This midwinter, go toward the light

Last year in We R all In, we wrote about the origin of midwinter holidays that mark the shortest day of the year. For at least the last twelve millennia or so, humans have brightened the yearly time of extended darkness with lights of different kinds: oil lamps, candles and Yule logs in the olden times, electric bulbs more recently.

Even those of us who don’t celebrate the holidays can feel amazement – and a connection to the deepest roots of humanity, across many cultures – at elaborate light displays. In our homes, a single string of white or colored lights can brighten up an otherwise bleak bookshelf or table when the sun sets before 4:30 p.m. Even a spur-of-the-moment walk or car ride around the neighborhood will reveal spectacle you can experience only in the depths of winter.

If you’re yearning for a bigger binge on holiday wattage, here are three ways – one of them free – to light up your life in the next two weeks:

Holidazzle runs through Sunday, Dec. 22, on Nicollet Mall between 6th Street and 11th Street in downtown Minneapolis. Holidazzle is a holiday tradition that creates a free community gathering place and holiday destination for people of all ages to come together and celebrate winter. Holidazzle focuses on featuring local people, places and products that showcase the local food and art scenes, active lifestyle, local entertainers, and community groups that make our city and region unique and special.

Glow Holiday Festival runs through Sunday, Jan. 5, at CHS Field in Saint Paul. Featuring over a million lights, the Enchanted Forest, Vixen’s Zip Line, and Giant Slide, GLOW is a must-see experience. The elves have been busy gussying up the place with new exhibits to make sure your holidays are shiny and bright. Tickets ranging from $12.75 to $21.75 must be purchased in advance at ticketweb.com.

Magic of Lights runs through Jan. 5 at Viking Lakes, 2685 Vikings Circle in Eagan. Magic of Lights is a dazzling, drive-through holiday lights experience featuring favorite holiday scenes and characters of the season using the latest LED technology and digital animations. Experience Magic of Lights from the comfort and safety of your own car as you wind through the sparkling path of Viking Lakes’s new holiday tradition. One carload, one price ($25-$30 for a standard vehicle).

The 2024 winter solstice will occur at 3:21 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, when Earth’s northern hemisphere reaches its farthest point from the Sun. Following the winter solstice, days begin to  lengthen and nights become shorter until the summer solstice, when the cycle begins anew.