Jól (Yule)

Now called “jul,” aka. Christmas

Lovevly sunflower,

Jól (Yule in English) is what we celebrated here in Sweden before Christmas (what we now call jul) came along.

We celebrated the darkest day of the year because that was when the sun began its journey back across our sky. It was a tradition of finding light in the midst of darkness, reminding ourselves that better days were ahead.

The holidays here today are typically very beautiful, filled with a generous spirit of giving and gratitude. The streets glow with lights, and if we’re lucky, snow covers the ground.

But somewhere along the way, we forgot about nature. We forgot the importance of recognizing and celebrating the light’s return. Most of the time, we want to forget about the darkness altogether.

Why is that?

I believe it’s because we struggle to see the value of darkness. We forget that it’s the retreat of nature that allows new leaves and flowers to grow in the spring. We also forget that the darker, colder season is what makes the return of spring so precious. If the flowers were always blooming, we wouldn’t even notice them.

As our ancestors knew long ago: without darkness, light wouldn’t exist. Celebrating that can make a world of difference. It shifts our perspective on life. Instead of trying to ignore or cover things up, we can recognize the state of our lives in the midst of darkness while choosing to celebrate that one extra minute of sunlight.

These days, most people in our country don’t need to worry about surviving the harsh winter. Yet it seems that comfort has taken some of the meaning away from us.

That’s why I want this post to remind us that we’re approaching some of the darkest days of the year, yet we can still celebrate the return of the sun. We can choose to see the light even when it’s hard to. That’s when it matters the most.

I chose to include some pictures of orange flowers here to remind us that there is life everywhere we look, even when it feels impossible to see it. There’s nothing wrong with recognizing the darkness of this season, but it’s also important to remember what it symbolizes and how we can celebrate the return of something beautiful. To ignore it all can take away the beauty of it.

God jul! Happy Holidays!

💚 Question: What reminds you that brighter days are on their way?