December: So Much to Celebrate!
December is like showing up to a festive buffet — it’s all you can eat/celebrate! This is a month when not being tied down to any one tradition has its perks….
Of course, I always start at the earth-based/pagan naturalist view because the days are, undeniably, dark on this side of our sphere this time of year. Luckily, most of the religious traditions this month celebrate light (imagine that!) Because so many holidays incorporate earth-based traditions, we rarely feel left out even though deities can be the focus.
Many insist deities must be the focus for everyone, which can be well-intentioned, and still, I think most of us can agree that holidays — whether they are in December, April, or October — are more universally about three things: food, family/friends, and fun. Why? Because that’s what humans want on their days off — nourishment, belonging, and play. Does this mean we can’t have meaningful reflection? Of course not! We can do that, too. Not a problem.
And if we don’t want to celebrate anything at all because the days of December hold no meaning for us — or hold too much meaning or grief or misfortune — we have no obligation to wish anyone a happy anything or accept their wishes if we don’t feel we can. That is okay, too. We’ll try again next year.
After all, what’s the point of agonizing over the “right” way to celebrate a certain time of year? We have to look at it all and decide, how do I want to move through this season, this time? After all…WINTER IS COMING.
So all I can do is describe what we’re doing this year and encourage everyone to find their own “reason for the season”:
Finding the light in darkness. Spotting the beauty in a colorless landscape. A cardinal among bare branches. A bell ringing in the silent snowfall. A spark of strength amidst exhaustion. Candlelight in a distant window. A sunny day amidst the cold months. A healing moment in weeks of sickness. Pops of color nestled in the dark foliage of evergreens. Fruit in winter. Treasures in ruins….
Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.” – Jalaludin Rumi
Hibernating our external selves and building up our inner worlds. Planning, pondering, reflecting, rationing, resting, reading, feasting, fermenting, folding, dreaming, dozing, cozying, closing, curling, waiting, layering, slowing, slumbering, wondering, warming, enduring, hoarding, sorting, storing….
…in other words, this is a time for Self-Care, no matter your traditions. December is a reminder that, for now, the world is cold, and it will likely get colder, and we must take care of ourselves in order to be there for each other. So whether you’re preparing to crack open your traditional religious text or a classic Russian tome or flip on whatever-sized screen to watch the second season of The Crown….
You do YOU.
Eat and drink and make merry — for one day or night, two days, or seven or eight nights or twelve days — light all the candles, stoke all the fires, eat at a Chinese restaurant, play all the reindeer games, spin the dreidel, donate dozens of mittens and coats, serve soups and stews, gather ’round the yule logs, cook and bake, give gifts and take pictures, go to a movie, deck the halls and hearths and trees and rain gutters with lights and stars and baubles and angels, hang the doors with wreaths and swags, shelve the elves, ring the silver bells, fill the stockings, eat a cheese pizza and watch a cheesy Hallmark movie, play in the snow, sled, sing in the streets, risk the lick of an icicle —
Or not — or just some of that, or half, or maybe none of it this year, or all of it pushed off into January (or July!), or escape on a vacation or retreat from the world….
Whatever you need.
Just be safe and see you in 2018.
