A Poem for Christmas Eve

I mentioned on Twitter on Sunday that I was looking for ideas to honor the Winter Solstice. I found some wonderful resources on Waverly Fitzgerald's School of the Seasons website, including some winter poems. One of the poems I read at our solstice dinner, but it's really better suited for today.

May you find some moments of quiet reflection today to savor this magical time. And I wish you and your family a blessed holiday!

Between Darkness and Light

by John Matthews

It is within the darkness and the silence

That the magic of Christmas starts;

Somewhere between the glimmer of lights

And the first breathless moment

When children come

Stumbling like new-born angels

Into morning light.

Within the darkness and the silence

We sit, watching wonder

Evolve into form; where we

Enter the ringing silence

In which the first bells of Christmas

Sound the music of the soul;

Where the morning joy begins

With a single carol

To a half-forgotten tune.

It is here, between the darkness

And the light,

That we wait, uncertain,

Seeking the moment

That challenges us to believe

In a freshly minted miracle

Born every Christmas Day.

From The Winter Solstice, Quest 1998 

Tell me, where does the magic of your holiday traditions start for you?