Yuletide Night

We had a great midwinter here. There was beef stew, chocolate/banana trifle, fresh beer bread and wassail to feast upon and while it was relatively warm, we went ahead and lit the fire anyway. We exchanged a single simple gift and then I went off to sit by the candle light of my altar for a while.

I lit my white candle and welcomed back the reborn sun. I gave thanks to the darkness for holding me close and allowing me to see things unseen by the harsh bright light and asked that it continue to teach me, for it would always be welcome.

I lit the red candle and bid farewell to the fallen King of Holly and lit green to welcome the King of Oak. Then I sat in quiet contemplation of what I would like to see happen in the next 12 months; as Yule is a celebration of rebirth I like to think of the things I'd change in order to be 'reborn' myself. I lit the candles to seal my resolutions and shared some wine with the spirits and kings. I left the candles burning and went outside beneath the cloudy night to leave my offerings to the woods and the spirits.

Still being fairly early by Yule standards, we sat down to watch some of our favorite Christmas movies and I fell asleep on the couch, curled up with my love and the kitties.