To me the Winter Solstice is the sign of a few significant events.
Of course it is the celebration of the shortest day of the year.
Where I live, in the upper Midwest the days get very short toward the end of December.
For me it is the official end of the year.
A year has past. I've accomplished many things, and I've forgotten to do some things. I've done things well, and not so well.
It is at this time that I can put all these things behind me.
The Winter Solstice is also a new beginning.
A time to look forward to warmer weather, longer days in the sun, and making plans for the future.
One ritual I've practiced is to write down on paper all my regrets of the past year, start a fire outside, and burn all the regrets in the fire. Burning them signifies that I am putting them behind me and starting anew.