Source: The Recorder
On December 21, 2000, The Recorder of Greenfield, MA reported "people say that 'Christmas is for children,' and for Laura Wildman-Hanlon of Montague Center, so is the winter solstice." She explains that she hosts a "daylong celebration at her home [that] mostly centers around children," as families gather together to drink cider and hot chocolate, eat cookies, and tell stories of lasts year's holiday, with a candle being blown out after each child shares a memory. When the room is dark, they express their longing for the day and celebrate the coming sunlight with a "sun candle" and songs about "coming out of the darkness and of the returning light." Celebrations of the solstice, the point at which the days begin to get longer instead of shorter, are becoming more common. Mary Coollen MacDougall is co-owner of Tarr and Feathers, which sells gifts, books and Wiccan ritual items. She attributes increasing awareness to the rise of Paganism in the United States, but also to people's desire to be political correct and inclusive. MacDougall explains that she also celebrates Christmas because most of her family is Christian, and notes that although the solstice is her main holiday, "Christmas, solstice, Hanukkah--they all have the same themes of light, of family, of giving. There is the message that, in the time of winter, you need to share."
The articles lists several local celebrations of the solstice, including a winter solstice Celtic harp concert in Greenfield; the "Annual Family Solstice Celebration" in Easthampton with a bonfire, hot cider, music and readings; and a sunset and sunrise watching at the UMass Sunwheel with University of Massachusetts Astronomy Professor Judith Young.