Yule / Xmas

[Firecracker]

I know we have a fair few Pagans on here so wondered what you all did at Yule / Christmas?

Do you celebrate the winter solstice, or Christmas on the 25th, or both? I think this year (been the first that I can openly practise Paganism) I will probably do both, with the solstice been a quiet family afaire, just me, Dave and the kids. Do something to mark the occassion and also just something for myself like a ritual.

And then the whole family will be doing the normal Xmas stuff on 25th with gifts and big dinner.

Hows about you?

[iWitch]

I don't celebrate xmas or Jul/Yule as they are not part of my tradition. Being a long way from any of my family means I also don't have to indulge in any xmas stuff at all.

I do "sit out" at the solstices, but I do these as part of honouring my ancestors, which is not necessarily part of my pagan path, but a rather personal tradition.

[Sujee]

I celebrate both - Solstice either alone or with my friend and Christmas with my family a. because I love the season and b. because the rest of my family are Catholic.

I have the big dinner/present thing at Christmas and a quieter more reflective time at the Solstice. However last year it was the date of our work Christmas party so it became rather a Baccanalian event for me!

I shall be making the Christmas Puds very soon now, give them time to steep in the alcohol!! A bit late this year but had other things to do instead.

[Moongoddess]

I think I'm just a heathen.... I start celebrating as soon as decently possible in December and carry on right through to the end of January when it my birthday and imbolc

[Sujee]

Heh heh! Sounds like a plan and that is how it used to be when the fields were too frozen to work in...

[Carprimulgidae]

MG, think I will have to do that too I love it but it's all getting too hectic & commercial theses day (and worse each year) sound like a proper old moaner er

[Carprimulgidae]

MG, think I will have to do that too I love it but it's all getting too hectic & commercial theses day (and worse each year) sound like a proper old moaner er

[Carprimulgidae]

MG, think I will have to do that too I love it but it's all getting too hectic & commercial theses day (and worse each year) sound like a proper old moaner er

[Moongoddess]

Hi Carp, I got the message, you didn't have to repeat yourself I love the old fashioned way of celebrating....not into the commercialism of it

[Ebany]

I think Carp's been at the xmas booze already, he's got a serious case of the hiccups......

[Carprimulgidae]

only just seen this it happened to someone else in the week i seen they had two posts the same, must be a gremlin in the works

[Greymalkin]

Both. Yule is normally with other pagan friends at my house (we're all too wimpish to have outdoor rituals in December ) and Christmas is with my family.
Although my family aren't all that religious so Christmas is more of a time of being together and having fun.

[Daffodil]

I have often wondered about this. I have spent the last couple of Christmas's with my partner (now husband) and his three children (now my step-kids, but I treat them as my own).

The kids are really used to having presents and doing family stuff, with no bearing on any belief Christian or otherwise, but I would really like to show them a better side of celebrating the time of year without the more commercialised aspects of it.

I hope I am making sense here as it is something that I have yet to finalise in my own mind. My husband would have no objection to it, I think he has just gone along with the whole Christmas thing in the past as many do. I am not saying this is wrong of course, I would just like some ideas of how I can show a different side of things to the kids.

I have no intention of 'making them pagan' or anything like that. I wish them to find their own paths through personal research and discovery.

I guess I just want some ideas for alternative ways to celebrate. We already make our decorations out of things we have found, you know twigs and leaves etc. so they learn about how nature changes with the seasons, but I really want to give the whole episode more meaning.

The kids are 16, 14 and 12 by the way.

Oopse, I seem to have written an essay. Sorry, but I am really passionate about this and would love to know what other people do to bridge the gap between what is expected by the kids in terms of what their mates do at Christmas and what I would like them to learn.

[sea sprite]

Hi Daffodil, I'll be interested to see what replies you get as I feel the same. I have a 14 month old son, so obviously he has no idea about what Xmas/Yule is, or what it stands for, but I would definitely like to do things such as making our own decorations (I've made a wreath the past couple of years). An idea I have is that when he would be old enough to understand, I would ask him to choose say 3 toys that he no longer wants and then give these to a charity shop or donate them to a hospital or something. Also, getting involved in cooking and baking too.

As you say, getting out into nature and learning about the changing seasons is all part of it too

[Daffodil]

Thanks Sea Sprite,
I hope we do get some good ideas from this thread.