Amid the festive buzz of December, with everyone gearing up for the holidays and Christmas, I find myself drawn to celebrating the winter solstice as well. It’s fascinating to think that Christmas owes part of its timing to ancient traditions, specifically the Roman festival of Saturnalia, which aligned with the solstice. For me, the solstice is a moment of reflection, awe, and connection to earlier human societies, best spent watching the sun dip below the horizon along the coast. However, with rain in the forecast for December 21st this year, I decided to get ahead of the weather and made my pilgrimage a little early.