I hate Christmas. I thought people were supposed to adhere more to tradition with every passing year, but my grinching is becoming more intense. Every year I am even more struck by the inanity of how this Stolen Pagan Festival has morphed into a celebration of synthetic sentiment and hypocritical, tree destroying social dissonance.
Yesterday I was in a mall, and, as I have vowed since the last Mercury Retrograde to pay more attention to my intuition, I stopped to analyze the strange emotions I was suddenly feeling. Were they a premonition? Was the mall lighting/5G/surveillance/neurotoxic fragrance messing with my aura? Fight, flight, fawn, or freeze? Where was the exit?
Pretending to look at my phone – the contemporary nervous reflex equivalent of the old nail-biting/manicure examination – I realized what it was. Christmas Carols. And no, not sung in sweet moonlight by a community choir – the Muzak version, warbling insincerely about snow falling, peace for “mankind,” babies and virgins.
Jesus was not a Capricorn and the Holy Ghost is the Goddess they suppressed, I thought darkly, leaving the mall. Additionally, I live in the Southern Hemisphere, in a city where even the Winters are mild. Would it kill the sodding mall to source something less crashingly inappropriate?
You don’t need to have an aversion to Yule just because I hate Christmas. But if you’re even vaguely concurring, here are my key Anti-Christmas posts for reference.
Free The Pine – Legit a must-read. I am stunned that there is not more awareness around this issue.
The Christmas Rebel Manifesto – More like random reasons that Xmas is weird. What’s with the appeals to spend more to save the economy and guilting lectures from the Pope/Queen/Random Archbishops?
I don’t know what sort of household or business you run. Still, I guarantee it’s not one sheltering hundreds of pedophiles while letting the spokespeople crap on about gayness, divorcees, yoga and Harry Potter being evil.
And I note that there has still been no apology for the inquisitions, witch-persecutions and crusades against the Albigensians I note. The church heads should not be lecturing everyone about virtue at Christmas time, they should be scrabbling through some of the looted bling in their basement to figure out how to pay reparations.
Astrological Excuses To Get Out Of Christmas – These are excellent and once you duck your first compulsory Christmas convivialty, you never look back. It’s brilliant.
The Solstice, on the other hand, is fabulous – a truly magical moment of the year and well-worth venerating in whatever style you’re feeling.
Image: Old School Cool
The Yuletide occurs at some sensitive points in my natal chart. I’d rather be on a desert island or cabin, and return when the coast is clear.
Ho ho ho. You aren’t alone. Personally, I only ever celebrate the solstice – the best reason to do anything in this bleak season. It’s a pretty somber occasion and that’s exactly how it should be. Fuq fake capitalist sponsored religious cheer. None of our ancestors ever cheered on the coldest, darkest day of the year; they got sh*t faced, hooked up and hoped like hell that it would end soon. So should we.
This article is validating all my Grinchness. My grandma used to put pomegranates in Christmas stalkings. I think this was how she reclaimed the holiday.
I’m all in for pomegranates and Christmas stalkings!
It’s just another symbol of late capitalism
I do love New Years Eve though
Mystic……you’re too much. J’adore.
Snap. Have gradually withdrawn from all Christmas festivities. I have no presents to buy, no cards to send, detest the Christmas waste.
Hmmm
Very interesting MM
My ex husband (1991 -1996) used to busk in our city mall.
I used to sit near him and his co buskers at Christmas
I decided to do a survey…
How many people were really looking forward to Christmas Day?
Now I am a pragmatist and this is what I discovered…
Not one person wanted to sit in the same room, at the same table with their families…
They did so out of duty and to make their mothers happy…
So get an adult family together and just add alcohol and lots of it…
Sibling rivalry, parents pushing buttons they installed, golden child, scapegoat, narcissist, drunk uncle, aunt etc
Yep 100% surveyed when pushed didn’t WANT to go…
My family lived in Queensland for 25 years away from me, ( they moved to retire)
And I loved Christmas alone…
I hear you Gwendolyn.
x.
