Evergreen, an orange studded with cloves and a candle lit against the dark: this is my table on the shortest day.
Winter solstice ritual
I am Ivy, and the winter solstice is one of my favourite days of the whole year. On Monday 21 December 2026 the sun stands at its lowest, the dark is at its deepest, and from that turning point the light begins to come back.
This page gathers everything about the solstice at my table: what the day means, the old customs that still light up December, a small way to mark it at home, and Return of the Light, the ritual I hold on the day itself.
What is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice is the day the sun reaches its lowest point in the sky. In the northern hemisphere it falls on Monday 21 December in 2026: the shortest day and the longest dark of the year. From there the days slowly lengthen again, a little at a time, whether anyone notices or not. That is why people have honoured it for thousands of years. The darkest point of the year is also the moment the light turns back towards you.
If you live in the southern hemisphere, this is your midsummer, and the same turn holds the other way round. Wherever you are, the solstice is a threshold: a natural place to set something down and to choose what walks with you into the new year.
A winter solstice ritual at my table
Every year I hold Return of the Light on the solstice itself. You give me two lines in your own words: one for what you leave in the old year, and one for what you carry into the new. Each ritual is written into a report for you alone, with a check-in from me and my guide After Your Reading.
The solstice ritual
Return of the Light
Held at my table on Monday 21 December: one line for what you leave behind, one for what you carry into the new year, and twelve lines for the nights between the years.
€11.11
You want to step into the new year with open eyes
The Year Ahead
My End of 2026 Reading, my Year Ahead Reading and my Road Opener Spell in one order: what is closing, what is coming, and the road open into it.
€22.22
You want to close this year well
End of 2026 Reading
What this year is still finishing for you, and what changes before 2027, read for you alone.
From €4.44
Looking for something to give? Return of the Light can be a gift, and my page about a reading as a Christmas gift has more ideas. For the season itself there is my Christmas Tarot Reading, and for the moons of December my page on moon rituals.
What happens at my table
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You give me your two lines
When you order, you write one line for what you leave in the old year and one for what you carry into the new, in your own words. You can order until Sunday 20 December. On the 21st the page closes, and the ritual is not held again this year.
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I hold them on the shortest day
On Monday 21 December your lines lie at my table with evergreen, an orange studded with cloves and sunstone for the returning light, and a candle is lit in the dark. I speak the first line as already put down and the second as already yours, and I keep the flame company until the dark feels lighter.
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I write to you
Your report is in your inbox the day after, on Tuesday 22 December: what I noticed, what I worked with and why, and twelve short lines to carry with you through the nights between the years.
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And I stay with you
I check in with you, and you can always reply to my e-mail: I read it and answer you. My guide After Your Reading comes with every order, to keep.
How people have marked the shortest day
In the Boyne Valley in Ireland stands Newgrange, a great passage tomb built more than five thousand years ago, older than Stonehenge and older than the pyramids of Giza. Above its entrance is a small opening, the roof-box, set so precisely that on the days around the winter solstice the first sunlight travels down the long stone passage and lights the floor of the inner chamber. Every year a handful of people are chosen by lottery to stand inside and watch it happen. Someone, all that time ago, cared enough about the return of the light to build it into stone.
Later customs carried the same hope into ordinary homes. A great Yule log was brought in and burned in the hearth, and a piece was often kept to light the next one, so the warmth passed from year to year. In Ireland a candle stood in the window to welcome whoever was travelling in the cold, and in Sweden, on Saint Lucy's day, 13 December, girls in white walk with crowns of candles on their heads. I love that. Light, carried by hand into the darkest weeks, by people who trusted it to come back.
How I hold the turn of the year
Return of the Light is a quiet threshold, held in light. It helps you put down what you are ready to leave and gives your new line a warm place to begin. The year ahead stays yours to shape, and the ritual walks beside everything you choose to do with it. I hold your lines with the same care I give every wish at my table.
What people write after a ritual or a year reading
I am grateful for every word people send me. These are a few of them, exactly as they were written.
★★★★★She provides a very thorough and thoughtful explanation of her process and what can be expected. She's very attentive and warm, it was a very wonderful experience.
Tamara · Ritual · Etsy, September 2026
★★★★★Great reading with insight. Gave me clear direction of what to pay attention to when these situations arise.
Kelly · Year Ahead Reading · Etsy, September 2026
★★★★★Very kind, intuitive and a truthful reader.
Glück · Year Ahead Reading · Etsy, August 2026
★★★★★Wonderful and helpful insight when I needed it the most
Lara · Ritual · Etsy, September 2026
See it, feel it, draw it in
On the solstice, light a candle and write two lines on two small pieces of paper. On the first, what you are ready to leave in the old year. On the second, what you carry into the new, written as if it is already true: "I carry the courage to open my studio." Fold the first and put it away somewhere out of sight. Keep the second beside the candle, read it once out loud, and close your eyes. See the year it belongs to, and feel what it is like to live in it.
What you hold in your mind with feeling, you draw towards you like a magnet. That is the law of attraction, and the solstice is simply the day half the world practises it at once, by lighting a candle against the dark and trusting the light to return. Keep your second line in your purse or on your mirror, and let it walk with you into the new year.
Questions about the winter solstice
When is the winter solstice in 2026?
In the northern hemisphere the winter solstice falls on Monday 21 December 2026. It is the shortest day of the year, and from then on the days slowly grow longer again.
What is a winter solstice ritual?
A winter solstice ritual marks the turn of the year: you set down what you are ready to leave and welcome the light that returns. At my table I hold Return of the Light on the day itself, with your two lines, evergreen, a clove orange, sunstone and a candle lit in the dark.
How can I celebrate the winter solstice at home?
Light a candle, write one line for what you leave in the old year and one for what you carry into the new, and read the second line out loud as if it is already true. Keep it with you as the days grow lighter.
What is a Yule ritual?
Yule is the old name for the midwinter season in northern Europe. A Yule ritual honours the return of the sun, often with a fire or a candle, evergreen in the house and a wish for the year ahead, much like the Yule log that was once burned in the hearth.
Is there a ritual or a Christmas spell for the new year?
Yes. Return of the Light is held on the solstice and your report arrives on 22 December, just before Christmas. If you would also like to look ahead, The Year Ahead brings two readings and a Road Opener Spell together in one order.
Can I give Return of the Light as a gift?
Yes. Write the first name of someone you love in the box, add one line about them and what you wish for their year, and I send the report to you first, so you choose the moment. More ideas are on my page about a reading as a Christmas gift.
One last thing
Let me hold your two lines
The shortest day is one of the most hopeful days I know. Give me what you are ready to leave and what you would love to carry, and I will hold both at my table as the light turns. I would love to hear afterwards how your new year began.
Ivy
My rituals and reports are offered as spiritual guidance and for entertainment purposes; nothing is promised or guaranteed, and your own choices remain the strongest force. This page is not medical, legal or financial advice. You must be 18 or older to order.