We pause on this night of mystery, to tell the stories, to sing the songs, and to bring more light into the world.

We light this chalice, here in the darkness of winter as we wait.

Spirits of winter, I celebrate you!

Beneath the crust of earth, seeds and bulbs lay in store.

Darkness is as important as light.

December seventh, "Eight Candles" (1970). Malvina Reynolds was a 20th century Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, socialist, songwriter, and performer who is best known for her song “Little Boxes.” In 1970 she recorded the Hanukkah Song “Eight Candles.” It has since become a holiday favorite.

The changes that take place in winter are a kind of alchemy, an enchantment performed by ordinary creatures to survive.

Maybe hope is fleeting. It leaves and returns again; there’s beauty in its impermanence.

Hope continues, uncertain and true, like candlelight, ready to spark again.

Do not be afraid of the darkness. Dark is the rich fertile earth that cradles the seed, nourishing growth. Dark is the soft night that cradles us to rest. Only in darkness can stars shine across the vastness of space. Only in darkness is the moon's dance so clear....