The sun is near its greatest distance from the equatorial plane, standing still as it were, on the Solstice. Tonight we turn the corner and the light slowly begings to return in the Northern Hemisphere. The Holly King has won, staying green even as the Oak King is bare and seemingly dead. The Saturnalia is upon us, and so we shall all decorate the evergreens with red berries and dance and eat. Hang the holly to catch the bad spirits on it’s tiny thorns. Hurrah! And Marduk will tame the monsters of chaos for one more year! Keep your candles lit, to chase away the darkness, as it is soon already on the run and we can only hope to make it go faster. Kiss beneath the mistletoe and no matter what you celebrate, feast feast feast! For we can find joy in each other and company even in the darkness which will soon wash away.

And, K, perhaps Vlad is a descendent of the Yule Cat??