Is this an Aquarian phenomenon? My dad has 5 planets in Aquarius (Sun conj. Saturn/Venus, plus Mercury/Jupiter/SN) and he has a habit of saying “Bah humbug” in response to all Christmas traditions, especially the tree. He is outwardly a “normal guy” with the Moon in Virgo at the top of his chart, but inwardly loves to rant about Catholic Church pedophilia (per Mystic – and a totally valid and important rant I might add!) and just wants to stay home and not celebrate the holidays versus devoting vital energy to traditions he isn’t aligned with/sucking up to relatives he doesn’t want to cater to. This year, my mom was very upset as he suggested she schedule surgery for their aging dog the week of Xmas and New Year “because I will be available to help out.” My mom accused him of being like an “alien” about holidays and traditions (a suitably Aquarian accusation).
As an aside, Mystic, I 100% agree with you about neurotoxic fragrance messing with mental perception… I noticed this during Thanksgiving when I was home with siblings/relatives who use such fragrances and I went totally insane by Cyber Monday.
I live in Australia. My hairdresser explained Black Friday to me. But what exactly is Cyber Monday. When I heard the word cyber I immediately thought of computers and it felt very 1984. LOL.
Oh yes I always forget I am a lone American in these comments!! Haha. Black Friday/Cyber Monday is SUPER 1984. The consumerist dystopia edition! Cyber Monday is essentially Black Friday spilling over into the next Monday, but the sales are exclusively online instead of in the stores.
I loved Christmas as a child when times were simpler (and not so commercial) and customs seemed to have more meaning. I celebrate the Solstice and Saturnalia (which tends to lend itself to full on joy mode with lots of Saturn hard work) and for Christmas Eve/Day there are some family traditions that are embraced. Some religious elements are also included that were passed down from specific family members. Other than that it’s a fun time with those I love doing it the way I want.
I love the Christmas Rebel Manifesto. As a Sag rising with a few things in Aqua I can’t be guilted into anything. 🙂
I’ve spent most of my life in a warm climate, but since moving several years ago to the frigid north, where it’s dark by 4:00, I do find myself craving warmth and light and connecting with people more than at other times. Almost like a physiological response to the long dark hours.
But, yes, right there with you about the church and the incomprehensible damage it has wrought in so many lives. Whatever solace the Catholic Church has provided to some, how can that balance out the horrors of the abuse it has perpetrated and condoned?
I love how at this time of year Pagan and Christian beliefs clash.
Then meld.
But what is left over ?
Syncretism…
It happens to all religious structures
Usually over a Century or two or 6 or so generations
Remember the North Door in Christian Churches?
Especially for Pagans…
Most nailed shut after 150 – 200 years
What’s left
Good question
Personal spirituality complete with your own Heras’ journey and personal Mythology?
Thanks G. I’ve learnt a new word today.
I never knew about the North door. Can you elaborate? Is it the same as the Green Door that Shaking Stevens sings about?
Yes I love Paganism and have a spiritual connection to Jesus. I love the UK and Europe. Magdalena on my natal moon and Dionysus in Leo 5 the house conjunct Venus. It’s written in the stars.
When I was younger I was conflicted by this but now I understand and cherish it.
God I love you Mystic!
I remember the ‘Free the pine’ article vividly and the strong impression it made on me. Gorgeous writing filled with Truth.
People just don’t think, do they? #sheep
The carols and fake cheer are the worst.
I tell blatant lies to everyone to escape Christmas time and spend the day with my dogs and cats, books, music and delicious food on a farm far removed from the 🙂 fakery
Peace, love, enough rain, sanity and better governments to all.
Rebel we must. xxx
I love the sound of that handmade broom of sage and mugwort !
Still have about 10 drops of the pure essential oil of Artemisia left to use up.
Make that broom and fly Star. x
Thanks Pegusus.
Love
x
Free the pine.
