DENVER — On Sunday, the winter solstice, people in Colorado and beyond are invited to join A Global Pause: A Night to Illuminate Grief, a free event dedicated to honoring grief in all its forms.
You can atttend in person or participate online to honor your loss and connect with others.
Hosted by Denver-based nonprofit LIGHT Movement, the gathering will take place at Unity Spiritual Center near the University of Denver, and also stream live online at LightMVMT.com at 7 p.m.
“This is our third year for a night to illuminate grief,” said founder Amy Pickett-Williams, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of the movement, who said holidays can be particularly difficult for people experiencing loss. “During the holiday season, it can be really challenging because it brings back times of when they were with their loved one, or even other experiences of joy in their life. And when that’s missing, there’s a piece of them that’s gone.”
Held on the longest night of the year, Pickett-Williams said the date was chosen for its symbolic meaning.
“It fits with the darkest part of our world, and it also recognizes that light is going to come. And we hold both. We hold the darkness of grief and pain and triggers and traumas, and we also get to hold the beauty of those moments of joy and connection and peace, and the hope is for that night, we’re able to bring and hold both,” she said.
Pickett-Williams emphasized that the evening centers on connection.
“The biggest piece, which is why we hold this night to illuminate grief, is connection. So finding people you can be with who can support you and hold space for you when you need that time to say, ‘Hey, I’m really struggling here.’ And so the night to illuminate grief is the start of that, where they can find connection with other nonprofits that will be there as well to support them, and then the hope is they will continue on after that night to illuminate grief, to find continued connection and support,” said Williams
Event Details: 📅 Sunday, December 21, 2025 🕖 7:00 p.m. MT 📍 Unity Spiritual Center, Denver (near University of Denver) 💻 Livestream at LightMVMT.com 💲 Free and open to all
Coloradans making a difference | Denver7 featured videos
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what’s right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice is an annual celebration of the longest and darkest night of the year that dates back as early as the fifth century. Let’s get back in touch with our ancestors and partake in one—or all—of these easy winter solstice rituals.
This time of year is always a major turning point, as each day after the winter solstice brings more sunlight, which is why this celebration is also dubbed “the return of the sun”. The winter solstice marks the moment in which each of the earth’s poles are at their maximum tilt, and this year—on December 21 at exactly 4:47 pm ET—this will occur. In astrology, the winter and summer solstice always take place at the very moment the sun enters a cardinal sign—Capricorn and Cancer respectively. And because cardinal signs are always motivators, movers and go-getters, the winter solstice can be a time of meaningful intention setting.
In Pagan traditions, the winter solstice is also known as “Yule”. This celebration—which happens somewhere between December 20-23, depending on the year—is made up of rituals that focus on the energy of rebirth, transformation, creativity, new beginnings and the release of unwanted habits. Find some of these potent rituals and practices to help you celebrate the winter solstice and make the most of this monumental turning point!
6 Simple Winter Solstice Rituals
Getty Images.
Cleanse & Declutter Your Home
As the winter solstice marks a switch from elongating nights into lengthening days, we want to make sure that we are equipped for the vibrant, free-flowing, and positive energy from the sun to reenter our life and our home. Remove any energetic blockages by cleaning out your home, room, closet, vehicle, photo albums, junk drawer, pantry, and anywhere else that you are accumulating stagnant energy with excess “things”. If there isn’t room for it, it has to go! This is the perfect time to donate, re-gift, and sell the things that are no longer needed and find them a new, aligned home.
Pexels. Tetyana Kovyrina.
Decorate Trees With Treats
The winter solstice is a perfect time to decorate a tree, big or small, for our animal friends that live outdoors. As there will be less time to hunt and forage, it would do birds, deer and squirrels well to find a tree decorated with seeds, nuts and apples. You can also bake orange slices and animal-friendly cookies to place upon your offering tree.
Pexels. Rachel Claire.
Set Your Winter Intentions
Our next solstice celebration won’t be until the first day of Cancer season in June 2023, so allow yourself to take some time to rest, reflect, and write your intentions for the season of growing daylight that lies ahead. Lighting white or red candles, unplugging from technology, breaking out a journal and pen, and taking some time to write your intentions is a great way to honor this long night ahead.
Pexels. Rachel Claire.
