Saturday, December 9, 7-10:30pm, Whetstone Park of Roses Shelter House, 3901 N. High St.

The Winter Solstice — also known as The Longest Night, Midwinter, Yule, and Jol — is a day that human beings across the globe have been celebrating since the stone age over 15,000 years ago. It represents the shortest period of sunlight in a single day for the whole year, and in turn, the longest period of darkness.

The winter months to follow were typically difficult for early peoples. In fact, they came to be known as “the famine months.” Today, of course, winters aren’t so hard on our stomachs — quite the opposite for many of us! But our human need for community, connection, and celebration has not changed. And so, we are excited to announce that we will once again be hosting our annual Winter Solstice Celebration and we’d love it if you joined us.

Ceremony:

Instead of hosting a speaker this year, HCCO will be having a ceremony that helps to bring us together as a community and spend some time reflecting on experiences of the past year as well as setting intentions for bringing more Reason and Compassion into the world in the coming days and months. This ceremony will include some audience participation, music, sharing of stories, and other exciting things that we hope to use to create a sense of togetherness, inspiration, and hope. The ceremony will take place after everyone has had a chance to eat, beginning at around 8pm.

The dinner will be catered by Chipotle, which offers a wide range of dietary options for those with various restrictions and aversions; for dessert, we will be hosting an optional potluck.

Registration deadline: December 6.