Liberate the turkey while we’re at it.
xmas = entrainment
Maybe it’s still too early in December but I’m not feeling the hard seethe I usually feel at this time of year. I’ve been reading Anger by Thich Nhat Hanh and working on digesting what my ‘habit energy’ is and how I can change its course. Traditions and culture norms that don’t align are also habit energy on a larger scale but I really think more people than one would expect are over it. How liberating it would be if we just took the time to celebrate just being alive and having the sun to warm us?
Way to go girlfriend! I’d already named this “take no prisoners friday” and your rant totally aligns.
Yes, yes and more yes.
…I love you.
Holy fuknuts, have started doing this already; gathering birch on autopilot but with no idea why…. stickfancying with almost as must gusto as my recent house move/job move determination. I LOVE solstice but for me, after midnight Of candlemas, the spell is broken and it’s vital to return to business as usual; winter hibernation, self care and cleaning until the earth calls us again, in spring with her snowdrops and early daffs. I love winter x
Holy Crap! I Am massively liberated by this post Mystic. THANK YOU!! I love my family, friends, community, environment but Christmas makes me feel revolted. Might revolt instead 🙂 Love the house -witching- solstice- festive- tree- planting n dancing plan!
Wow this is so apt right now, I work in an office and I’ve just been asked to chip in $ so a sh*tload of plastic and crap can be bought to decorate our pod so then it can all get dumped into landfill and forgotten a few days later. I’m gonna ask if I can chip in extra so I can have nothing to do with it, I mean I’m in the southern hemisphere how do I explain I’m a pagan and my Christmas is called Yule and it’s in June and anyway you freaks stole the festival from us and bastardised it into the commercialised sh*tshow it is ugh. Rant over lol
Yes love that ‘i’ll pay more to get out of it’ 🙂
Rituals, especially when they involve love , have their place. As long as there is personal relevance, why is it an issue for anyone else? I don’t celebrate end of Ramadan but that is special and important for many. What drives me batty is the commercialization aspect and cultural irrelevance- why has Halloween , Thanksgiving , Black Friday sales etc
been shoved down Australian throats recently, and why do so many Aussies swallow it whole? UGH.
This times a gazillion. When I heard all about the Black Friday stuff I thought a friend of mine was getting confused. I refused to buy anything on that day. As for the Halloween crap here in Oz it just highlights muggles’ gullibility. While I was happily cavorting with like minded souls celebrating Beltane.
I am so with you! Years ago I tried to convince my family to at least only celebrate the whole damn craziness of Christmas, ChristmaX or as it is more aptly titled these days, Xmas (X is for NO!), every second year. Naturally, I failed. But I grinch it out every second year and this year is one of them! Anyway, I wish you very sincerely a very much more satisfying year next year than this one! All thank you so much for all your amazing heart, articulacy, intuition and sheer brilliance at what you do.
Thanks for sharing, you are not alone. I have been boycotting the insanity for many years, but it is so difficult to be the grinch when everyone just blindly follows a tradition they often don’t even believe in either! I am going to go with a combo of Saturnalia and Solstice advice thanks Mystic. ‘Christmas Rebel’ 🙂 xo
Last year I decorated the house with goats (Sun into Cap).
I love the housewitching suggestion!
Sacred broom! Brilliant.
I think I need a sacred broom. This will be my solstice centrepiece.
Love the goat décor idea!! I love goats too. I’m going to find some. xx
my husband and stepsons are jewish by birth – i am not, i have no religious affiliation at all – and so i’ve learned a LOT about xmas from the perspective of those who do not celebrate it over the past 20 years of living with them. how freeing it is to have a ‘legit’ excuse for not buying sh!te we don’t need and – yes – killing trees!!!
we celebrate summer solstice by bringing in as many bunches of roses as we can carry (from our own garden, of course!) and filling the house with their scent. all that snow and snowmen stuff never sat well with me – sweltering through xmas on sweaty sydney days throughout my childhood distanced me from the whole yuletide thing anyway. it felt wonderful to drop any connection to it as a holiday – like i’d been working toward that point for much of my life.
i’m all over a celebration that honors a closing to what’s been a difficult calendar year, and the solstice is beautiful. my garden is at her peak at that time, and the water in our dam (that rises and falls with the watertable) is almost empty by the summer solstice. a reminder that the hot and dry is coming, and to honor water and the role it plays in our life here.
of the the xmas carols, i love those old, old vaguely pagan-y ones that haunt like, ‘god rest ye merry gentlemen’ and ‘the holly and the ivy’, but only when sung by a choir of humans. muzak the…commercialization/corporatize-ation…just fuqing horrible.
