Top Ten Things to Do on the Shortest Day of the Year (Northern Hemisphere) December 21, 2012

Number 10.  You are alive and the world didn't come to an end…a little thanksgiving that the Mayan dude in charge of the calendar was wrong might be in order.

   

    Number 9.   Do some last minute  shopping…there is no time like the present for a present.

    Number 8.  Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate (cocoa) in the company of a friend and listen to a little old-fashioned Christmas music while you are at it…one can never hear enough Christmas music this time of year.

    Number  7.  Watch The Homecoming about the Waltons…it may just put you in the Christmas spirit if you are not already feeling it. Even if it doesn't do that it will remind you of a simpler time and and place in our history. 

    Number 6.  Do a little winter star gazing.  Wrap up warmly and enjoy the clear early winter sky with that someone special.  Before long they will want to come inside and warm up. If you live in the southern climes and can't see the Aurora from your latitudes, squint really hard and wear some colored glasses and imagine you are freezing your bottom off.

    Number 5.  Read a nice book and enjoy the warmth of a fireplace while you are at it. (I would suggest The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn. It is a great read and really enjoyable at this time of the year) This is a great read aloud books for the kids.  It is proof that he is real.

    Number 4.  Find your Yule Log, and get it ready for the big night, you will be needing it in just three more days.  Pick a big one that will burn all night.  For this old tradition from Finland you should honor them with a log that would keep them warm, and we all know how cold it is in Finland this time of the year.

    Number 3.  Use the extra minutes of darkness to enjoy the lighted Christmas decorations in your town. If you are lucky you will be find a house with the "leg lamp" in it like the one in A Christmas Story.  Maybe just maybe you can find the only  thing in the world that could drag you away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window.

     Number 2.   Host a winter Solstice Party…you really don’t need an occasion to have a party but this is a good one anyway. Invite your best friends over and put a egg in the nog and settle in to start listening for sleigh bells.

    And the Number 1 Thing to Do on the Shortest Day of the Year.  Remember, this is also the longest night of the year, too. J Snuggle up with your sweetie and enjoy the hours alone!

    Or,

    We could all gather 'round while you stick your tongue to a frozen flag pole. "I double dog dare ya!" "Go ahead smart ass!"