Beginning and Ending Dates

The beginning and ending dates for Solstmas, as a descriptive seasonal meme, are still under development.

2015: Schlepping: Began sundown, December 6 and Ends 23:59 on Jan 6 (solstmas calc v2.2)
2014: US-T-Day Beginning. Began sundown, November 26, Ends 23:59 on Jan 5 (solstmas calc 3.0)
2013: US-T-Day Begininning. Began sundown, November 27. Ended 23:59 on Jan 5 (solstmas calc 3.0)
2012: Schlepping: Began sundown Dec 9, ended 23:59 Jan 4.
2011: Began 00:00:01 Dec 17 2011, ended 23:59 Jan 4
2010: Schlepping: Began sundown Dec 1, ended 23:59 Jan 4. Oh Solstmas.
2009: Schlepping; Began sundown Dec 12. Ended 23:59 Jan 4th
2008: Began 0:00, the morning of December 17, ending 23:59pm Jan 4.
2007: Schlepping; Began sundown Dec 5th. Ended 23:59 Jan 4th. Oy Solstmas.
2006: Schlepping. Began sundown Dec 15. Ended 23:59 Jan 4th.
2005: First year of Schlepping. Began sundown Dec 7th. Ended 23:59 Jan 4th.
2004: First year of Solstmas designation (originated mid-Solstmas, around December 26th).

Solstmas is a new holiday term and meme to replace the many problematic, half-hearted, and anemic inclusive terms for the winter holiday period between mid-December and early January when non-retail business grinds to a halt in many parts of the world.

Solstmas is currently in draft mode, you can contribute! Solstmas is scheduled for live roll-out for the 2026 Solstmas, but is currently in beta testing. Solstmas is an open-source, community-defined holiday meme designed to be inclusive of every tradition and modern celebratory or slackful practice. It is both intended as a naturalistic descriptor of the period and cultural forms including Hannukah, Solstice, Christmas, Qwanza, New Years, business world nothing done-ism, humbugging, celebratory revelry and gluttonous indulgence.

During this beta-testing period, please see the Solstmas Wiki for more details and to contribute.

Between 2013 and 2015 a schism arose among Solstmas RFC committee. The 3.0 date selection algorithm that began the day before US Thanksgiving resulted in disagreement and discord. Date algorithm has been reverted to 2.01 : start = min(EruvChanukah, Dec11) and end = max(lastDayOfChanukah, lastDayOfChristmas, ThreeKingsDay, Epiphany)

As of 2013, Solstmas in the United States has been redefined to start on the evening of the day before Thanksgiving and ending on January 4th or, if Jan 4th is on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, the first Monday following the 4th of January. The schlepp appears permanent.

After a trial run in 2014, the "starts the day before thanksgiving" rule has been flatly rejected by all voting members of the Solstmas RFC committee. A new proposal will be finalized prior to the end of January 2015. New proposals are invited. The loss of the lunar calendar connection was missed by 100% of Solstmas users reporting back as of Dec 18, 2014. Complaints included that any similar solution to the definition would tie it too closely to commerical interests. Other possible solutions to the current problem is to define a pre-solstmas period or a Solstmas Prologue.

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Regarding complaints that Solstmas day-numbering could shift around, on Dec 5, 2007, Jon Hanna commented:

The fact that the numbered days of Solstmas shift dependant on assorted permutations of Solstmas J (Oy Solstmas!) isn't a problem unique to Solstmas. The numbered date of many other holidays--such as Easter, Thanksgiving, Hindu New Year, (and that trouble-maker Hanukkah)--switch and no one gets their panties in a bunch. Hell, considering that some Muslims still take the date of the evening of the first ACTUAL sighting of the crescent of the new moon as the first of the month, this means that if a cloud obscures the moon a month may be extended. Stormy weather could cause one Mussulman to count a different numbered day in a month than someone living under clear skies would count. Solstmas could be much worse off than it is.

I did point out last year on the wiki that the numbered dates as shown on the page don't apply during da schlep, and I amended that notation earlier this year to make it clear that 2008 was such a case.

Next year it all goes back to the tidy "regular" numbering scheme. Then 2009 and 2010 schlep, 2011 no, 2012 schleps (and really, after Solstmas 13 in 2012, we don't have to worry about any of it any more, right?), 2013 is a SUPER-schlepper, 2014 no, 2015 yes, 2016 no, 2017 yes, 2018 yes, 2019 no...

...you wanted to know for the next 25 years?

2020 yes, 2021 yes, 2022 no, 2023 yes, 2024 no, 2025 yes, 2026 yes, 2027 no, 2028 yes, 2029 yes, 2030 no, 2031 yes, 2032 yes.

That makes 16 shleppers in 25 years = a 64% schlep quotient. It is, perhaps, predictable that more of them would schlep than not, what with the determining factor being a Jewish holiday and all, heh...

Spooky coincidence that the Mayans end the 13th of their long-count cycles on Solstmas 13.

In any case, a fabulous Solstmas to all. :-)

-- Jon