Twas the Night before Yule

Twas the Night before Yule

The day before Yule was rather frantic as we knew we would be having guests and we did our last mad dash to get all the gifts we were giving made, the treats we were sharing baked, and the house in some semblance of order.
Gifts were given, tea and alcohol was drunk and a jolly good time was had. As they left to continue their travels and visits we got on with decorating the living room. Much grumbling and some fish supper later as a family I tried to get everyone to sing with me.
Mini witch was joyous and rather tuneful for the most part but TK just glared at me. Still the room was dark save for the fairy lights in the tree (growing in a pot from last year). Singing sounds of joy and tenderness reminded me of concerts and caroling as a child. Of Plygain. Of standing in a open courtyard with lots of other people, all of us holding candles and singing together. It was magickal. I feed all the house spirits and lit a candle in the front window in a lantern before I turned in. It was a simple act but felt meaningful.
I found sleep did not come easily that night. I luxuriated in the tender darkness. In the dreaming. (We all dreamt vividly that night too).
The grey of morning hung heavily on us and Mini witch got to open her first two gifts (if you don't count what she was given by our friends). In an unfortunate twist we had forgotten a few things and had to brave the supermarket. Suffice to say this was not the high light of my day.
After a simple but filling lunch I was exhausted. I went to nap but it took a while for sleep to take me and I awoke at the time I had wanted the bird in the oven!
When most of the food was in the oven or pan we sat together and watched Firefly. It was wonderful watching mini witch fall in love with Wash and Kaylee, but oddly sad too.
The meal was really great, though I forgot the pigs in blankets! For desert we had the cake and sweet treats made and given by PMK, which we worked out way through sat together watching Firefly some more.
It was quiet and peaceful.
It has been a weird year. I gained three students, who don't want me to teach them. The Old Ones are nothing if not ironic. Yet I suppose they have all come and gone for their own reasons and brought gifts and lessons too. I feel oddly at peace with it all. I will quietly keep doing what I have been doing, writing. If things are not meant to be, that is the way. I can not make other's believe in themselves, or in the work, or in each other. You have to find your own peace, not someone else's.
We all went swimming yesterday and it was wonderful and very peaceful. As I always do I prayed while floating to water and to The Goddess. We swam a great deal but I was not tired at all until I stepped out of the water.
The feast was the same as the first (sweet potato stuffing with bacon, spiced green cabbage, turnip and potato mash, baby potatoes, chunky carrots and parsnips with smoked paprika and onion seed salt, roast chicken, Yorkshire puddings, pigs-in-blankets and gravy).
It was as wonderful the second time as the first and much more relaxed as with the exception of the pig-in-blankets and chicken (re-heated with super hot gravy) everything else was just warmed through by TK.
This is how I imagined my second edition of the book would be. Simpler. Calmer. A matter of table dressing. It may yet be.Today I will make chutney and maybe some Hecate incense, eat chicken and stuffing sandwiches, make cawl for tomorrow and dwell in my own little world.

Bright Blessings xxx