LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

A Tupelo couple’s solstice celebration is an illuminating take on an ancient tradition

- KELLI BOZEMAN

At a single moment each December, Earth’s North Pole is tilted farthest from the sun, ushering in the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Ancient peoples viewed this occurrence as the symbolic death and rebirth of our planet’s life-giving brightest star, and they planned elaborate celebrations around this cold, dark night. They even seem to have erected monuments like the mysterious Stonehenge with this event—known as the winter solstice—in mind.

Thousands of years later, revelers still mark the winter solstice around the world. Right here in Mississippi, Tupelo’s Camille and Crofton Sloan have heralded this longest night with a memorable gathering of their own for two decades.

“In 1999, we had moved into a new house on a wooded lot outside of town,” Camille says. “December 21 of that year was a clear, frosty night with a full moon—magical! As a retailer, I worked late with Christmas sales. Crofton was familiar with the solstices and had built a large fire in a clearing in the trees behind the house.”

When Camille arrived home, Crofton led her down to his crackling bonfire. They sat together and soaked in what seemed to be an enchanted evening indeed. Before the night was over, they planned to repeat their solstice celebration on a larger scale. “Camille saw the opportunity to create her ‘signature party,’” Crofton says.