Happy Winter Solstice!

Plants that stay green through out the year have long been a part of Winter Solstice celebrations, even before Christmas!

The pine tree, the cedar, the holly and mistletoe, all testify to life's ability to survive in the face of hardship and death. They promise a new life to come.

In old folklore, the wren was a symbol of winter, one of the few birds that stays with us all year. Listen for this and other birds today and remember that the triumph of summer is sure to return.

This is the mid-winter new year, when the sun starts to turn back from its southward flight. So let's celebrate this solstice as a time of change and growth!