Wish List and Celebrations

[feranaja]

I know many here don't really celebrate Christmas, but it's hard not to get caught up in the festivity, the spirit, the whole seasonal thing - meaning in the best sense of expressing love, getting together with people we may not see as much as we'd like, and so on - not simply the mass consumerism aspect which we all pretty much deplore. Giving gifts can mean many things, in times when I've been strapped financially I've made special cards (Nuhad can attest lol) and included an IOU for a reading whenever in the year they wanted one - gifts of course don't have to be material.
I wanted to know how you all celebrate Christmas if indeed you do - and for the Pagans here, how do you incorporate or balance Yule with Christmas?

Also - what's your wishlist include? MIne is pretty brief but predictable; I want the new Loreena McKennit CD (but I'll probably buy it myself) a king sized down comforter (I have a queen sized one on a king sized bed) flannel sheets! a few dog books (there are always a few dog books on the list) and assorted kitchen things...haven't really thought about this too much! I always like Ridgeback stuff - at our last local dogshow I got socks with RRs on them - how goofy is that? BUt sketches, notepaper, mugs with RRs, always makes me smile.

I will have a challenge this year since I am mourning my beloved Luke's premature passing but also keeping up tradition for the sake of avoiding depression and for my new pup and older dog, who loves her stocking filled with squeaky toys and cookies. I am also cheered up by baking, for humans and dogs - I make an annual run to the local shelter with home made treats for the homeless dogs there, difficult but rewarding too.

What about you? Will you celebrate or forego it all? If you celebrate, what do you wish for?> What do you do, traditional or innovative, or a bit of both?


fera

[feranaja]

Are you lot in denial or what?!?

Seriously - no one is thinking about Christmas yet?

[m1thr0s]

well, not me at least.
Xmas is not a happy thing for a lot of people.
It's always been a very difficult time for me and I pretty much can't wait for it to pass...

I don't expect it to be that way for everybody, obviously...but since you asked...

m1thr0s

[fr.novumorganum]

I don't really put that much thought into it. It comes; I visit the relatives; I drink and eat; it passes.

Although x-mas lights are cool

[m1thr0s]

yeah...the lights are cool. I'm kinda partial to the blue ones. trees all lit up in blue lights are nice...

m1thr0s

[Okazaki Castle]

Well, first off I want to meet Santa and be taken for a ride on his sleigh, or interplanetary spacecraft:



(136108) 2003 EL61 (also written (136108) 2003 EL61), is a large (roughly one-third the mass of Pluto) Kuiper belt object discovered by J.L. Ortiz et al. of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía at Sierra Nevada Observatory (Spain) and Mike Brown's group at Caltech in the United States. The MPC currently gives formal discovery credit to the group of Ortiz et al. Its two moons, rapid rotation, and high albedo due to crystalline water ice on the surface, make it exceptional among the known cubewanos.

Before the discovery of the object was published and designated, the Caltech team used the nickname "Santa", which stems from its discovery just after Christmas, on December 28, 2004


Santa looks like a bit like an unpained Easter Egg, in the Orthodox tradition, and so we can get rid of two xtian holidays in one go:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/90/2003EL61art.jpg/275px-2003EL61art.jpg

More on Santa, who does exist apparently (http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/2003EL61/), science tells us so. They just got his shape wrong and thought he was a fat human. Of course, seeing as Santa is two or three steps away from being Satan, their similarities are hilarious...

Personally however, I don't believe Santa exists, because I hold scientists in low esteem, and don't believe everything they tell me. They're serious grow-ups, and we all know grown-ups are terrible liars - look at the illusions (maya) they keep themselves in! How could we trust such people with anything, let alone knowledge of the true state of existence of things?

For my wish list I want:

Carla Smith
Tonya Meli
Angelina Jolie
Julia Chanel
A large house in Cyprus to invite all my friends over to
A large set of houses to accomodate them all in comfortably
A private jet
Emirates airline
The island of Sicily

More also, but I don't want to be greedy...

So, let's use that as a test of Santa's existence. Or Satan's. Hmm, now I'm confused. Oh well, guess that means I better go do something non-intellectual. Wonder what the options there are...

Happy Holidays!!
Oazaki.

[Dragon]

Santa as we know him is the conglomeration of several myths. the name itself (Santa Claus) is German for Saint Nicholas, a canonized saint from the 3rd century.

A good link is:

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38

The legend of the Yuletide Elf is another matter however, that is from Norwegian lore.

The Yule elf is called Jultomten in Sweden, Julesvenn in Norway, and Jule-nissen in Denmark and Norway. He rides in a sleigh drawn by a goat named Julbock or Julbukk (The Yule Goat). This goat is famous as one of the goats that started his career drawing around the god Thor. Now he carries the Elf to distribute presents in exchange for offerings of porridge. It is from this myth that the holly comes from, which is an important tie-in to the Holly God in pagan beliefs.

