*BUMP*, because it's a good thread and I think it's deserving.

A thick blanket of snow covers the ground
The windswept drifts stretching endlessly across the fields
A deep red hue of the sun as it sets
In the late afternoon sky.
The cloudless, bright blue sky giving way to a deeper shade
As the day turns into evening.
A scent of burning wood in the air, the swirls of smoke
Escaping from the chimneys of homes on the farms.
The late day stillness is broken by the sounds of laughter
From children arriving home from school,
Hurrying to get in some sledding time and winter play before supper.
Their excited voices piercing the relative quiet,
Muffled by the snow.
The school bus pulling away with a snarl,
Diesel exhaust spewing lazily from its tailpipe.
A farmer drives his tractor along the country road,
Hands, head and body closely covered against the chill,
Exchanging a wave and a smile with the bus driver.
Shadows creep ever so slowly along the snow
As the moon rises like a guardian of the night.
Bare limbs of trees seem to reach for the sky with their skeletal fingers.
White bark of the birch trees make them appear
More ghostly in comparison to their counterparts.
Yellow squares of light splay across the yards
From the windows of kitchens of homes.
Women baking fresh bread, pies, and cookies.
The mouth-watering aroma permeates throughout the home.
A new look up to the heavens reveals that
The stars have come out to play
Twinkling and dancing in the pale moonglow.
The timecards have been punched,
And the sun has retired for the day.
The moon has taken over for the night shift,
Growing brighter as the hours carry on.
A few young voices are heard on the night air,
The fortunate ones who did not have homework,
Getting a bit more time of fun in before bedtime.
Then, all becomes more and more progressively still.
As the world sleeps, the moon keeps watch.
A few wispy, spectral clouds drift by in the night
Like ghosts "just passing through".
At last, the sky slowly becomes brighter,
And the sun gradually awakens from his slumber,
Arriving to relieve the moon for the duration of another day.
The wind decides to make his presence known today,
As children finish their breakfasts and bundle against the cold,
Hats cover heads, mittens cover hands, coats zipped tightly,
Boots snugly tied, scarves wrapped around necks,
Heading to school to start the day
All over again.





11/23/08

Excellent MrMusic Bravo enjoyed it tremendously

Thank you kindly. Sort of a bit of prose. I don't write very often.

“Things About Christmas”

There is no doubt.
What Christmas is about.
It is a feeling from above.
And with our family we share the love.

It is about seeing a child’s smile.
Light up that is so worthwhile.
As they sit to unwrap a gift.
It surely will make your spirits lift.

To see them play with a new toy.
It will fill your heart with joy.
It’s the smell of pecan and pumpkin pie.
And it’s the Christmas lights that catch our eye.

It’s the smell of the turkey coming from the oven.
That everyone is sure to be loving.
It’s watching grandma kneading the dough.
As we watch others kiss under the mistletoe.

It’s going out to find the perfect tree.
As we watch kids slid down a snow bank with glee.
Then we get the tree home to decorate it.
First we must see if it is too big to fit.

You see Christmas is all of these things.
And all the happiness it brings.
I wish for each one these things come your way.
From my family to yours I wish you all a Merry Christmas Day!

K.L.M
11/23/08

Nice! Kind of like a "Night Before Christmas" feel to it.

Thank you very much for your kind words

Wekkum.

Time for another *nudge* for this thread.

Dear Santa I can explain is how my 4 year old grandson
started his letter to santa,,, I sat with him a huge
grin on my face and chuckled so hard inside, while
his Father sat in the background smiling big, I had
to remind my Son, yes my dear he is a clone of you
at 4 you too wrote the same letter,,, Memories of past
Holidays are always filled with warmth and some
tears...

Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas to
JSH/Mingle2

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."



VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

I remember times of Christmas past
The things we used to do as a family
The times we shared and showed we cared
And attending Christmas mass

I remember times of Christmas joy
The presents given so gleefully
Carol singing around the Christmas tree
And showering blessings which we all enjoyed

I remember a Christmas of selflessness
Sharing the little we had with each other
Visiting the lonely and keeping them company
And in so doing we felt truly blessed


I remember a Christmas of abundance
Looking forward to seeing eager little faces
Unwrapping presents made by loving hands
And mother's words gave comfort and reassurance

I long for those Christmases of the past
A time of pure and wholesome enjoyment
Christ, ever present in our celebrations
As we shared love and blessings amassed

01.12.08

Beautiful work BM

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It doesn't show signs of stopping,
And I've bought some corn for popping,
The lights are turned way down low,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

When we finally kiss goodnight,
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight,
All the way home I'll be warm.