I love Xmas. I get joyful and utterly emotional about it. I go to town with having friends over and feeding them, a warm fire and doing my cancer stuff to the max. Granted it’s all about the pagan aspects. It’s light and warmth in the dark. And boy is it dark up here ! I love the lights and candles, spices and scents and magic. Solstice time is magic. So I do it my way. And I’ve given my infection to a very grumpy Scrooge of a Scottish Aqua I am quite attached to. He never had xmas before me and now he’s hooked. He’s like a kid at Xmas! So all the material main stream crap I just let that go but I do this magical time my way. It must be my cancer stellium !
Me too emg! My departed father utterly loved Christmas so Christmas really reminds me of him and heals me with joy.
Talking of my dad I was just out watering the garden and I got the pshyic scent of my auntie’s perfume. Very special.
I’m glad you have converted your Aqua man. Christmas is for the young and the young at heart.
Merry Christmas everyone !
I also love the family gathering and remembrance aspects of this holiday. I even love going to (Episcopal) midnight service and inhaling the incense and evergreen smells and hearing the choir sing pagan-based ancient hymns. I also get why many people dislike xmas, especially in the southern hemisphere, where it’s out of synch with the natural world. In the north, though, where it is dark and cold, a festival of light (including Hanukkah, which abuts xmas most years) and carbs and gathering makes sense. Those of us with less commercial/basic bitch minds can do away with the silly trappings and wasteful consumerism and continue to cherish the rituals meant to bring light and warmth and love into a cold, dark (in more ways than one) time of year.
You said it. Absolutely.
Oh oh and the carols that are ancient with choir voices. Bring me to tears.
Just yesterday I sat in a quiet spot and mused about how much I hate Christmas! Everything about it. Having said that since having children I have tried to put all that aside and get into the spirit of the magic of xmas and making yummy treats and other home-made gifts to give out. My youngest son has hauled out all the boxes of decorations from the attic to prepare. He loves Christmas with Halloween coming a close second. When my first son was born we bought a cypress tree and used it as our first tree and then every year after we would haul this growing tree into the house until it became too big to fit in the house. At that point it was sitting out the front of the house so it would get decorated anyway as our outside tree. We still have this amazing tree, it comes with us when we move, its practically part of the family. Then we used a spiky pine tree that was also in a pot and growing. Until that became too big. Last year my youngest bought a ‘fake tree’ which I wasn’t keen on…………every year I dream of escaping somewhere else far away…..this year carving my own broomstick sounds like a definite option.
Agree with every word. Told them not to over do the christmas decorations around my desk and was called a Grinch!!! Don’t do it as home and my friends can’t understand why? Tell people every year not to buy me presents because i don’t need more stuff, but they do and then i have to buy 4 times as much as they have kids. I’m on my own. The shopping centres drive me nuts at this time of year, noisy christmas music, to many people who are not kind or giving, supposed specials, black friday sales, and my list goes on…… Just want the few days of to relax and please myself.
P.S. so many people on the road, even driving to my favorite beach becomes difficult…..
Hey Mauve – you don’t ‘have’ to return unsolicited gifts – I know it is really hard, because I struggle with it, but the more you exercise that muscle, the easier it gets. Or you could donate one affordable large sum to a worthy cause and share the certificate with anyone who gifts you as a way of expressing what you value and that you are not ungenerous. x
Putting the Saturn back into Saturnalia….esp as petsonal Xmas astro conspires
Love this!! Agree with every word you have written. It has become such a mainstream fuquery I was horrified when I was walking through Flinders Street underpass here in Melbourne, Aus to get to my train stop to see it lined with freshly murdered pine trees.
