Christmas and Yule

I am listening to Christmas music lately, the traditional tunes as well as modern ones and some pagan stuff, like Midwinter Moon and  Jaiya's Firedance. I love to sing this time of year. I find myself thinking of going to Catholic church and singing with Mike's family, or going to Lutheran church and singing along with my first husband, Jeff Fox, while he plays the pipe organ.  They even have a cool bell choir there on Christmas eve.

Jeff at Mt Baker Theater

And though I do not enjoy the Christian doctrine as a rule, I do love the tradition and ritual of Christmas services, because there is so much singing! I really like to belt it out!  I always get a giggle out of the off key singers, yet it's wonderful because they too are belting it out, for the joy of it.

I continue to struggle with seasonal depression, so identified since it happened last year too, but this year I have a couple tricks to help me.

  First I'm taking several people's advice, including my husband's; jump on the exercise bike when I am feeling low.  Second, I'm using my happy light by my computer for longer periods (why yes, it's shining on me now!) instead of just in the bathroom when I shower. 
I do have to watch out for heightened emotions, however.  I tend to get sucked into the media's milking of the tender side of the holidays; I'll even cry at ads if they're tearjerkers!  Don't even get me going on the damned holiday movies!  Dana told me she had been watching them so I recorded a couple to watch while on the exercise bike.  VERY light entertainment!


  Mike and I have been watching The Sing-Off.
  It's a show about a bunch of acapella groups competing for some money and a recording contract.  After I got past the cheesy MC the music was wonderful!  This group, Pentatonix, was so creative and exciting, and they won.

 I have been learning about myself this one thing:
I get very emotional when I see groups of people being creative in an organized way.  Parades, marching bands, groups like on the sing-off, and dance groups.  people who aren't rock stars, but are doing something they love.  I always think back to when I used to be in marching band and really liked the way we did cool patterns and went to parades and games to play and march.  I'm probably yearning to feel a part of something like that again.


What I am part of is a wonderful group of people who present celebrational rituals for the seasons.  We are putting on a Yule, or winter solstice event again at a local grange hall.  It will be fun and wonderful community atmosphere, and we get to have a fire outside among the fir trees, in a big cauldron! 

So, enough ramblings for now, and I hope to see YOU soon!
Blessings!

Betsy