‘Tis the season to eat holly, tra lala lalaaaaa yada blah...’

Every where I go I see twinkly lights, and the TV moguls are telling me to buy things and enjoy myself, so I guess it must be Christmas again.

Being a ‘Born Again Pagan’, this year, I will mostly be celebrating Yuletide, and the Winter Solstice which falls on 21st December.

I will be decorating my house with Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe, not because of an idyll from Victorian times, but so that the woodland spirits will have somewhere to stay during the longest nights until the sun returns safely.

I will have a tree up, but not a traditionally decorated one, (tempting though the idea is) as the original decorated pine trees were festooned with the bones, especially those from the spinal column, of enemies as a deterrent to warn people as to what could happen if they trespassed.

I will be lighting lots of candles and burning a Yule log in my fireplace to help ensure the Birth of the Sun again.

I won’t be going as far as finding a man to dress up as ‘Winter’ who I can then share feasting and festivities with before sacrificing him after twelve days of letting him do whatever he wanted (unless there are any volunteers) but any friends who come by to visit will be well looked after.

I’m starting to feel a little bit festive already. My card list is nearly done, I’ve started cleaning the house, planning what food to get in, and my video of Die Hard is on standby*.

If anybody out there hasn’t yet been affected by the shiny stuff and constant advertizing, they may like to see if my Festive Mind Boggler can help them get into the mood.

Merry whatever everybody....

* Best Christmas film ever in my opinion, and not just because Alan Rickman is in it, honest...