The fire is slowly dying,
And, my dear, we're still good-bying,
But as long as you love me so,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

A slideshow video I made last Christmas. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoGFq_8im-s

About the Yuletide Season

Long, long ago, in ancient Europe and Britain, the indigenous peoples
Celebrated the Winter Solstice, Yule in many different ways. Ancient
Archaeological sites throughout England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the
Nordic Provinces, and the Germanic Provinces, have alignments with
This date, as do Aztec and Maya ruins and North American Native sites.
The one thing that is common among all of these is a small hole, which
Light shows through only at sunrise or sunset on the day of the Winter
Solstice.

The British tribes had their festival of Yule on this day. They
Decorated the houses with Holly, known to them as the "Holy Thorn" and
With evergreen boughs. It was traditional at this time to indulge in
Many sweet things, as this was believed to bring sweetness into the
New year. The festival celebrates the re-birth of the sun... The first
Step to a new growing season. This was the only day of the year that
The High Druid would take his golden sickle and newly made white cloth
And go out to harvest the "Oak Child" their name for the mistletoe,
Which was then used both ritually and medicinally throughout the year.
Mistletoe was considered holy, and never allowed to touch the ground.
The berries contained a poisonous substance, which in small doses work
Very similarly to digitalis in heart cases, and is an anti-cancer
Agent. The leaves, steeped into a tea, were considered a strong
Aphrodisiac. This has lead to the modern custom of hanging mistletoe,
And kissing under it to encourage true love.

The Yule tree is of Germanic origins.

A large evergreen was dragged into the house, and decorated with
Cookies and apples and wishes were hung on the tree with symbols, so
That the people in the house would have them granted in the new year.

The Gauls, a branch of the Celts, were the originators of the Yule
Log, which is still practiced in France today, and in some places in
Britain. The largest log available was cut and dragged into the
House. Yule continued from Sunrise on the Solstice, to the time the
Yule Log was all consumed. Merriment and frolicking were the order of
The day, and servants as well as their masters did no work.

When the invading Romans, with their new religion, (Christianity) came
North to conquer and plunder these people, they looked for ways to
Incorporate their ways into their Catholicism. Many of the Catholic
Saints were canonized to keep the followers of the Ancient Gods happy.
If they could not worship their Gods as Gods, they would be allowed to
Worship them as Saints, and that way the Church could control them and
Cash in on their accustomed offerings. Many times the invaders, in an
Effort to destroy the indigenous religion would build their churches
On the holy sites, thus getting the common people to convert, just to
Be able to worship where they had for untold generations. A tour of
Ancient Churches will reveal Sheila-Na-Gig's, Foliate Masks, and many
Other symbols of the old Gods, as the stonemasons who built these
Structures were Pagans, and would, knowing they, like everyone else in
Their area would be forced to attend services there, added their God
And Goddess figures, so that they could worship them while bending the
Knee to the Roman Church. To deny the church of Rome meant sure death,
By whatever means the local priests prescribed.

There is historical evidence that Christ was actually born in the
Spring, as there were lambs in the field, among other references,
However, the date picked for Christmas was December 25th, as that was
The first day following the Solstice that the days were noticeably
Longer, and the village priests would tell their people that the
Rituals of Yule had worked, and the Sun had been re-born, another
Theft from the Pagans. The modern Neo-Pagan, celebrates this holiday,
As they do the other solar and lunar holidays, with as many of the old
Customs as we have access to. Many do not use the customs that have
Been Christianized, but some still have the Yule Tree.

Santa Claus was once Papa Yule, who would leave presents and candy for
Good children. He was Canonized as St. Nicholas, as he was referred to
In Britain as "Old Nick" who wore Antlers, and dressed in skins, a far
Cry from the Modern Santa.

The Holly King, the old year, was killed in pageants by the Oak King,
Dressed as an infant, symbolizing the new year taking over, and the
Old one passing away.

So, as Yule approaches, and we deck our halls, altars, and our homes
With the Yuletide decorations, pause and remember the rich heritage
That this truly pagan holiday affords us. The old ways, buried under
years of deceit and oppression, still survive. Somewhere, deep inside
the collective unconscious the warm, festive memories of the ancient
past gather us all at this time of the year with warmth and happy
memories, shared with our families, both here and in the beyond.

~~Mylinda S. Gomez

I received this in an email posted it because I found it quite interesting. I do not know much of about this Celebration although I have Pagan friends in real life. Please, this is in no way a debate thread, let's keep it peaceful. Thank you.