Yuletide blessings to everyone as we prepare to say ‘farewell’ to 2024 and this holiday season.
Yule is a longtime term associated with the winter holiday season, which I’ve adopted as my customary greeting. My “Happy Holidays” go to was insulting some, so I decided to bring back the greeting our great greats probably used over the last couple hundred years.
There are so many holidays celebrated this time of year, and I want to honor everyone.
We begin our Yule traditions the day after Thanksgiving in this household. While many are out taking advantage of Black Friday bargains, David and I stay in and prepare for Yule. We put up the Yule tree, drag down the decoration bins, and dress up our home for the holiday season.
We went from THIS on Thanksgiving Day:
To THIS in less than 24 hours:
The first of December continued our month-long celebration of the Yule season with the lighting of our Solstice Spiral. One of our coven sisters presented us with this idea a few years back and ever since then it’s become the focal point of our month as we count down the days until Winter Solstice brings back the Sunlight and starts brightening our days again.
From December 21 to January 1 we have the origins of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Read more about the Twelve Days of Yule here.
This was the first year we officially celebrated only solstice in this household, for a number of reasons. We’ve been celebrating both Solstice and Christmas for the last 20 years, as our kids grew older and moved out, Christmas became less of the focus for us. The pandemic introduced us to the reality that the world would not end if the kids did not come home for Christmas. It helped us secure new traditions, and gave us room to heal on so many levels.
Once we light that first candle on December 1st the month flies by. This year we had our Tradition Yule party the first weekend in December.
We had staff parties and solstice and family DnD night to prepare for and the best part about it was the decision to NOT exchange presents this year.
That decision started with me and David as we have everything we could possibly want. I’ve spent the last few years purging and it made us realize how much we have and don’t need. The next part of that decision spanned out to the kids. We all went to Scotland earlier in the year, so that was our gift to one another. And it’s a gift I will treasure forever.
Not exchanging gifts gave us the opportunity to reflect on the spiritual aspect of this holiday season even more than we normally do. We embraced the concept of family and even pulled my sister and nephews into our decision to celebrate by giving one another our time and making memories, rather than spending money on things.
The best gift I gave to myself this holiday season was to take much needed time off from work for some self care and self healing, and to nurture Janina Grey a bit more than I have been lately. The results have paid off. I am almost finished with the first draft of LACED IN YOUR LEATHER and hope to be able to write “The End” before I head back to work later in the week.
I know I’ve been a bit silent lately, but there’s been good reason. Lots of changes and life events have been a bit overwhelming, and I’ve had to make a few decisions about where I am going and where Janina Grey is going moving forward.
It’s all good, I promise.
So for now, I’m going to sign off on this Tenth Day of Yule, and meet up with a few writing friends.
Tonight is extra special because as the Tenth day of Yule is all about protecting you and yours, it’s also A Black Moon, meaning it’s the second Dark Moon within a one month period. So we will be doing banishing and introspection efforts in full force, as we prepare to say good bye to 2024 and welcome in 2025.
Here is an article that best aligns with how I view a Black Moon. Some people are afraid of Dark Moon energy, but I was born under a Dark Moon, so it’s always been a healing and regrouping time for me. It’s a good time to look inside yourself, reflect on how you can heal, let go, make better the various parts of you and your life. Don’t listen to the fearmongers, let go of typical stereotypes and embrace the darkness. It’s easier to see in the dark, as you let your sight adjust and let go of fears, than it is to see after staring at the sun too long. It’s all perspective.
So to all of my friends, family, and fans, I wish you all a blessed Yule. May life bring you all you seek.
Janina Grey 