People are jumping up and down about climate change, yet it’s okay to cut down pine trees.
Exactly! And if you see Free the Pine – these are sacred trees to Odin and multiple deities. The Pagans either decorated the tree itself – in the forest, alive – or bought in a branch to symbolize and honor the energy. Actual ecologically functional systems destroyed to make way for hundreds of thousands of trees to be planted and then cut down while they are young/small to be plonked in living rooms to die, giving off their fragrance in a poignant attempt to live; while the bulldozers go in to rip up the stumps…it is ridiculous.
Even as a little kid, I thought it was sad to cut down a tree that had grown for so many years. If you want a tree, the fakes are now awesome and pre-lit. I have a tree made of twisted copper wire, much fun. As for music, there’s lots of good stuff out there. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has an album, so does Asleep at the Wheel, James Brown and Phil Spector with many of the ’50s girl groups. So you don;t have to go corny of promote bad Feng Shui.
Lol! I’ll fit those in with the Christmas festivities. I wholeheartedly agree about the Christmas carols having worked in a mall in a past life and I was raised by atheists so the whole Jesus birthday never resonated (have always been fascinated by those three Magi though even as a child).
Most of the things I’ve liked about Christmas fit the more pagan side – lighting up the darkest night (I have a fabulous, vintage, aluminum tinsel tree from the 60s), giving gifts and celebrating with loved ones to cheer up the dreariness of winter, and yes Christmas carols sung by choirs of your neighbours braving the elements are infinitely more magical. Love me some Christmas comfort food and have a bit of a thing for ridiculous, saccharine Hallmark movies or at least a yearly re-watch of Little Women (so excited about the new version)! For me it’s a bit of a fantasy escape from reality for a month.
Spiritually, I have a sacred New Years tradition. I’m nearly always in bed before midnight on New Years Eve (a decade of bad New Years out in my 20s cured me of trying to have a fun party time), and then I spend New Years day alone at home, in the quiet, with a pot of tea, all my Mystic astro readings and I make plans for the upcoming year.
Agreed. I’m with you.
As a wonderful multi-Cap person I know always says, “If Jesus had been a Capricorn the world would be in a LOT better shape than it is”, hehe
I love that you hate xmas, and these seasonal posts are the only xmas tradition I subscribe to. Also I get severe cognitive dissonance listening to carols about snow when it’s climbing close to 40 in the southern hemisphere, and everything is on fire. Did you mention wicker man?
this is without a doubt the best post of the year. possibly the best post I’ve ever read.
i thought I was the only one! but we should start a witchery f off muggles journey and get our own rites back together
I just tell peoples that i’m Buddhist at Xmas time.
No Myst you are not alone! it’s the absolute hypogracy of it all as it drives me batshit too. Yes especially the inane words in the out of tune carols.
BUT have been making some rather beautiful cards. Painting leaves gold & silver, pressing them onto black textured paper for the imprint then pasting the original just below. Fascinated that gum tree leaves came in so many colours and shapes. Ginko Biloba leaves work brilliantly, such a gorgeous fan shape, such an ancient tree.There is a giant one residing in the Japanese Gardens, a very serene place to visit, with water features, stone placements and one very dedicated gardener. Found a mass of Ginko leaves pressed from 15 years ago that turned a golden colour, so gathered new ones for future use.. Leaves are the new Feathers 🙂
So my Xmas will be about art, books and music, the usual pleasures. Shall treat myself to Emmanuel Velikovsky’s ‘Mankind in Amnesia and Dr.Candace Pert’s ‘Molecules of Emotion’ from Amazon to accompany my ‘head in the sand’ attitude of the silly season.
My joy is that it is MAGNOLIA time, blooming daily with their heavenly smell permeating ma maison.
That aroma is pure L O V E.
Yes HYPOGRACY. My spell check asleep?
