How to Reconnect with Yourself During Winter Solstice

If Christmas feels too triggering for you, it might help to explore new traditions that feel more aligned with where you are now. While we don’t fully celebrate Yule (the 12-day festival that starts at the Winter Solstice to mark the rebirth of the sun), we’ve found joy in embracing parts of it, particularly the Winter Solstice. It's been such a peaceful way for both of us to reconnect with ourselves, honor the natural cycles of the season, and create meaningful rituals that resonate within ourselves.

The Winter Solstice, that happens around December 21st in the Northern Hemisphere, marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. It represents the sun’s reemergence, offering a moment for introspection and renewal. For those seeking to move beyond traditional Christmas celebrations, the solstice provides a meaningful opportunity to embrace new beginnings.

Here are FIVE big themes of Winter Solstice that can help you reconnect back to yourself in very meaningful ways:

1. Reflection:

As the darkest day of the year, Winter Solstice is a time of quiet introspection, encouraging looking inward, reflecting on the past months, and considering what to release or transform. Some ways to include Reflection in your celebration include:

Review the Past Year: Reflect on your accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned.
Connect with Nature: Spend time outside, observing the quiet and the way the natural world slows down during winter. Reflect on how the stillness mirrors your own need for rest and reflection.
Inner wisdom reflection: The Winter Solstice is a time for deep inner reflection. Consider how you can honor and integrate your own inner wisdom in the year ahead. Write about ways to trust your intuition and inner guidance more fully.
Create a sacred space in your home: Transform a cozy corner into a sanctuary for reflection and renewal. Choose a spot that invites peace and stillness, where you can retreat to connect with yourself. Add meaningful objects, soft lighting, and comforting touches that inspire a sense of calm, making it your personal haven for introspection and rest.
Make an epsom salt bath: Fill your tub up with water and add 1/2 c. epsom salts. You can also add a couple of splashes of essential oil, if you'd like. While you are washing your body, think about what things you are shedding and releasing in the tub.

2. Intentions:

The returning light symbolizes new beginnings, making this a perfect time to set intentions for the future and evaluate personal growth. Some ways to include Intentions Setting in your celebration include:

Make ornament wishes: Stuff an ornament with wishes and words that you want this incoming season/year to bring.
Create a vision bowl: Fill a decorative bowl with the symbols of what you want to build and create this year. Think of it like a vision board but in bowl form.
Simmer pots filled with intentions: By adding bay leaves with written intentions, you can infuse the air with both positive energy and personal goals, allowing the simmering scents to serve as a reminder of your aspirations.
A word or theme for the year: Choose a word or phrase that will guide you through the upcoming year. Reflect on what it means to you and how it will shape your decisions and actions.

3. Honoring the Darkness:

The long night symbolizes a time to slow down, look inward, and embrace stillness. In a world that often celebrates constant activity, acknowledging the darkness reminds us of the need for balance and rejuvenation. By honoring this quiet, we allow ourselves to rest, reflect, and prepare for the renewal that comes with the return of light.

Shadow work: Consider journaling or reflecting on any aspects of yourself that you’ve been avoiding, neglecting,or trying to cure yourself of--and use this time to embrace those parts and guide you toward deeper understanding of yourself. Here are over 15 prompts to help.
Listen to the Silence: Sometimes, just listening to the sounds of silence can be calming. If it’s safe, sit by an open window or on your porch and listen to the sounds of the night—maybe wind rustling the trees or the quiet hum of the world outside.
Screen detox: Try putting your phone to 'sleep' at a certain time each night and instead of distracting yourself from the boredom with your electronics, see if you can lean a little more into it.

4. Fire:

Fire is a central theme of the Winter Solstice, symbolizing light, warmth, and the sun's return. Offering comfort and renewal during the darkest part of the year, the fire reminds us of hope as the days start to grow longer.

Candle Ritual: Write down what you want to release on paper, then burn it safely in a candle flame. Watch the paper burn as a symbolic gesture of letting go.
Incense Burning: Light incense as a metaphor for transformation, allowing the smoke to carry away what no longer serves you.
Letting Go Ceremony: (perfect for those who don't want to mess with fire) Write down what you want to let go of on small strips of paper and place inside a "burning bowl" journal page. Get our downloadable PDF here.
Window bathe: Sitting by a window, you can bask in the glow of sun's warmth, reflecting on the transformative power of fire. Let it remind you of your own inner light as well.
Bake something: Use the fire of your oven to bake something nourishing and hearty, like cardamom buns; or make cookies made with warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

5. Gratitude:

As the darkness gives way to the return of light, the solstice encourages a shift toward appreciation for the small joys, personal growth, and the cycles of nature.

Gratitude journal: Take a moment to write down things you’re thankful for. Acknowledge what went right this year, no matter how big or small.
Send a Gratitude Card: Sometimes a simple handwritten note can have a huge impact. Send a card or note to a friend, family member, or loved one, letting them know how much you appreciate them.
Walk in Nature with Gratitude: Take a mindful walk outside, focusing on the beauty around you. As you walk, think about things you are grateful for.
Challah bread: Weave a little hope into your loaf as you reflect on the things you are grateful for and looking forward to in the coming year.

The Winter Solstice can be such a beautiful, grounding celebration, especially if you're feeling a bit lost after leaving religion. It’s like a natural pause—a moment to honor the quiet, the darkness, and the space to reset. The perfect way to reconnect to yourself! And we can't think of a better time when we need to be reminded that even after the darkest times, light returns.