicians in the young people and someone was always messing around with the instruments that are always in the living room.
At one point, Tom’s grandson and a friend near his age were playing on the piano together.
Most of the adults were in the dining room or kitchen. I stayed put on the couch as it kept me from coughing. I just enjoyed the dynamics of the young people. Due to the number of people squeezed into the small living room (20 or so) it was too hard to hear conversations. Due to the combination of mask and glasses, my focus wasn’t so good either. So I just listened to the happy voices around me and watched the little kids play.
As the night wore on I started to feel better. At one point I had to get more tea and ended up in the recliner with one of the cats on my lap. My #2 intern was sitting on the floor, leaning against my legs while I played with her hair.
Eventually Tom came over and told me it was 9:30PM and neither of us had realized it. So we eventually got packed up and I left the remains of the soup for the family.
When we got back to the house, Tom and I talked in the peace for about an hour. When he headed home, I set about turning off the candles, feeding the stoves, and pulling shades.
When I went to take my elderberry I managed to spill it all down the cabinets and floor. Sigh. It makes an awful mess! I finally managed to get it cleaned up and when I went to bed, I went to turn off the Christmas tree only to discover I’d never turned it on.
I was finally asleep by midnight.
On Sunday nothing is planned. It’s to be sunny and cold. I should clean up the kitchen but mostly I plan to watch Christmas movies and keep the wood stove going. The Solstice happens on Sun, Dec 21, 2025, at 10:03 AM. So there will be 2 longest nights, Saturday and Sunday.