My favorite end of the year holiday is the Winter Solstice. It’s actually the reason we celebrate most of the other ones. Ancient civilizations across the planet all celebrated the return of the light. They were star gazers and the night skies were their computers, portraying mythological gods, calculating their calendars, and telling them spring was indeed on its way.

It’s my habit to note how much daylight we gain each day after we pass this milestone, starting with seconds and rapidly growing to minutes as January goes by. My mood changes as the days lengthen and brighten. And it’s almost here.