Solstice Celebration
Our celebratory vegetarian meal was made up of cheeses, and hummus and crackers; a thick, vegetable, lentil soup; pumperknickle bread and cheesy-garlic biscuits and butter; and a dessert of baked apples served with either English custard or ice cream. We built a Yule fire, wrote down the things we wanted to leave 'in the darkness' of the old year on bits of paper, and then tossed the folded papers into the flames, freeing ourselves of the negative energy of our concerns, failures, and fears. The Solstice candle was lit, as were the four smaller candles representing the four directions and the four seasons. We acknowledged our connection to the Earth, nature, and our interconnection with all living things. Each person then lit another small candle, stating out loud a wish for the new year - something we want to bring into the light, either for ourselves or for the planet as a whole. We had fun. We didn't take ourselves too seriously. Our celebration is as playful as it is meaningful. Each person puts into it and takes out of it whatever they choose.
This holiday/Christmas season, the Winter Solstice provided our only opportunity to bring all the "kids" together for a holiday meal. The 'kids', as we insist on calling them, are all adults with busy lives, full-time jobs, extended family, and all the demands on their time that go with that territory. Top that off with their having to deal with post-divorce, second-marriage parental units and all the typical tugs on each end of the family rope, as we gently try to pull the kids over to our side without dumping them into the mud pond in the middle. Luckily for our mixed crew of lapsed Episcopalians (one with decidedly Pagan leanings), three or four confirmed non-believers, one undecided, and one practicing Mormon, celebrating the Solstice is an acceptable alternative to getting together, as a family, on Christmas Day. We mark our calendar and stake out our territory with a holiday no one else in the war zone will fight to take away from us. Rather than getting pouty, we got creative. It works for us; each to his own.
In the first photo, the glass cup holds our private issues enscribed on bits of paper, ready for the fire. Our 'wishing' candles were inserted into handy, biodegradable, food-for-the-birds candle holders. Like I said, we don't take ourselves too seriously, except when it comes to food.
Here's our baked apples stuffed with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon & clove, chopped figs, pecans, cranberries and raisins. And a good time was had by all !
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Wishing you all a wonderful holiday, whatever you choose to celebrate: Hanukkah, Solstice, or Christmas. Enjoy and love one another.
This holiday/Christmas season, the Winter Solstice provided our only opportunity to bring all the "kids" together for a holiday meal. The 'kids', as we insist on calling them, are all adults with busy lives, full-time jobs, extended family, and all the demands on their time that go with that territory. Top that off with their having to deal with post-divorce, second-marriage parental units and all the typical tugs on each end of the family rope, as we gently try to pull the kids over to our side without dumping them into the mud pond in the middle. Luckily for our mixed crew of lapsed Episcopalians (one with decidedly Pagan leanings), three or four confirmed non-believers, one undecided, and one practicing Mormon, celebrating the Solstice is an acceptable alternative to getting together, as a family, on Christmas Day. We mark our calendar and stake out our territory with a holiday no one else in the war zone will fight to take away from us. Rather than getting pouty, we got creative. It works for us; each to his own.
In the first photo, the glass cup holds our private issues enscribed on bits of paper, ready for the fire. Our 'wishing' candles were inserted into handy, biodegradable, food-for-the-birds candle holders. Like I said, we don't take ourselves too seriously, except when it comes to food.
Here's our baked apples stuffed with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon & clove, chopped figs, pecans, cranberries and raisins. And a good time was had by all !
:
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday, whatever you choose to celebrate: Hanukkah, Solstice, or Christmas. Enjoy and love one another.