Set Up a Yule altar
‘Tis the season to decorate and bring joy into your home. Use seasonal berries, wreaths, garland, candles, oranges, apples, pinecones, crystals, golden discs to call forth the sunlight, and any other meaningful memorabilia that you have to honor this new season ahead.
Photo: Getty Images.
Decorate a Yule Wreath
Speaking of wreaths, why not decorate one of your own? Take an evergreen wreath to bring peace and prosperity into your home. Wrap your wreath with natural elements like fir, pine, cedar, yew, holly, mistletoe, juniper, and ivy. It is said in Paganism that pine will bring forth healing, mistletoe brings fertility and love, yew directly aligns to the season of rebirth and transformation, and holly can protect you and your home from negative energy. Once these have all been wound together, you can start to add your own magical touches like small ornaments, winterberries, baby’s breath, and more to bring it all together and make it uniquely yours. Once complete, hang on your front door to commemorate your solstice celebration and encourage others to do the same!
Pexels. Tim Douglas.
Host or Attend a Yule Feast
Dating back to the fifth century (that’s over 1,500 years ago!) villagers would come together to celebrate the winter solstice with a Yule feast. The practice of feasting before the longest night of the year was meant to make sure that everyone would be able to weather their long, cold sleep. Cooking seasonal produce, filling your home with the scent of spices and herbs, and bringing together loved ones is a way to warm the heart, home, and belly on the solstice. And if you followed step 1, each attendee could bring one of their de-cluttered and re-gifted items wrapped up to have a Yule swap! Encourage one another to dress warmly and cozily to encourage the sensation of the season that is upon us.
Together, we will cheers to a bountiful season and many warmer, longer days ahead of us. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to celebrate, but I encourage you to welcome the feeling of celebration into your life, your home, and your heart as often as possible.
For the Northern Hemisphere, especially the northern Northern, it is a dark, cold day – and the turning point of light…Winter Solstice is upon us.
The Winter Solstice is upon us. The Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice falls on December 21 at 10:27 p.m. EST. South of the Equator, this same moment marks the unofficial beginning of summer. Solstices occur at the same time around the world, but their local times vary with time zones. But whether you are in Tirupattur, India or Mobile, Alabama, it is an ancient and scientific key moment. For the Southern hemisphere, summer is about to begin and for the Northern, winter – and is the shortest day of the year.
If you are in Longyearbyen, it is twilight all day, where in the Antarctic Circle, the residents experience Midnight Sun, when the sun does not set at night. Humans may have observed the winter solstice as early as Neolithic period—the last part of the Stone Age, beginning about 10,200 B.C. It is believed Stonehenge, which is arranged for Stone Age people to celebrate the solstice, is another example of historic markings of the date.
Photo by Ron Lach via Pexels
Cultures around the world have long held feasts and celebrated holidays around the winter solstice. Fire and light are traditional symbols of celebrations held on the darkest day of the year. Here are few celebrations
Soyal is the winter solstice celebration of the Hopi Indians of northern Arizona. Ceremonies and rituals include purification, dancing, and sometimes gift-giving. At the time of the solstice, Hopi welcome the kachinas, protective spirits from the mountains. Prayer sticks are crafted and used for various blessings and other rituals.
The Persian festival Yalda, or Shab-e Yalda is a celebration of the winter solstice in Iran that started in ancient times. It marks the last day of the Persian month of Azar. Yalda is viewed traditionally as the victory of light over dark, and the birthday of the sun god Mithra. Families celebrate together with special foods like nuts and pomegranates and some stay awake all night long to welcome the morning sun.
Even Antarctica gets its share of solstice celebration, thanks to the researchers staying there over the long, dangerously cold season. While those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying the most daylight hours, in the Southern Hemisphere they are celebrating Midwinter. Festivities include special meals, films, and sometimes even handmade gifts.
St. Lucia’s Day is a festival of lights celebrated in Scandinavia around the time of the winter solstice. Although it is now meant to honor St. Lucia, a Christian martyr, it has been incorporated with earlier Norse solstice traditions, such as lighting fires to ward off spirits during the longest night. Girls dress up in white gowns with red sashes and wear wreaths of candles on their heads in honor of St. Lucia.
Top four ways most people celebrate winter solstice: drinking, complaining about lack of light, consuming cannabis, and prepping for the holiday season.
