The Day After

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Now that the madness is over, were in clean up mode here. Do you take your tree down today? Or leave it for the New Year? Dh just took it down for me and is putting it away as I type. Yay hubby! He may not get too involved in putting it up, but I can usually count on him taking it down.

Speaking of the New Year, what are your plans? I'm afraid I'm going to be boring and say there isn't any plans for me. We don't even drink alcohol that often. I learned my lesson when I was younger that a lot of alcohol and my stomach doesn't like to mix. Somewhere out there is an apartment with carpet stained with the evidence of my unruly stomach. lol. I was drinking vodka & OJ that year. Love screwdrivers. But too much plus a heavy meal earlier in the day just wasn't wise. And I ended up walking to the store to get more alcohol when midnight hit. So I wasn't even there to kiss my man. Bummer. I knew I shouldn't have gone to the store. But someone else who I don't even remember the name of convinced me to go.

Does anyone have ideas for a non-alcoholic way to celebrate the New Year?

The Holidays

I don't often write in my Book of Shadows. Truth be told I rarely use it. But once in awhile I write down poems, bits of information, and on the rare occasion a ritual. I do always write my rituals down, but they end up being burned most of the time so they can never be used again.

After I write, I usually end up looking at past entries. This one caught my eye not because it's all that important or particularly good (It's not really), but because it reminds me of better times. I'm not all that cheerful this year, but when I wrote this I was very cheerful and it made me feel a little better.

The Holidays
11/29/2003

Ah what a joyous day to be me,
The crisp winter air sinks down into your bones,
and soon the air will be filled with families singing a Christmas song.

To be a witch at this time is a gift.
A time to reflect, a time to relax,
A time to enjoy the gift we call family.

Now our belly's are full and we break out the tree,
Go shopping to buy that perfect gift for thee.

Oh how wonderful it is to be me.
A time to be a kid again,
The perfect medicine for an aged soul such as me.

Happy Holidays

SalemWitchChild

PBP: Yule & Family

Prompt: Winter Holidays and Family

This time of year, there are many different celebrations going on, most often ones that bring family close together. While it can be nice to see everyone again, it can also be stressful, when your family doesn't feel the same way about things as you do.

So, how do you deal with them? Do you simply avoid all talk of religion, even though the holidays can be very religious? Or perhaps it's just easier to avoid family all together....

If your family actually believes as you do, then perhaps these holiday gatherings aren't tough at all. Please, share with us how your Pagan winter family gathering go...

So my family is not all that religious. Though if asked they will tell you they are Christian. I think the only one that regularly goes to church is my Aunts and Grandmother. And I'm not on speaking terms with them. I have a live and let live approach. I avoid talk of the religious aspect of the season, and I let them pretend I'm celebrating Christmas. I just try to keep it as outwardly secular as much as I can. 





Magickal Graphics

Have a wonderful Yule

I know I've been silent on Yule topics. That's because honestly it's not a topic I feel inspired by. But I did have some inspiration to create this little festive Pentacle ornament. Isn't it lovely? My star making skills isn't all that great. Never have been if truth be told. But I think it came out pretty good. I hope all of you are having a wonderful Yule. And Merry Christmas/Hanukkah, Seasonal holiday.. Whatever you celebrate (Or don't) have a good one. :)

~Magickal Graphics~

Greetings, Love, and Light

So were getting down to the wire for Christmas/Yule. Man it doesn't seem like this year should almost be over. Wasn't it just yesterday I was a big pregnant whale eagerly awaiting our son? And now our son is 7 months old! He's getting big and doing new things everyday. He's such a precious little man. I couldn't be prouder!

This weekend I did a little bit more crochet work. I decided to get festive because honestly I'm not all that cheerful this year. I thought maybe it would help me get into the holiday mood. Plus it helps me learn more about crochet. Double bonus!

Santa showing off my crochet candy cane.

