It’s the Most Wonderble Time of the Year
Wonderful + horrible =  wonderble. Yule is wonderful because I get to see my sister, who lives out of state. Yule is horrible because <deep breath> the fragile routine I’m working hard to build gets chunked out the window while additional responsibilities are piled on and hundreds of extra decisions must get made–like presents; I...
Finding Yule in New Traditions
Yule tidings! Happy Solstice! And YAY! — the world didn’t end today. I really didn’t think it would. But contemplating the faux end of the world got me thinking about other endings, too. Like the end of Christmas traditions as I embrace Yule. Let me explain. Many modern Pagans grew up in a different faith....
Finding Yule by Shopping Local
We princesses try to stay locally involved — whether its our food source, politics, or our Pagan practice. We also try to contribute to our local economy by buying local for our holiday gifts. The princesses are lucky to live in a town with lots of local gift options. And we like to do our...
Finding Yule: Lovely and Relevant Tree Toppers
People from all walks of faith (and non-faith) decorate trees in their homes to celebrate December holidays. While most decorations are easy to find, I have long searched for  something that symbolizes Winter Solstice and Yule to crown my tree. Especially since the holiday tree tradition is rooted in my Germanic ancestry! In my search,...
‘Tis the Season: Celebrating Yule
Thanksgiving is over, so I can legitimately put on the holiday music, pull out the garlands and set a date for getting a tree. (This weekend. Because why wait?) Yule (Jul) is the most important holiday of the Heathen calendar. It’s multi-day celebration that can last up to twelve days (“On the first day of...
Finding Yule: Online Sources for Pagan Holiday Cards
I grew up with shiny Christmases. Lights! Decorations! Crafts! Presents!* My mom laid out the works every year without fail. I still enjoy the pageantry — if that’s the right word — of a holiday-decorated home. Admittedly, I don’t have the chops (or the time) to pull off the indoor wonderland my mother created annually....
Yule 2011 – A Look Inside a Heathen Holiday
For those unfamiliar with what a Yule celebration looks like in a Heathen household (well half-Heathen anyway, TheScott being of the Catholic persuasion), GG and I decided to share with you what we did this year. Due to all the December festivities, TheScott and I hosted a (very) late Yule celebration this year. Growing up...
Blessings for Modranicht: The Meaning of Love
In a letter to the citizens of Corinth, the early Christian evangelist Paul said that love is patient and kind, and is not envious, nor boastful, nor proud. It’s a beautiful message beautifully worded, and like many people, I have always found it uplifting. I was an adult, however, before I realized what I perceived...
Share Your Holiday Traditions with the Princesses
Yule tidings, y’all! [Have we mentioned we live in Texas?] Today is the shortest day of the year and the first day of winter. While the sun will be spending more time in our sky in the days to come, his warmth will be mightily tempered by winter’s chill. As Jax said last week, the...
A Brief Introduction to Lunar Cycles and Pagan Seasons
A few weeks ago, our friend Bekki commented there will be a lunar eclipse on December 21st (thanks, Bekki!). You might be wondering about the significance of one or both of these events. This had me thinking about our blog. It occurs to me that we are writing about pagan “holidays,†without really explaining them....
