Hey Friends,
This is going to be my final post until after Christmas, — and possibly even the New Year, we’ll see how loquacious I feel during that black hole of a time suck between the two holidays — so I want to take this opportunity to wish y’all a very Merry and Happy Everything.
I also want to thank you for being here with me. I cherish the connections I’ve made through this newsletter. I’m grateful for this space to share the intricate, intimate thoughts that only ever find their way out of my mind via the written word, and for everyone reading.
This has to be a quick one because it’s one week til Christmas and we’re getting ready for another storm. But I want to take a moment to share how I celebrate this time of year.
How I Celebrate the Winter Solstice
My holiday celebration begins with the winter solstice and lasts through New Year’s Day. Before I get into how I plan to celebrate this year, let me clear something up:
I do celebrate Christmas, I just kind of hate how commercialized and loud it is. As my last post may have suggested, I was raised Christian (Lutheran). My experience growing up Christian was very positive, so much so that I credit it with my deep connection to spirituality today.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, witchcraft is not a religion. Wicca is a religion, and I don’t know very much about it. I’m not Wiccan.
My religious views are a combination of Christianity, Buddhism, Paganism, and Jedi.
Part of my religious upbringing included learning from a young, progressive, and very supportive pastor who encouraged me to ask questions, challenge standard practices, and build a relationship with God/dess rather than the system of worship. He left shortly after my confirmation to go study at Harvard and then got a Ph.D. at Penn. I lucked out in the mentor department.
That’s enough background, let’s get into it:
My winter festivities focus on the Pagan celebration of Yule and honoring the winter solstice — the darkest, shortest day of the year. It’s the midnight of the year. From here on, the sun will rise a little bit earlier and set later every day.
But as you may know, it’s always darkest (and coldest) before the dawn, and we have a ways to go til summer. As such, my solstice practices center around the return of light and the beginning of a new cycle.
Here are some things I’ve done in the past/plan to do this year:
🌲 Watch the sunrise and/or set
🌲 Rally with friends for a winter gathering that doesn’t include cookies or ugly sweaters
🌲 Hike (night hikes in the snow are great if there’s enough moonlight)
🌲 Light candles, pull tarot cards, drink tea, cast spells, and other witchy things I’d do any given Thursday
🌲 Decorate my home with evergreen branches, pinecones, holly, and dehydrated citrus (it looks like the sun and smells divine)
🌲 Decorate a tree (yes, your big, bedazzled tree is witchcraft — don’t get me started on “Easter” eggs)
🌲 Set intentions for the year ahead and burn what needs to be left behind
🌲 Try to stay up all night (this never happens)
🌲 Clean (always) and donate/toss what doesn’t get used
🌲 Exchange gifts — J and I usually open at least one gift on the solstice, but we’re exchanging all of them this year because we’ll be spending actual Christmas/Eve with family in NJ and CT and don’t want to cram our gifts in the car with all the dogs and my turtle
FUN FACT: Kids in Spain get to take care of a giant log in the weeks leading up to Christmas. If they do a good job, the log will poop out presents for them. It’s true. Google it.
That’s all for now, loves. I’ll leave you with some links to bring you extra cheer.
Happy holidays and thanks for reading!
Xoxo Lauren
Things I Love This Week
This NY Times profile on Michael Stipe is so good, and I feel like most creative people can relate in some way
My last post talked about my feelings surrounding the first anniversary of Hayley’s passing. I found this podcast on Rethinking the 5 Stages of Grief helpful and insightful
Do you love a fat, sarcastic feline as much as I do? You might dig Garfield’s Christmas Special