One last note on the pun Claws..

In Iceland there is the Yule Cat that likes to eat lazy humans that did not contribute to their village that year.
:laugh:

~D~

[fr.novumorganum]

this year they've been selling blue led sights...a really rich royal blue. i've got two strands wrapped around my baphomet shrine. I'll see if I can get a pic up.

[Sibylle]

We don't have much to do with Christmas, and throughout the season are more hermit-like than usual. This makes for a peaceful time in general. We do go to a holiday party at my husband's work, which is great because it's when they give employees a bonus. It's such a nice event and we like the people so much that it's actually enhanced the season. We also have a friend whose mom loves to entertain, and they always want us to come to their holiday gathering. Usually my husband is at work, but I go because these people really want us there and make us feel like family. Because of these two things, I like the season much better than I used to.

[Okazaki Castle]

So Santa is Old Saint Nick who is also of Elvenkind and likes to eat humans when he's being a big, cool cat? Man that is so much cooler than what they tell you in school...

Oazaki.

[feranaja]

Actually, I am looking forward to this year. Despite personal loss and suffering I continue to believe that it's important to emphasize the good. I have this darling new puppy who is the light of my life. And my friends in the dog community have rallied around to help me make the most of a year that will of course be characterized by a towering absence. I have a small get togetehr on the 16th complete with canine company. I have a Ridgeback party here TBA and a walk/lunch with my RR mentor and close friend Diana on the 22. I have the delight of putting up my beautiful tree(I've been collecting antique and folk art arnaments for so long I may need two trees very soon) and I'll bake and visit the shelter. I have this little angelic presence (if one can call a 16 week old Ridegback 'angelic' lol, i sure dont mean in the cutesy New Age sense) and I have my dearheart Lila, 12 years of companionship and love. Good friends and amazing dogs. I insist on some joy...and Christmas gives a focus.

I'm looking forward to it after all. I even brought out my CDs, now that's a hurdle for me, since as a musician I am so deeply affected by sound. I thought I'd just cry and cry, but some happy memories came through.

Still don't have a full wish list yet but...we'll see. Oazaki offered some inspiration..can I have Ireland? Ryan Gosling?

fera

[Okazaki Castle]

Oazaki offered some inspiration..can I have Ireland? Ryan Gosling?



Yes. :yes: :D :cool: Of course, the mortals who are in our way there may have to be disciplined first, or manipulated, hence why I got Satan on the job, cuz he's supposed to be very good at controlling materiality. Plus, he's got realy strong Personal Incentive Schemes.

The surprise, which you always get with Temple of Venus, is that Santa is, in fact, nastier. Fairly obviously when you think about it, because he is a Dark Elve...

all the best,
Oazaki.

[Forest Breath]

Fera I am so happy that you are finding things to be positive about and enjoy. I can see more brightness in your posts as the days pass. You do have a lot to be grateful for, sometimes one just has to step back and re-evaluate things to see them all. I am glad you are working on having a good holiday season.

[feranaja]

Oh, but you are too kind. Now remember I am a gemini and although not typical (I have Moon and Mars and Aries and Venus in Scorpio so Im not your average lightweight kind of a Twin - more Emma Peel than Marilyn Monroe) but - Sun Signs will out, and I get - romantically - bored of men quickly. I love them, I adore them - just don't want one in my face at 6 am...is that awful of me? I prefer romance and intrigue to arguing about who took the garbage out or waking up with deathbreath in my face. Give me a candlelit dinner and fireside escapades over a shouting natch regarding the phone bill.

I'm either insanely shallow or the Ideal Woman, since I like men, I love romance, but I need to live my life alone, and make my own way.

So if I can have Ryan, maybe I should make a more comprehensive list?

Of all her lovers, Aphrodite probably LIKED Hermes most of all. May the gods send me a collaborator and friend to love, as i've had it to here with Adonis and Ares - one version after another!

fera, setting sights on Crete now too...
lol...

[Nuhad418]

yeah...the lights are cool. I'm kinda partial to the blue ones. trees all lit up in blue lights are nice...

m1thr0s

Oooooo, the blue ones that look like they shouldn't exist on this place of existence? Or is that just me? :eek:

[m1thr0s]

lol...yeah...those blue ones. blue led lights sounds kinda scary though...not sure i am ready to be blinded by a christmas tree...

m1thr0s

[YsetEternal]

1) to visit f sometime soon
2) the new loreena cd (damn you, you beat me to it)
3) for my leg to finish healing from the fall I took on Halloween

[YsetEternal]

lol...yeah...those blue ones. blue led lights sounds kinda scary though...not sure i am ready to be blinded by a christmas tree...

m1thr0s

saw a huge fir with them on it on the way home from the cities last night and I love them...