It's December - which means Christmas is nearly upon us.Yes, I'm Pagan, but I do celebrate Christmas. Christmas has always been a time to get together with my family, and I wouldn't miss it.
Yule, the winter solstice (21st December) is when I shall make my Pagan seasonal celebration. Rather like my attitude to Hallowe'en and Samhain, I enjoy both Yule and Christmas, but they mean very different things to me. Yule is a spiritual celebration marking the shortest day (and from then on, the returning sun), and my Christmas is a secular one, a time of family reunions and celebration.
This year I will celebrate Yule with the members of my local Pagan Moot, as well as a small solo ritual. Then a few days later my Mum and Dad and also my sister and brother-in-law (and their dog!) will be joining us here in Wales for Christmas. I'm really looking forward to doing the entertaining. We've ordered a goose from a free-range farm just up the road (don't tell Buffy & Angel) and I'm planning lots of other locally produced Welsh yumminess too. I've been splitting lots of logs so we'll be able to have plenty of fires in the woodburning stove. And I'm already getting excited about putting up the decorations in our lovely new kitchen-diner.
Three cheers for multiculturalism!
Hope it will be a really lovely time for you all. We're getting increasingly excited here in Somerset too - or at least a certain small person is.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your rituals and have fun with your family. Technically, me and hubby don't celebrate Christmas but we always seem to anyway!!! We treat it as a chance to get time to ourselves away from the demands of everyday life. That said, I can't wait til Christmas! :)
ReplyDeleteWell said! We also do both "holidays" so to speak. Yep, they mean different things to us as well. May you have a wonderful time with your rituals and family!
ReplyDeleteI love that you celebrate both! I am having a difficult time this year trying to work out my own slant on things.. being opposite on the wheel makes things a little odd . Can't wait to hear about all your celebrations!
ReplyDeleteMy mom just told me the other day Santa isn't religious and I realized she was right. So the Yule fairies come first and then Santa leaves gifts for our daughter at nana and papa's house. Being pagan has it's rewards this time of year. We celebrate twice!
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