Exactly Pegs! I take all the things I enjoy — xmas lights, tinsel, making cards (if I have time) and buying small thoughtful gifts but feeling no pressure to do reciprocal gift giving. If I’m on a tight budget I buy books/CDs/DVDs from the op shop. The only ppl I get presents for are my nieces and nephews and Mum and Dad. I love roasts and we usually buy the xmas pudding and heat it up (and serve with cream and brandy custard. My favourite part of xmas day is decorating the table, and I love putting up a tree (fake) and decorating it every year). I avoid shopping malls like the plague and keep a pack of cheap cards for neighbours and others who give me a card, but don’t stress about it. I also do a friends dinner (which will be on Friday 13th) before I join my family for our xmas. I buy myself some really nice presents as well, because I know what I want the best. Catching up with friends and family, good food and drink, parties and good will — it’s the pagan / solstice way.
Gemmy you’re looking good Girl 🙂
Since retirement my love of Op shops has increased 10 fold. Must dress well to walk Daisy Dog. Family Feasts can be wondrous alas have none left outlived them all and was an only child anyway, but remember Kataka Nanna’s roasts and pudding with sixpences inside..Scorp mother worked in hospitality, super busy so we celebrated New Year with presents as B-day Dec as well.
You have a sweet and happy time on 25th. x
Sounds fab GY. xx
Totally agree , hate all the over hype of consumer Christmas.
I have been revolted by the plastic waste, plastic as wrapping on gifts, plastic gifts, plastic stupid bonbon junk. Driving me crazy. Is this Uranus in my 4th house? Maybe not exactly because my highly religious cousin put a stick manger in her living room as an alternative and its still yuk. Defiantly Grinchy green here. Glad its not just me PS I have always thought Xmas ruins a good school holiday.
It has taken FIFTY years for plastic to do the hideous damage it has done. Back then ’70 we knew gladwrap (saran wrap?) was the enemy to be avoided at all costs now that enemy has become spawn of satan incarnate.
Me too! And the WASTE! Billions of tonnes of waste. I was just reading these gob-dropping statistics – that in the UK alone, 30% more waste is produced at Xmas:
277,000 miles of wrapping paper is thrown out (distance to Moon)
300,000 tonnes of card packaging is used
1 billion cards end up in the bin, when they could be recycled
100 million extra garbage bags to go to landfills
6 million Xmas trees are discarded every year
250 tonnes of Xmas trees are thrown away after Xmas, when they could be used for compost
2 million turkeys, 74 million mince pies and 17.2 million Brussel sprouts are thrown away every Christmas…& loads more.
Madness.
Here in Norway Christmas makes sense. We call it Yule, and there is about a month of preparing and celebrating. I love seeing al of our traditions through the lense of magic, and so many of our foods, and decorations are from pre historic times. So many symbols! In here it is completely fine to take small christmas trees in from he forests, since they are taking over, and supressing other kinds of trees, making the forest a grim monoculture of trees, instead of the usual mixed forest.
I totally agree that christmas in the south doesnt make sense. It is a ritual of the dark and cold, and ihave never felt the christmas feeling in the south.
Confirming my suspicion that the Norse seem to do everything better. 🙂
The 2 Christmas i really did enjoy, had fun with was in Europe, but in (eeek) Belgium.
Think it was the catholicism-ness of it and freeze -your- nipples cold.
Thank you so much for this article Mystic. I have disliked Christmas ever since I was a child. There’s something about the materialism that really gets to me. And don’t get me started about the ever present happy happy smiles sold to us as the so called purpose behind it. I just find it so empty.
I went shopping and all the Xmas music was playing and I just felt fed up with the lot of it. The country is dry and burning and the poor farmers are suffering. How can anyone feel joyful at the moment.
