“At the darkest moment of the year, light is reborn.” — Starhawk
There is something quietly magical about the winter solstice. On the longest night of the year and the shortest day of the year, the northern hemisphere settles into the crisp winter air and the early darkness. Many mark this turning with candles, a hearth fire, and time for reflection, then welcome the return of the sun and the sun’s rebirth at the still point of the sun. This collection of winter solstice quotes holds that hush and hope.
This post shares 25 magical winter solstice quotes you can use in cards, home or party decor, journals, and social posts.
Winter Solstice Jump Links
25 Magical Winter Solstice Quotes For The Longest Night
Use these words anywhere you want to set a mood. Add a line to a card with a kind word and the touch of a friendly hand.
Print a few for table place cards at a winter solstice celebration with good food and tea. Share them on social media as a blessing for friends beginning a fresh start and a new year.
They work for quiet journaling too, when you want to honor the depths of winter and chart the light that is already returning.
When Is The Winter Solstice?
The Winter Solstice happens each year between December 20 and December 23 in the Northern Hemisphere, depending on the Earth’s tilt and orbit.
It marks the official start of winter and the shortest day with the longest night. (If you’re on the East Coast, timing differs slightly from other U.S. zones; check the first things you need [sunset time, weather, and who’s coming] to plan the perfect time to gather.)
In the Southern Hemisphere, this same time of year signals the longest day of the year.
Winter Solstice dates 2025–2035
| Year | Date (Northern Hemisphere) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Dec 21* |
| 2026 | Dec 21* |
| 2027 | Dec 22* |
| 2028 | Dec 21* |
| 2029 | Dec 21* |
| 2030 | Dec 21* |
| 2031 | Dec 22* |
| 2032 | Dec 21* |
| 2033 | Dec 21* |
| 2034 | Dec 21* |
| 2035 | Dec 21* |
*Local date can shift by time zone; check your city’s exact time.
Remember the balance. In the southern hemisphere, this date brings the lingering season of light, while we honor the darkest time of year.
The solstices are equal cause for wonder, whether you feel the warmth of summer or the cold of winter. As one Japanese proverb puts it, spring passes and summer passes, yet roots hold fast.
Slowestuff Seasonal Blog
Slowestuff is a seasonal focused blog so visit us all year long!
We cover solstices and the turn of the seasons all year, like our Winter Solstice Celebration Ideas. If you’re planning ahead, explore our Summer Solstice guides too! We have a Summer Solstice Celebration Ideas post and one with some amazing Summer Solstice Quotes.
We love all the seasons, so we have inspiration for all the seasons and holidays. Check out the seasonal section of the blog, plus each individual season to get all kinds of inspiration – Winter, Spring, Summer. & Fall.
How Do You Celebrate Winter Solstice?
If you celebrate seasonally, the winter solstice carries a deep spiritual tradition. Across time you find ancient sun worshippers, a kind of festival of light, Yule logs, and homes brightened by little Hanukkah candles. Some honor the nativity of Christ, others remember the birth of the Persian savior Mithra. Different paths, one feeling. On the darkest night, we keep watch together for the first glimmer that the light will grow again.
The season paints its own pictures. The yard wears a white quilt after the first snow and sometimes the first fall of snow arrives with dark trees standing guard. The color of winter turns the world into the life of the crystal. Now and then a hibernating animal stirs. Even in the barren darkness, small golden moments appear, like sunlight on ice or the flutter of a monarch butterfly in a memory from warmer days.
What are some quotes for Winter Solstice?
Winter invites reading and remembrance. These lines by Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, William Blake, Victor Hugo, John Steinbeck, Margaret Atwood, and more, that perfectly capture the spirit of winter solstice and remind us that the natural world and our own lives share the same seasons.
- “Tis the year’s midnight, and it is the day’s.” — John Donne, A Nocturnall upon S. Lucies Day.
- “Midwinter spring is its own season.” — T. S. Eliot, Little Gidding.
