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Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

And just in case I don?t make it back to the board before 2005.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

Merry Christmas
Happy Chanakuh
Joyous Kwanzaa
Festive Romadon

...and Yule, the pagan holiday of the Winter Solstice. Which I'm celebrating.

Don't forget the Seinfeldian holiday of Festivus.
A festivus for the rest of us.
Let the feats of strength begin!

Just thought I'd post an excerpt from an interesting article by a fellow pagan about what Yule meant to pre-Christian Europeans, and why it was important:

The idea of the Yule Feast is to celebrate the return of light and warmth is obvious... but there is more. Before canned or frozen food... before Super Markets... before 5,000 acre farms... long before all of this modern technology, our ancestors had to be very careful, or they just might succumb to the cold and dark of Winter. Food had to be harvested, in one way or another. Then it had to be stored. The Folk had to plan carefully for the whole winter. Sure, they might get a deer or elk, during a Winter hunt, but they needed other provisions as well, and a perilous Winter hunt wasn't always a guaranteed source of food. Winter was a difficult time for our ancestors, and often they did not survive the dark and cold. So why the feast? Simple... if they had survived to the Winter Solstice, then they would likely make it till spring... it was the halfway point of the cold and the dark, and the beginning of the returning light and warmth- they had crossed a major milestone of the year! Now the remaining provisions were easier to ration out for the rest of the winter. Whereas they might have been holding back on the consumption of their precious food stores before the Yuletide, now it was a time to celebrate with a Feast!

Originally this was a time to sacrifice to the god Frey for a bountiful Spring and eventual harvest. Our ancient ancestors did this by ritually killing a wild boar. This was one of the main aspects of the Mid-Winter Festival in Northern Europe. Its cooked flesh was then eaten at a great Feast. This activity was often combined with the burning of a giant Sunwheel, which was then rolled down a hill, to entice Sunna to return. This Pagan practice continued, in Europe, well into the 12th century C.E. When the wild boar began to vanish, they were replaced with domestic pigs, of which there was ample supply. Eventually this was replaced by a token offering of a Boar's Head, and apple or an orange in it's mouth. To this day, this ancient heathen tradition is still observed by many Christians at "Christmas". Many colleges in Europe present the "boars head" at the Yule Feast, as a long standing tradition. Today most Asátrúar will simply have a slice of ham at the Yule Feast, but in doing so they are keeping alive a tradition that goes back for many thousands of years... when to chew on a juicy piece of pork, was to ensure that Nature would become bountiful once again.

Besides the obvious feelings of joy and jubilation at the impending return of light and warmth... a great gift granted by Sunna herself, the Giver of Life to us all... it was a time to give to any Kin who might be short on provisions. Who might not have enough to survive the rest of the winter. Many were not always successful at the hunt or the harvest, while others did well. It was common to share your provisions with your blood relatives and "tried friends", at this time of the year... especially if they came up short on supplies. It was a matter of survival. Obviously, you would not give gifts to an enemy or to outright strangers. That kind of action might endanger the future of your tribe. It was a time to share, and thereby ensure the future of your clan. This was often the food given and used at the Feast. Another reason to Feast! Over time, the items given as gifts, increased and began to include things other than food. In ancient, Pagan Rome, gift giving became extremely elaborate and superstitious at the Winter Solstice. So much so, that failure to give certain gifts of quality and substance, could mean bad luck in the coming year! After the arrival of the "Christ", the early Christians tried desperately t suppress the giving of gifts at the Yuletide, because of its clearly Pagan origins. However its appeal was too great, and they failed repeatedly to stamp out this Heathen tradition. Finally, as they always do, they gave up and absorbed it into their religion... made it their own. Twisted it around until it no longer appeared to be Pagan. So next time you see all those people, lined up at the check-out counter of the local department store... their arms filled with gifts, chocolates, wrapping paper and more... a week before Yule... remember- they are participating in an ancient Pagan tradition!

I'm not of the same pagan branch as the writer, above (he's Asatru, I'm a Wiccan witch), but I agree with everything he says; though I look askance at the last point about taking credit for the commercial season. There's no way I'm going to want to associate my religion with a bunch of middle-aged women literally fighting over some $60 doll while children are starving in other countries.

Humbug

Originally posted by Bloodstalker
Humbug

Yeah. Double humbug.

Happy hollidays

merry christmas and a happy new year...

(is das hermit ode??? he has the same avatar as ode did back in the days..)

Originally posted by das_hermit
Merry Christmas!

Wow a Wesley Willis song that doesn't include profanity or performing lude acts with animals. Too bad he died a few months ago.

Merry Christmas, err... Is there any reason why I dont really care about presents lately, seems like it started at my birthday this year. Maybe its because im "growing up"

Merry christmas, everyone

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Here, we've kept things low-key, overall. My grandmother ended up paying a special visit to a relative in a nursing home about 15 minutes from our residence, and so I volunteered to drive her there, and back home. She went there with a present, and with paper plates filled with my mother's own christmas cookies, and fudge for the staff (who all went straight to work on eating that up).

When I came home, I came to find my brother watching one of the DVDs I had as a gift, but was for us all - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Special Extended DVD set. Loved that just as much as the first.

Of course, most of the time I was home today I spent enjoying the two Forgotten Realms accessory books I recieved: Races of Faerun and Underdark. The more I delve into the various peoples and intriguing aspects of this setting, the better.

Overall, it has been a very comforting holiday. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Originally posted by corsair
Merry Christmas, err... Is there any reason why I dont really care about presents lately, seems like it started at my birthday this year. Maybe its because im "growing up"

There's nothing immature about taking pleasure in giving pleasure to others, or receiving signs of their affection and esteem. And when we lose the child in us that delights in something new and bright, we've lost something very precious, IMO.

Here's hoping you've all received gifts in whatever form today, and that these gifts stay with you, comfort and nurture you, over the coming year.

Happy holidays everyone!
And a good beating for the 2 scrooges *looks at BS & Chan*

Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Happy Seasonal Festivities to all!

Things here have been quiet but pleasant... Then again.. after a good meal, several glasses of Sangiovese... and a few shots of single malt Irish whiskey it is hard to feel anything but fine
Actually.. It is hard to really feel anything at all