Winter Solstice symbolism

This is a backblip from Sunday 21st December, the date this year of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. It wasn't the earliest sunset, as that had happened over a week previously (and, in my experience, later sunsets will become increasingly noticeable over the coming fortnight or so), and the latest sunrise would follow the Solstice a few days later). This BBC website page explains it rather well: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30549149

Anyway, I realised pretty late in the evening (5 minutes to midnight!) that I had not taken any photos that day, a very rare occurrence. I saw this opportunity in our kitchen, which seemed appropriate for the solstice. It's a pottery sun face, that we bought in a gallery just outside Fishguard in Pembrokeshire years ago. And it is framed in the photo with evergreen vegetation from the garden, which we always use to decorate the house at Christmas. I like the combination of the sun with evergreen plants which, in Britain's pre-Christian past, might have symbolised hope for the return of growth, warmth and light at the darkest point of the winter. Happy Winter Solstice!