- “In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” — William Blake, “The Proverbs of Hell.”
- “I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.” — Oliver Herford, “I Heard a Bird Sing.”
- “Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.” — Victor Hugo.
- “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth.” — Edith Sitwell.
- “Winter solitude, in a world of one color, the sound of wind.” — Matsuo Bashō.
- “I prefer winter and fall, when you can feel the bone structure of the landscape.” — Andrew Wyeth.
- “Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.” — Paul Theroux.
- “Blow, blow, thou winter wind.” — William Shakespeare, “As You Like It.”
- On this longest night, we turn our minds to the waning of the dark and the rebirth of the Sun.” John Beckett
- “Winter solstice is a hinge of the year.” – A Druid Way.
- “The Winter Solstice marks the tide of preservation.” – Orion Foxwood.
- “Sundays too my father got up early.” — Robert Hayden, “Those Winter Sundays.”
- “And so the Shortest Day came.” — Susan Cooper, “The Shortest Day.”
- “One must have a mind of winter.” — Wallace Stevens, “The Snow Man.”
- “The night is only the light hidden.” — Wallace Stevens, “Man Carrying Thing.”
- “The cold passed reluctantly from the earth.” John Steinbeck, “The Winter of Our Discontent.”
- “To watch his woods fill up with snow.” — Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”
- “When the snow comes, and the wind blows, then one sits snugly at home.” — Hans Christian Andersen, “The Snow Queen”
- “I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.” Emily Dickinson, letter fragment.
- “A cold coming we had of it.” — T. S. Eliot, “Journey of the Magi.”
- “His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe.” — James Joyce.
- “The sweep of easy wind and downy flake.” — Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”
- “Winter solitude in a world of one color.” Matsuo Bashō, haiku
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What Should I Buy For Winter Solstice?
If you want to add a little extra magic to your winter solstice celebration? Check out some of our favorite finds to help you get cozy and celebrate the season.
Large Clay Mugs
Rustic Lantern
Chunky Knit Blanket
Pillar Candles
Crafting Book for Scrapbooking & Journaling
What Should We Focus On For Winter Solstice?
The solstice carries challenge and courage. There can be a time of pain, a taste of adversity, and storms like the strongest blizzards. There can also be new beginnings and the spring of genius that follows seed time. Many speak of an invincible summer within, the color of springtime in the heart, and the way light returns at the instant of the turn of the year.
Hold space for simple rituals. Brew cocoa. Offer nice meanings to toasts. Set one candle for the night of the winter solstice, then another for the night of December that brings December 21st. Let music carry you. Build a playlist that moves from first love memories to the beauty of the world, then close the book and rest in the heart of winter.
When morning comes, step outside and breathe. What felt like much winter yesterday now carries a promise. You might not see it yet, but the light has already shifted. That is the quiet power of this powerful time and its gentle message about the path ahead, a verdant future from what looked like the darkest day.
Winter Solstice FAQs:
Keep it simple. Light candles, share warm food and tea, write reflections on the past year, and set intentions for the new year. Many add evergreens, a yule log, and a short candlelight walk to welcome the light back.
It shows up in many spiritual traditions and also in fully secular ways. Some honor Yule, some note cultural festivals of light, and others treat it as a seasonal milestone that invites rest, gratitude, and renewal.
Try a lights-out moment, then relight one candle together. Make a gratitude list, place wishes in a jar, and enjoy a cozy playlist or story time. End by stepping outside to breathe the crisp winter air and watch the stars.
It is the longest night of the year and the turning point toward the return of the sun. Many people use it for reflection on the past year, quiet rest, and a fresh start. Candlelight, simple rituals, and intention setting help mark the shift from deep winter toward growing light.
Where Can I Find Seasonal Inspiration?
If you are looking for more ideas, we have plenty in the seasonal section of the blog! Be sure to check them out!
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Happy Winter Solstice!
Slowestuff
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