Winter holidays
baisleac
Posts: 2,019 Member
Just celebrated Samhain yesterday. I use astronomical cross-quarter dates rather than the standard calendar ones.
Thanksgiving is always at my parents, so not a lot of planning there for me.
But I'm looking for some new Yule ideas. We do the regular candle lightings, welcoming back the sun ritual, tree and gifts, etc. But I have a 2.5 year old now and have no clue for fun ideas for her.
Thanksgiving is always at my parents, so not a lot of planning there for me.
But I'm looking for some new Yule ideas. We do the regular candle lightings, welcoming back the sun ritual, tree and gifts, etc. But I have a 2.5 year old now and have no clue for fun ideas for her.
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Making a Yule log was really fun for my boys. I had my husband drill holes in a small log, and then my boys and I would go through the yard looking for things to decorate with. We used ivy, holly, acorns, nandina berries... whatever we had. I used 4 mini red candles in the pre-drilled holes. It was pretty and sat on the mantle as decoration. On the night before Yule, we each made a wish and lit the candles and let them burn down. We did a welcoming the sun ritual the next morning and set aside the Yule log, which got burned in the first fire of the following year.
If all that is too much work, making cookies is always fun for any holiday.
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We host a Solstice/Yule party every year that lasts for 10 or 12 hours. It's more like an open house as it starts mid-morning and ends late at night.
Our traditional activities are these:
Everyone lights a candle when they arrive, adding to the overall indoor light, thus encouraging the sun to return (as it miraculously does every year :-).
The kids make pinecone bird feeders with peanut butter or shortening (for allergy issues) and bird seed. It's super messy but the kids really look forward to it. They bring it home in a plastic bag and hang it where they can see it from indoors.
Fire in the fireplace burns for over 24 hours.
People come and go throughout the day/night as is convenient for their families.
It's NOT a potluck. Guests are fed and plied with libations of appropriate strength.
Billed as the not-a-holiday-party-party. No dressing up.
I also put out books for people to browse through while they loll by the fire. Books on seasonal celebrations, folk/original holidays, paganism, the solstices, etc. There are more and more kids books out there that rock the pagan holidays.
If anyone in this group lives in the Seattle area and you'd like to come to the party you are welcome. Let's meet for coffee first, though to confirm neither of us is anathama to the other.
Cheers!
Wise Willow
AKA That Wordsmith0 -
The bird feeder could be fun. Cookies are definitely on the list. I'm going to try my hand at making edible ink so Daina can scribble on the sugar cookies. :happy:
We don't have a fireplace/woodstove so burning anything large is a no-go. :ohwell:
I'm in western Washington, but over on the Olympic Peninsula.
edit to add: I promise, I don't normally abuse the smileys like this. I'm in a weird place today.0 -
I also just did my Samhain ritual this past weekend with the group I work with. My family ALWAYS does something for Yule, and my working group always hosts a Yule ball, where we have a toy/animal shelter donation. However, not entirely sure what we're doing this year since we no longer have the space we normally do.0
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What are everyone's holiday plans?
We have the Xmas thing with both sets of parents this year (we have the only grandchild... so far); one before the 25th and one after (travel time).
But we're also doing our solo Yule thing... and we figured out how to fit a Yule tree in the living room. Yay! On the look out for toddler books and planning some baking with edible ink (for the kiddo to decorate). I even got the boss to let me leave early on the 21st so we can light candles at sundown (4:30ish up here).
A little closer to hand is the last new moon before year end (I start/end the year at Yule... it just makes more sense than Samhain to me) on Thanksgiving and we've had quite a bit happen this year so I'll be fasting the day before and we're going to do some cleaning/healing rituals that night (23rd).
Do you have any special things you do?0 -
I have 3 different homes I go to for the holidays. At my mother's and my father's (separated), we do Yule, and then I do Christmas with my boyfriend and his family. We don't usually do anything specific for the holidays, but I know my dad wants to do a Yule ritual and then I usually do gifts and dinner at my mom's, and then she does the Yule ball with PRANCE (the group I've grown up/work with).0
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We go all out for Yule. This year we are doing a small coven only ritual on the full moon and then I am having my huge Yule party on the 17th. I have created our own traditions in our local pagan community. And my yule party is one of them. I do a pasta feast (since I am italian). This year I am making penne alla vodka and chicken alfredo. Everyone brings an italian inspiring side, like bread or salad. I also make a huge crockpot full of mulled wine. We are expecting around 40 people this year.0
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Candles! Burn lots and lots of candles! Those big bags of votives in the tiny tins are excellent for this. They're self-contained and small enough to stick just about anywhere. I had a roommate who used to put them along all the picture rails in the living and dining room of our house and on the outside edge of each step on the exposed staircase. No kids in that house! :-)0
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We do the xmas thing with both our families, but on my side it's much less commercial. We do a gift exchange with one other person in the family, we pick names in October (t at thanksigiving) and get them a gift and stuff them a stocking. Then we go insane buying for everyone on the husband's side. We usually exchange one gift to each other on solstice night, light some cand;es, have dinner sit by our tree, and then I get up early, make a little thermos of hot chocolate or tea and go out to watch the sunrise.0
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