Yule, is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb. Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were “wassailed” with toasts of spiced cider.
— Yule Lore

Hat tip: egreenway.com

Hey! “Sun King” sounds like a great title for a song…

How did I spend the afternoon on the shortest day of the year? Hitting golf balls on a sun-soaked and unusually crowded driving range. I snuck the new (at least for me, they’re pre-owned) Callaway 3-wood and 5-woods lying naked and unguarded under the Christmas tree out for a little excursion (sshhhh! don’t tell anyone…) and I’m pleased to say I hit them pretty good. Definitely a different feel than my old Cobras, but I’m happy with them. There’s a small but significant swing change I’m working on and making some progress with; given that there was a 2-3 person wait for the PGA pro giving lessons (something I’ve never seen before) it looks like plenty of other folks thought the Friday before Christmas was a good time to work on their swings as well.

After all these years you’d think I’d get used to it, but the week before Christmas is the hardest work week of the year. Our clients are trying to squeeze in every software change they can before people head out on vacation through New Year’s, and because people are already on vacation there’s a lot of inexperienced client folk needing help. I worked like a dog this week – over 60 hours, so a couple of pleasant and carefree hours spent at the range were very much needed and an early Christmas present.