'Once every people in the world believed that trees were divine … and that deer, and ravens and foxes, and wolves and bears, and clouds and pools, almost all things under the sun and moon, and the sun and moon, were not less divine …' W.B. Yeats
Taryn Knight - There there, little friend.
The Shortest Day By Susan Cooper
Art by Valerie Greeley
So the shortest day came, and the year died, And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world Came people singing, dancing, To drive the dark away. They lighted candles in the winter trees; They hung their homes with evergreen; They burned beseeching fires all night long To keep the year alive, And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake They shouted, reveling. Through all the frosty ages you can hear them Echoing behind us—Listen!! All the long echoes sing the same delight, This shortest day, As promise wakens in the sleeping land: They carol, feast, give thanks, And dearly love their friends, And hope for peace. And so do we, here, now, This year and every year. Welcome Yule!
ANCIENT MAYAN TALE NORDISIZED. The myth of the man’s sadness ᚦᛖ:ᛗᛃᚦ:ᛟᚠ:ᚦᛖ:ᛗᚨᚾ’ᛋ:ᛋᚨᛞᚾᛖᛋᛋ:
A man sat alone drenched deep in sadness, so all of the animals drew near to him and said “we do not like to see you so sad” “ask us for whatever you wish and you shall have it” The man said: “I want to have good sight” the raven replied “you shall have mine” The man then said “I want to be strong” the bear replied “you shall be strong like me” then the man said: “I long to know the secrets of the earth” the serpent replied “I will show them to you” and so it went with all of the animals and when the man had all of the gifts that they could give…. He left them, then the raven said to the other animals: “Now the man knows much and is able to do many things…. “Suddenly I am afraid.” the serpent said “the man has all he needs now his sadness will stop” but the raven replied “no I saw a hole in the man….. “deep like a hunger he will never fill….. “it is what makes him sad and makes him want, he will go on taking and taking until one day Midgard will cry out” “I am no more and I have nothing left to give”. ✋🏻🎱🎱⚡️⚡️💀🛡️⚔️🗡️🐻🐺🦅🖤❤️🔥❤️💗🫀🔥☀️✨
’Twas The Night Before Christmas and by the dead tree Not a person was digging or harming a flea, The slow worms were tucked up beneath the old stump, And dreaming of spiders and slugs fat and plump. All the humans were singing and laughing indoors, As they stuffed themselves silly with treats from their stores. Then who should appear, with the folks in their homes, But some weed-loving, bug-kissing, bird-hugging gnomes. They settled their packs by the lichen-wrapped logs And they stashed tiny gifts for the moths and the frogs Where they slumbered deep down in the old compost heap, While visions of pond-skaters danced in their sleep. They roused the old badger, asleep in his set, And they played him a carol he would not forget. For the melody promised long days would be coming And spring’s beating heart could be heard softly drumming. And out of the dewdrops, that beat as their trigger, The snowdrops came peeping with delicate vigour. As the earth turned again to the face of the sun Ev’ry creature was stretching and yawning as one, And the spirits did cry as they drew out of sight “We will meet one and all on a late summer's night!”
By Charlie Victoria Narewski Scullion, based on Clement C Moore's 'The Night Before Christmas (Illustration; Arthur Rackham, Winter Frolic, 1924)
@MissAdventurous reminds me if Conquer Worm by Poe
According to some traditional accounts, King Arthur was born on the winter solstice. According to others, he was born on Christmas Day. Most don’t say when he was born. And, of course, whether Arthur even actually existed is a subject of debate.
Whatever date Arthur’s birth happened (if it did), it was said to have been nine months after his father King Uther Pendragon, with the assistance of the wizard Merlin, disguised himself as his rival Gorlois, snuck into Gorlois’ castle, and enjoyed marital privileges with Gorlois’ wife Igraine. Gorlois was killed in battle with Uther Pendragon’s men that very day, and Uther Pendragon later married Igraine. For his assistance, Merlin required that the baby be turned over to him after he was born.
According to the legend, Arthur became king himself at age 15. As King of the Britons, he and his army defeated the Saxons and established a vast kingdom, before coming to a tragic end at the Battle of Cammlan, where he was slain by Mordred, his nephew and son.
The Arthur of legend and romance (as opposed to the Arthur of history) is said not to have died, but rather to be sleeping on the Isle of Avalon, from whence he shall someday return to save Britain again.
Arthur, the once and future king of the Britons, may or may not have been born on this date, approximately 1,500 years ago.
The commemorative stamp was issued in the U.K. in 2021.
@stormydaycuddle oohhh good reference. I see it totally 🤣🤣
When you wake up each morning, tell yourself, "I cannot control the world without, but I can control the world within and transform it into the most beautiful place possible, by controlling what I allow to enter my heart, and by choosing what I make of it, and then through my example and perspective, the outside world will begin to change."
Words by Tahlia Hunter
Walmart and Costco carry this jam and I felt that this story needed to be shared and you will feel the need to too ❤️
The incident took place in a supermarket in New Jersey. The tweet is by Michael Perino @ProfessorPerino
“At the supermarket today, I found a small, elderly woman standing in front of a high shelf holding @BonneMamanUS preserves. She was having trouble finding the flavor she wanted because the jars were set back on the shelf.
She couldn’t read the labels. She could barely reach them. I offered to help.
After I handed her the raspberry preserves, she thanked me, paused, and then asked, “Do you know why I buy this brand?”
