Let there be light!

There’s an old saying that ‘the darkest hour is just before dawn’ and certainly down in the forest there have been some moody and wild dark mornings of late. Those trees clinging tenaciously to their leaves finally gave up the battle over these last wet and windy few weeks and the pathways and woodland floor is strewn with leaves. There’s another old saying that sometimes ‘you can’t see the wood for the trees’ – not so at this time of year when you can see just about everything!

Actually all the darkness is pretty exciting for us woodsmen. After the darkness comes the light and that means that the winter solstice really marks the start of the New Year for us as the days start getting longer and the sleepy trees start to wake up and think about the coming summer. That makes the winter solstice a time of great hope and looking forward.

The word solstice comes from the Latin sol which means and sun and sistere which means still. Back in the day people used to think the sun stood still for a moment and then start its journey back. Now of course we know the sun always stands still and in fact the solstice is the point at which one of the poles of the Earth reaches its furthest angle of tilt away from the sun – which is about 23.5 degrees. In winter most of us refer to it as the longest night (or shortest day), although the actual solstice itself lasts a mere instant.

Scientists can calculate that moment in time, which may actually occur any time on either 21st or 22nd of December. This year, 2009, the moment of solstice for those of us in the UK, will be at 17.47 on 21st. From that point on the days will be getting longer and it’s only a few days to go until Christmas on 25th – which was originally the official solstice in the days of Julius Ceasar under the Julian calendar which came into force in 45BC.

Since Forest Holidays started Christmas has become a great time down in the woods. In years gone by the trees stood alone as we all went home to sit by our fires. Nowadays on any Forest Holidays site the forests are full of life at Christmas and New Year (and in fact right through the winter). The cabins twinkle in between the trees and the smoke drifts slowly up from the log-burning stoves. As you walk across the clearing and imagine people indoors sitting down to turkey and all the trimmings it’s all rather like being in a Walt Disney movie – especially if it snows.

Let there be light. It’s all about light down in the forest and, whether it’s bright summer sunlight or the twinkling of coloured bulbs on a Christmas tree, the forest loves it. And so do we!

If you'd like to join me in the forest visit Forest Holidays