I've completed my winter solstice preparations, such as they are. They're limited to hanging an evergreen wreath on the front of the house as a nod to the ancestors who looked to evergreen trees as a reminder that after the winter solstice the the sunlight would gradually return and the rest of the plant life would turn green in due time. So the solstice was the peak of the hard times and better times were coming. Arranging evergreen twigs in a circular form represents the immutable circle of the seasons. In fact, the coldest weather in my region won't occur for at least another month, and then it lasts about a month, so my wreath stays up until the end of February as a reminder that no matter how bad the weather, the seasons will turn and I won't feel so cold.
Since I don't live in an apple-growing area, I won't continue the ancient traditions by carrying a libation of cider (wassail) out to an orchard on Twelfth Night, pouring some of it around the roots to encourage a bountiful harvest and drinking most of in the form of toasts to the health of the trees, in the process becoming sufficiently merry to sing to the trees.
