Well, it happened. The holidays caught up with me and reminded me that I’m a nasty procrastinator. Or it could have possibly been a gentle reminder that I have too much on my plate right now. Perspective, right? Anyway, while I promised that I would continue my series on the Author’s People, I regret to say that I didn’t have time to put together a proper post on that subject. It is still coming… in January… when I have nothing else to do but tap away on my keyboard because the snow is piled up outside and the world has slipped into an oblivion of debilitating cold, unforgiving ice, and deadly sleet. (It will happen, trust me. We haven’t received a full reprieve on winter no matter how it feels at the moment.)

However, I’ve decided that not getting the original post done isn’t really a bad thing. It will, after all, give me the opportunity to give you all a quick holiday post.

Historically (before the church got involved) the season we’re about to celebrate was the welcoming of winter solstice. The season ran from mid-December to February—the famine months—and the onset of this was “celebrated” by doing all kinds of things to prepare for misadventure. Cattle was slaughtered for food (and to save having to feed them during a time when that could prove difficult), wine and beer that had spent the months from harvest until now fermenting were bottled up, and sacrifices were made to ensure that the next couple of months went smoothly and that the gods didn’t forget to wake everything back up in the spring.

The pagan Scandinavian and Germanic people of northern Europe celebrated (and perhaps still do) a mid-winter holiday called Yule. A lot of what we know as Christmas traditions: the Christmas tree, the wreath, the Yule log, come from our earlier inventors of Yule customs.

There is a Syrian god who later became the chief god of Emperor Aurelian’s Roman Empire, named “Sol Invictus” who is celebrated on December 25th. That’s the date that Mithra gave birth to him in a deep dark cave, and foretold his ability to bring light to the word. (Wait a minute… that sounds a bit… all right, who plagiarized the Mithra/Sol Invictus story?)

Speaking of gods, December 25th is also the day of celebration for Apollo, Bacchus, Dionysus, Jupiter, and Persius. There are more. I know I’ve missed some or a few dozen.

The winter solstice is one of the highest ceremonies in Ojibwe culture. Alas, those celebration details don’t get written down or shared. They have to be taught to someone directly from a spiritual leader so I’ll have to leave it up to your own Google skills if you want to know more about them.

The Japanese celebrate the winter solstice as the turning point from Yin to Yang. There are a bunch of different ways to celebrate this, one being fire-walking. Interesting, but nothing I’d have the cojones to pursue.

My point to all this is that there are dozens of things to celebrate, and just as many reasons not to if that’s your choice. If you are celebrating, I hope that you have an amazing, joyous, and safe time doing it. If you’re not, I still hope you have an amazing, joyful, and safe day because you deserve it.

I’ve always been taught that the onset of winter is a time for reflection and consideration. What went right with the previous year and what went wrong?  What can be done to make the right better, and the wrong disappear? How will the next year change and what can I do to implement those changes? It’s a great set of questions to contemplate with some hot chocolate (or a glass of wine) and it helps set some goals and perspective for the upcoming year.

So here is my hope for you all during this holiday season: I hope you can all set aside a few moments to dwell over these questions and come up with your own answers. There is only thing holding you back from making 2016 a completely different, more peaceful, sweeter experience – and that is you. I hope this winter solstice brings you peace and joy and that any tears you shed in 2015 just made your eyes see that much clearer.

I also have a wish for you: That you find a clear path, a heart to confide in, and peaceful, personal growth in the new year.

My love and my best wishes for all of you. <3

Now, if I can be so bold, I’d like to thank some folks that were instrumental to my 2015 and that I hope will continue to be a strong source of love and inspiration in 2016.

Mom, Steven, and David: Thanks for listening even when you probably want to roll your eyes at me.

Penny: You’re a perfect fur baby. Thank you for your cuddles and unwavering affection.

Draw: You are patience and goodness. You remind me that all is not lost with humanity. (<3 x ∞)

Kelly: You are light and fire. Thank you for keeping my path clear and open, and most of all thank you for your warmth and solidity.

Sam, Megan, Sasha, and the editorial staff at LT3: Thank you for your continued patience and support. I don’t know what I’d without any of you.

Dani and the staff at Love Bytes: Thank you for giving me a place to speak and for offering not only me but this entire genre a place that is safe and supportive. Your honesty and integrity is valued and appreciated.

Frost, Quad, Wynter, and my Tumblr buddies: You are humour and cynicism. Thank you for making me laugh and ensuring sure that I stay woke.

My Facebook and Twitter friends: Thank you for making me laugh, cry, and cringe.

My Readers: Thank you for continuing to read my work and for all your praises and criticisms. Regardless of what side of scale your comments and reviews end up on, you make me a better writer. I may write for myself, but I publish what I write for you. Thank you for showing me that’s not a pointless pursuit.

See you all in 2016!

AF Henley <3

Henley was born with a full-blown passion for run-on sentences, a zealous indulgence in all words descriptive, and the endearing tendency to overuse punctuation. Since the early years Henley has been an enthusiastic writer, from the first few I-love-my-dog stories to the current leap into erotica. A self-professed Google genius, Henley lives for the hours spent digging through the Internet for ‘research purposes’ which, more often than not, lead seven thousand miles away from first intentions but bring Henley to new discoveries and ideas that, once seeded, tend to flourish.

Henley has been proudly publishing with Less Than Three Press since 2012, and has been writing like mad ever since—an indentured servant to the belief that romance and true love can mend the most broken soul. Even when presented in prose.

Henley’s newest release, Wolf, WY hit the market on October 21st and is now available at your favourite online book retailer. Check it out on Amazon, or directly through LT3 Press.

For more information please stop by for a visit at afhenley.com.