Summer Solstice

"Do you always watch for the longest day of the year 

and then miss it?"

F.Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

I remember reading that line in The Great Gatsby for the first time and thinking, "Why yes,  I do! I always do! Oh Daisy Buchanan, we are so alike..." 

I LOVE summer and I've always wanted to throw a summer solstice party.  I'm envisioning something like a Great Gatsby-esque lawn party or a scene out of Emma or Sabrina or perhaps a pre-war Downton Abbey with a little bit of A Midsummer Night's Dream thrown in. I realize those are all drastically different, but to me they somehow embody a sort of mythical summer soiree in which an afternoon picnic transitions into a garden party and then an outdoor ball that ends with the birds chirping. 

Regardless, everyone would wear white and there would be lots of champagne and dancing.

Somehow the solstice always seems to be here and gone before I can get around to planning my party.  Last year we hosted a grad party and it just so happened to be on the solstice. When I realized, I pretended like I'd done it on purpose. Regardless, I was thrilled to get to spend the long evening outside roasting marshmallows with friends. 

Anyway, happy longest day of the year! I hope you're able to get outside and enjoy it. I plan on sitting in my backyard and eating s'mores with friends, enjoying the light!


Images: Downton Abbey, BBC's Emma