Here is Santa modeling my crocheted candy cane. Out of my huge stash of yarn I somehow do not have a good bright red. So I had to improvise and use a maroon. That's OK, after all they do make many different kinds of candy canes. It isn't perfect but it adds character! Somehow I got it turned wrong. Not sure where, but that's OK. I still like it. :) 

Crochet Candy Cane Tutorial 

Here is my wreath. I had this lovely festive yarn I just had to do something with. Isn't it pretty? I've also been working on a baby blanket for a very dear friend of mine. She just gave birth to her baby girl on the 14th. Congrats to BabyElephant! She is from the U.K. We are both members of the same dog forum. This year she sent me a lot of things for my son, so as a thank you, I'm making her a beautiful blue and white shell blanket. Though it's taking forever! The child might be out of diapers by the time I'm done. Thankfully I also have a back up. I've promised her my Moby wrap since I don't use it anymore.

Crochet Holiday Wreath

 

Well that pretty much wraps up my weekend. Speaking of wrapping, do you have those presents wrapped yet? Our daughter saw the tape left out on the counter and just knew I'd been wrapping presents. Do you put your wrapped presents under the tree? We do not because our daughter would forever be asking to "unwrap just one" every single day. So the presents get wrapped and hidden until the big day. 

Pagan's Holiday Terminology

When a Pagan first starts his or her path usually they become stressed during the holidays. You have family saying Merry Christmas while you on the other hand are still finding your Pagan self and getting a handle on how to celebrate Yule. Honestly, I've been on my Wiccan path now for 17 years, and I still call Yule Christmas.

Now, I didn't grow up in a very religious home. Though my mother is Christian she did me the courtesy of allowing me to experience the holidays in a secular way. The day wasn't about the Christ child being born, though I learned the story when my grandmother forced me to attend church one season.

To me, Christmas was about being together as a family. To appreciate one another and to welcome the end of a long year. It's still what it's about to me. So even though I am Pagan, I don't feel the pressure to use Pagan terminology. I know that what I'm really celebrating in my heart no matter what I call it. For me it's just easier and less stressful for non-Pagan family to reference it as Christmas.

I've always stressed to do what feels right for you. If you feel you must call this Holiday season Yule, so be it! If not, that's OK too.

Anyone else still say Christmas instead of Yule?

The Tree

We haven't put up a tree in many  years. The last year was when my cat almost hung himself. If not for my mother being there I would have come home to a dead cat. After that I just couldn't take the chance of him killing himself.

When we moved I threw away most of our stuff. My tree was apart of that. Though I think my mother saved some of my decorations. MIL offered for us to use her tree which has been sitting in her closet for many years. When her mother died she inherited the tree and decorations. She's never put it up before. These decorations are very old and some are hand made. So I'd just like to share some pictures.

Wyatt earlier today. He's pulling up on stuff and got his first boo boo right under his eye.

His first time seeing lights. I think if he could talk, he'd say WTF! lol

While rummaging in the closet to find the decorations Lance found his childhood friend. Meet "Wrench".

It's becoming clear why DH is a little weird. lol He spent his childhood playing with his monkey wrench. lol

The tree

Hand made Angel topper.

An elf

Hand made Santa

Sierra after all her hard work.

The Day Before T-Day

Magickal Graphics
So who doesn't know what to fix for dinner the day before Thanksgiving? I know I don't. Are you already cooking for T-Day? We are not. We decided it would be cheaper to just go to a restaurant for our holiday meal. Sure we miss out on all the leftovers, but at least there's no clean up! Do you decorate for the holidays on Thanksgiving or the day after? We never have! Honestly, I think preparing for Yule/Christmas before December is a bit...weird is the kindest word I can use. Maybe that makes me a Grinch. But I think all the decorations in the stores and Christmas movies on TV take away from the Thanksgiving holiday. Shouldn't Thanksgiving day have two or three isles of stuff to celebrate? And shouldn't it have it's own movie marathon?