I laughed and replied, “Because it tastes good?”
“Yes, it tastes good.” She paused again. “I am a Holocaust survivor.”
This was not the conversation I expected on a Sunday grocery run. “During the war, the family that owns the company hid my family in Paris. So now I always buy it. And whenever I go to the store, my grandkids remind me, ‘Bubbe, don’t forget to buy the jelly.’”
I told her that that was the best reason I ever heard to buy any company’s product. And then we both smiled behind our masks and went our separate ways.”
Someone else on Twitter looked into the story and indeed, the town that Andros Company, the makers of Bonne Maman, comes from, hid and saved Jewish families in WW2. It was called Biars sur Cere, which then had about 800 villagers.
From an article, “You have to understand what it was like then. There were posters on the walls, from the Nazis and from the collaborators, and they said that if you are found to help a Jew, a freemason, a communist, a socialist, or a pervert, you will be shot on sight.” Despite the great danger in which helping them put the villagers in, still they kept the children safe.”
A good reason to buy Bonne Maman products. And a poignant reminder that when we look out for each other it can change lives, and that there are good and selfless people in the world.
♥️Bonne Maman! 🇫🇷
For your lunchtime decorating...
Here's another vintage Addams Family comic for the Christmas season. It was sent to us by one of our friends and followers, Thomas Adler, who says that an original drawing was given to his father-in-law by Charles Addams himself back in the mid-1960s.
I love this one, which shows us the seven-foot-tall Lurch being turned into a Christmas tree.
Their names would come later, but the whole family is included here, from Grandmamma, Morticia, and Pugsley on the left to Wednesday, Gomez, and Uncle Fester on the right. (Fester looks particularly goofy in his full-length cloak.)
One big, happy, creepy family.
“Many of us have fond memories of receiving an orange in our Christmas stocking? Where does that tradition come from?
While I can trace my roots back to 3 A.D. (see below), and stockings became popular in the 1800s, citrus in stockings really took off in the United States during the Great Depression. Money was tight and getting a special orange on Christmas morning in your stocking was a real treat and something that a family could afford to splurge on.
I hear you have special relationship with St. Nicholas. Can you tell me about it?
We go way back. The legend is that the real St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra, gave sacks of gold to a poor man whose three daughters could not marry because he could not afford their dowries. The tale goes that St. Nick threw the sacks down the man’s chimney where they landed in the daughters stockings drying by the fire. Over the years, people honored the story by giving oranges – natural spheres of gold—in stockings.”
(23rd) in Norwegian lore Vaskarnotti
Also called Little Jól-eve here, as we have the main family celebration on the 24th. All work left unfinished by this day, had to be done by nightfall. Only the most important work should be done during the next three weeks. It was sometimes called Kakukvelden and the very last of baking should be done.
Other places in Norway it was called Vaskarnotti (washing night) and the house would be cleaned from top to bottom with pine-branches, using the water they had soaked in overnight. This would cleanse the house properly, and have healing + protective properties to house and anyone in it.
The branches would then be hung around the hearth and over the door to make certain dark forces would not come in. Bad weather would last for seven weeks, storms could last even longer.
As with every night this time of year, Oskorsreia was out and about after dark. On this night it wanted children the most. So keep them inside and under watch.
Small bowls filled with ale should be placed under every tree and bush around your property before nightfall. Give the tree-trunk a knock with a stick, so that the vettes know you have made them an offering. This would help you, your kin and animals protected from their mischief and they would look kindly at you.
This night and the following (23/24) families, and whoever else was there overnight, would sleep together on the floor in the main room. This to keep extra safe and secure.
A watchman would often volunteer to stay up and mind the sleeping + make certain the fire did not die out. But under no circumstance should he go outside or even look outside. The Oskorsreia would tempt and lure people to open the doors for it and glancing out they could steal your soul and gain entrance that way.
An offering of ale was made on the fire before they settled in to sleep.
The night of the 24th was frightening, but also full of magic powers. A lot of dos and don'ts .
"I summarily forgive myself for who I had to be in order to survive." Unknown.
Rang my inner bell of Truth..
“Watch out for each other. Love everyone and forgive everyone, including yourself. Forgive your anger. Forgive your guilt. Your shame. Your sadness. Embrace and open up your love, your joy, your truth, and most especially your heart.”
– Jim Henson
Clara Barton -- the esteemed nurse and founder of the American Red Cross -- was born on this day in 1821.
Barton's professional life began in education when she became a teacher at the age of 15. With the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War in 1861, however, Barton knew that her help was needed and she quickly became involved by providing supplies and support to wounded soldiers.
Before long, she was aiding soldiers in combat, which earned her the nickname “the angel of the battlefield”. Toward the end of the war, Barton was instrumental in establishing a way to reunite missing men with their families, foreshadowing what is still today one of the Red Cross’ most valuable services.
Following the Civil War, she traveled to Europe and continued her work by assisting with the preparation of military hospitals during the Franco-Prussian War. Barton was inspired by the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, which she worked with while in Europe, to form the American Association of the Red Cross in 1881.
In addition to her tireless work for wounded and needy soldiers, Barton was active in many other pursuits, including women’s suffrage, civil rights, education, and prison reform. Her most enduring legacy, however, was the founding of the organization which has grown to become the largest humanitarian organization providing emergency assistance and disaster relief in the United States.