2nd Day of Yule: Here Comes the Sun!

I started the 21 Days of Yule a day late, and that's the sort of little thing that will bug me all month unless I do a fast catch up.  So expect another entry for today later... and a gift for now!

In my opinion, the Winter Solstice is where everyone can make peace about the holiday season - it puts all the bogus, TV-talking head controversies over who is 'stealing' the season from whom to bed.

Because the solstice isn't opinion - it's pure reality.  No matter what your heart believes - no matter what your eyes (and body temperature) tell you, from the Solstice on, the days are beginning to lengthen, the earth is slowly, slowly drowsing its way toward life again.  The Sun is returning.  Many religious paths commemorate this and personify the Sun in some way, with stories of deities, sons of deities, heroes or seers being born at this time and rising up in strength, beauty, grace and wisdom as they mature into adulthood.

As human beings, it seems to be a universal truth that our imaginative hearts are able to visualize the warmth we know is coming but isn't there, and it is that imagination that allows us to have faith, regardless of bare trees, frozen landscapes, and a day that is as dark as it could possibly be, that the Sun is returning.

Isn't it strange to contemplate that the reality is that the process of returning to warmth at light happens so near the beginning of the dark, cold, barren times?  That the promise of spring is there with us all through the bitter cold?

That's why Winter Solstice, Yule, is a Solar holiday even if it is the shortest day of the year.

This makes solar ornaments very appropriate for the Yule tree, and so, early this morning, I charted up a quick to stitch sun - and then stitched it so you could see it.

  The graph is my gift to you - and I'd love to see what you do with it!  I used DMC 90 variegated floss on Black 14ct Aida (it's what was on hand), but I think it'd be good with any sunny color of floss, gold metallic thread, or beaded (I'd love to see this beaded, actually).  I think I'll be working it a few more times.  Should you stitch it, I'd love a shout out back to the blog - but either way, Happy Dec 3rd! Here comes the Sun!

 Shared with We Did It Wednesday,Show and Tell Wednesday, Make It Yours Wednesday,Spotlight Yourself, Get Your Craft On Thursday, Hookin' Up with HoH Thursday, Strut Your Stuff Thursday, Flaunt It Friday, Weekend Wander, and Check Me Out Saturday)