Palmer Buzz

Abundance of Snow and Abundance of Dark—Palmer is jammed full of snow and dark right now. It’s tough to find places to store all the snow we have received. And for much of the time, dark fills in all the cracks and crevices. Snow is tucked into every horizontal corner and against every vertical structure. And in between is the lack of light. This will all begin to change next week. The snow will remain and probably accumulate but the dark will start slowly to subside. It will take a while for us to notice the change and increase in light. But there is hope and trust that Solstice is the apogee of the seasonal light reversal.

Solstice Plans in Palmer—The 21st is the day we begin to collect our light. Instead of continuing to lose daylight hours, we reverse the darkness plunge. And it is a time of celebration, both physically and metaphorically. In the Palmer area there are thoughtful recognitions and joyful celebrations of Solstice. Yoga studios, churches, farms, private parties, backyards and communal fire-pits celebrate “Here Comes the Sun.” These delightful events involving bonfires, candles and sparklers.

Winter Solstice— is really the best of times. The sun wakes very slowly and stretches low in the sky, allowing for more than one sunrise in most locations. The Sun (finally) leisurely peaks around 1230 and then immediately turns around and begins to nap and set simultaneously. Once again there are usually several long, lengthy, consecutive sunsets. It is a special kind of solstice light all day, which is weak gold in color. We are so fortunate to see this phenomena in Palmer; our bonfires and Solstice parties are genuine in our appreciation.

In Palmer We are Not Afraid of the Dark—It’s the darkest week of the entire year. We are heading down to the shortest hours of daylight. In the Palmer mornings we see 2 or 3 or 5 different slow sunrises as the sun slips behind mountain tops and pops out intermittently between the ridges. It’s an uncanny performance and—even if you have lived with it for 50 years—it turns us all on our heads. This week is particularly important because in just one week, we get to reverse that trend. Oh it will be subtle increases of light, but the pendulum of weather and light will have swung to the other side. Our planet will begin to tip back to the light and the deliberate change in axis is a delightful thing to recognize with Solstice.

How Do We Celebrate the Dark?—In Palmer, twinkly lights are everywhere. Christmas and holiday decorations reflect and resonate the lights. Bonfires and campfires are a big deal, even in the back yards. The Menorah on Main Street burns beautifully. The new and beautiful nativity scene glows warmly at the intersection. Lampposts are festooned with holiday cheer. Walkers, runners and bikers are lit up, along with their dogs. They wear lights and reflectors and reflective tape and collars. Candles are in many windows. All of these lights scare away the darkness. And there are fireworks, the biggest exclamation point of light celebrations.

Solstice Plans in Palmer—Private Solstice Light parties are planned with enough distance to keep things safe. Good warming foods are prepared along with party music. Ice lit luminaries, icicle flash lights, frozen glowing bubbles, a large fire (and perhaps some performance art applauding the seasonal shift), fireworks, sparklers, torches, lanterns, and interesting light sabers symbolically cut through the darkness. We are so fortunate to see this phenomena in Palmer; our celebrations are genuine and heartfelt in appreciation.

Palmer Yule—This old Yule tradition is celebrated with soups and sun cakes. Some eat dark chocolate and hearty stews. Some people in Palmer dress up in semi-authentic Nordic costumery and stride through town— as cool as all that. Large burn-piles are saved up all year and built specifically to burn on Solstice eve. If you have lived elsewhere than Alaska, perhaps Winter Solstice was a nonevent. But it is an event in Alaska. This event harkens back to the prehistory of colonization. Frankly, it’s my favorite private holiday where we gather together and yell and cheer for the sun to come back.

The Dark—We know that the dark is temporary. We accept that it heals. Sometimes it does us well to just stand still and absorb its significance. Instead of jovial jumping around party style, we can simply walk in to the dark woods, light a candle, and experience the shortest days and what they mean to us. This quiet retrospective walk is almost a prayer and always a rich moment of awareness.

Lights—There are many lit exhibitions all around Palmer. It warms us to see twinkly light in the darkness. Thanks to all the folks who have spent time and money creating these displays. In nearly every neighborhood is that ONE house who is lit to the hilt. Typically along dark areas of highways, there is suddenly a very beautiful and luminescent reminder of grand light which is both a gift and a comfort to all of us. We appreciate the sole lit Christmas tree, the string of lights, the main street decorations, and the sparkly twinkle fairy tree. Happy Solstice!

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff in the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz Column in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net or text 907.315.3222