It’s fucking hot, we’re in drought and I’m not in the mood for chi-sucking family. Maybe book a hotel and honour the glory and fury of the Summer solstice by staying as far away from the sun as possible? Lol
yup, that’s my life living in the south
I simply disassociate the secular festivities of Christmas (and Halloween and Easter) from my religious / spiritual practices. These secular festivals are a time when I come together with my friends and family and do some fun things. If adopting multiple and sometimes contradictory practices isn’t pagan, I don’t know what is! Plus, I find being grumpy at people celebrating things they enjoy tarnishes me a little. I also sing traditional carols at this time of year ( http://www.villagecarols.org.uk/ ) and it’s wonderful fun.
yes, I love going to community xmas carols in the park. everyone has picnics and candles and it’s a lovely thing to do 😀
hahaha … this made me laugh. I’m a total grinch – hate the lot of it Xmas, Easter, Queens Birthday, my birthday, New Year – it’s all just a load of boring blaaaaaaaaaah.
However, on the topic of Saturnalia, I was on Gumtree the other day and spied an antique bookcase that looks right out of some old warlock/herbalists study/workroom and I’m DESPERATE to get it for my bedroom. I’ve decided to turn it into a sort of shelf of ritual and “interesting things” – like the amazing dagger (with a sheath!) I found in this strange little shop that sells crystals and stones out in whoop whoop, and the grimoire I started years ago which has handmade pictures and totems. A personally made broomstick would literally be WICKED and PERFECT, especially since TV is so crap during the holiday season.
Saturn back into Saturnalia. Yes!
I’m always yearning for midsummer & celebrating pagan rites. Love a warm day sunbaking naked somewhere private or swimming at the beach, cleansing in the salty sea. I’m southern hemisphern. A little (contained !fire season!) ritual burning goes a long way.
When it’s Christmas and you have children around it’s a blessing, I think. It’s special in simple ways. Magic. Stories. Imagining.
Essentially Christmas for us is: making food gifts and decorations for close friends & family out of a myriad of at home/on hand finds ie stores of french fabrics (my retired Toro grandma’s design business, thank you) and scrap paper/recycled boxes turned to ‘string lights’ or sparkly painted stars… My son makes up jokes and draws pictures. We’ll bake gingerbread for the humans and peanut butter biscuits for all the dog familiars (with a bone-shaped cookie cutter).
Virgo Sun Cancer moon hubby grows avocado plants from our used seeds all year round, strikes geraniums and Rosemary well and he gifts these at Christmas.
I love making batches of chutney or hot sauce too. We just potter about making these on the weekends before Christmas.
This year we’re filling a box of pantry goods as a sort of reverse advent calendar and will donate on the 24th to our local women’s shelter.
I will not set one foot in a mall at Christmas.
Agreed, the 5G/neurotoxic enviro is a hell on earth. Consumerism, a blight. I cannot reiterate: i have a million better things to do.
I’m Cap rising and multi Virgo so I can’t bear wastage, excess, social gatherings, buying into the materialistic shit for the sake of social conformity/Jones keep-up.
I do love watching Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen & listen to her speak about all the childhood joys around christmas, her use of language & refernces of literature. She talks about her pagan preferences and rituals: the kitchen being the fire & light in the cold & darkness of winter; generosity and welcoming friends in via magical home cooking; sensual & seasonal fruits like clementines, pomegranates & limes featured; her excellent cocktail recipes…
It is positively witchy and I love it.
I’ll have to browse a few of these links above!
Ahhh the only Christmas tradition I like is your annual anti-Christmas rant, Mystic! How thoughtful to collate them all into one post for us xx
With Neptune on my IC you can imagine the kind of trainwrecks that were my childhood Xmas experiences. Massively scary and dangerous time of year for anyone trapped in a situation involving substance abuse of any kind.
These days I do only stuff that I love, with people I love. I also invented a ritual where I buy myself a gift and wrap it and write a card to me from a famous person I admire.
you are so f’ing dope. i wish i could spread this around like swipe germs on an iphone.
Yes!!!I too, hate shitmas!!! Love solstice! One of my favourite avoidance tactics to get out of shitmas is to plan the “fake-cation” whereby you inform one and all you are going away somewhere fabulous and convivial for the holidays and while they are all jealous about what a great time you must be having – you are actually relaxed and safe at home not answering your phone.
Classic.
have done to as well….. lol lol