#but my family dont celebrate yule

[tentaclecats]

oh also its christmas eve by the way. have a good christmas all ye vagrants and mongrels!!!!

[windydrawallday]

THE GOAT THAT KEEPS GIFTING

I have been reading about the Wheel of Year's festivals, and I got caught by the idea of one of Yule's activities being about creating straw decorations in the form of goats! And so this design was born 💝 Happy holidays!!!

[personwhowrites]

hi ! could i request a 141 x reader who celebrates yule instead of christmas ? ive seen so many "celebrating christmas with 141" posts everywhere, but i dont celebrate christmas so i thought id send a request in myself, thank you !

Absolutely! I did have to do some research on Yule since I never actually heard about it, so I apologize in ahead if I did get things messed up. It was so fun to learn about the holiday!

Slight Simon “Ghost” Riley x reader.

You rub your hands together as you stare at a log. An plain simple oak log, the members stare at you, thinking your crazy for a log. You grab it smile, December twenty one, perfect day to get the log.

“You okay there y/n?” Price says looking at you with the log in your arms. “You do know we can’t take stuff from our missions.”

“Oh uh.. can we please take this log?” You say softly and hold it closer to your body. “Please, I won’t ask for anything next year!”

“Just let the Bonnie take her log.” Soap says elbowing Price who sighs and then summits. “Atta! We got you a log Y/n!”

“Sweet!” You say with a smile, the helicopter landing near you. “Ah let’s go guys”

You hop into the helicopter, getting a weird stare from the driver. You give them an awkward smile as you sit down and hold the oak log close to you. A symbol to your holiday, Gaz and Soap sit next to you as Price and Ghost sit across from the three of you.

“So the log!” Soap yells over the sound of the helicopter. “What’s it for!”

You act as if you can’t hear the man. You stare at the log, happy and smiling. It was a good log that you picked. Ghost and stares at you with price, a slight worrisome feeling that Price can’t push away.

Your in the air and look to your right. Seeing Gaz staring at the log, a very daring look. You cough getting his mind and eyes on you.

“..Don’t even think about it.” You mumble holding the log closer to your body. “I know what you were thinking.”

“I wasn’t gonna throw it out the door..” Gaz mumbles with a sigh. “Okay maybe I was.”

You shake your head, tossing back a laughter. Price stares at you and the log, seeing you so happy with a log got him really worried. Have you gone insane with all the missions the past few days?

—

You land at the base, laswell awaiting the group arrival. She has a Christmas sweater on and thick Santa hats for everyone.

“Price! Gaz! soap! ghost!” Laswell says walking over with a smile. “And Y/n with a lo— wait why does she have a log?”

“Let her be..she’s happy with that log for some reason.” Price says with a sigh and grabs a Santa hat. “What’s this for?”

“Since you all be out heading home for Christmas I thought we could have our small party.” laswell says handing the others a Santa hat. “Here, I can give the log one.”

“Oh uh.. I don’t.. do Christmas” you say with an awkward smile. “I better go..”

You rush away quickly with the log in your arms. Dropping the Santa hat in the process, Ghost stares at the hat then at you. Finding it curious that you also don’t like Christmas. Laswell stares at the man and sighs.

“How’s she holding up?” Laswell asks the men who stand there in confusion. “Hello!”

“Oh uh..she’s been great on missions.” Price says putting the Santa hat on. “Wont talk much about her family or.. anything personal.”

“She’s a good help in the field..” Gaz mumbles still looking at the reaction you ran off to. “She’s staying at the base for Christmas with Soap and Ghost.”

“That must be nice! You three can celebrate Christmas!” Laswell says with a smile as soap looks at Ghost. “..Or not?”

“Not a fan of it..” Ghost mumbles handing the Santa hat back to her. “I don’t know about soap.”

“I might, but I don’t know.. I rather relax.” Soap says stretching and looks at Gaz and Price. “You two better get going, the last plane to your home towns leaves in an hour.”

“..About that..” Gaz says with a chuckle. “I don’t really have anyone to be with for Christmas. My ma is out of town and I don’t wanna travel.”

“Guess we are all staying?” Price says making the others look at him. “What? I wanna know what’s up with y/n and that damn log. She’s holding it like a baby.”

“We better go check on her..” Laswell says rubbing her chin. “She did request some weird stuff when I called her a few days back.”

“Like what?” Soap says grabbing his bag off the floor.

“Pine cones, Dried cranberries, Cuttings of a mistletoe.. holly, pine needles, and ivy..” Laswell says counting the things off her finger. “Oh! and some feathers and cinnamon sticks..ah what else.. oh right a hot glue gun and a lace red ribbon.”

“The hell would she need that for?” Gaz says confused. “Is it something we should be worried about?”

“Well it’s just plants ain’t it?” Price says starting to walk ahead the direction you ran off to. “Don’t think we should.”

—

You happily start decorating the oak log. Using every drop of the hot glue gun, placing and marking the right spots you want everything. You will hear the others come in and play their stuff down. Soap will immediately point out what you’re doing to Price. Which immediately concerns him.

“Y/n what are you doing there?” Prive says walking over with Gaz not far behind. “Okay, uh.. that’s a pretty log?..”

“…mhm..” You hum softly paying no attention to him. “..Can you pass me that pine needle?”

Gaz reaches over and passes it to you. Seeing how pretty the log is he sits down next to you and watches. The soap and Ghost confuse look over to see Price and Gaz watching you decorate the log. The two man also walk over and watch you, soap slightly surprised you haven’t burned your hand yet.

“..so the log..what is it for..?” Soap asks again getting your attention. “Well?”

“Its for Yule..” You mumble slightly embarrassed. “It’s a holiday I celebrate, since Christmas isn’t my thing.”

“Yule?” They all say in unison causing you to laugh.

“It’s uh.. a holiday somewhat similar to Christmas..” You say looking back at the log. “..well not really.. it’s when.. um people..welcome back the sun, after long dark days..”

“Hold on what?” Gaz says looking at you. “Welcome back the sun?”

“..Well uh Yule was a festival long ago. For Vikings, Germanic tribes and people in the pre-Christian Eroupe. “You says holding a feather in your hand. “..most days it’s just now celebrated by Wiccans and other Neo-pagan practitioners.” You pause for a moment and place the feather down on the log. “Yule gives.. people a way to expand our four inner realms and to come forth.”

The members remain silent as you continue on explaining the Yule. Gaz hands you what you need while you talk. Ghost leans against the wall and watches you, while soap sits on the other side of you, slightly leaning his head on your shoulder. Price sits sits down on your floor and watches you.

“Like I said before.. uh Pagan and Wiccan families are the most common to celebrate it.” You say softly looking at the finished log. “It celebrates the return of sun.. they sometimes add a lot of lights in their home.” You pause again and unplug the hot glue gun with Price help. “It originated in Norway.. they used to think the sun was this giant wheel that rolled away from the world..”

“That’s.. interesting how come.. you celebrate it?” Price says rubbing his chin. “Did someone introduce you to it?”

“Yes.. a close friend before I moved away to join the military.” You say looking up at him. “It’s a fun holiday..”

“So you just decorate oak logs?” Soap says looking at the log. “That’s it?”

“There is so much more to do.. and you don’t really have to decorate oak logs.” You say looking at him. “I picked to.. since when I burn it I know it will represent.. Wisdom and strength..”

“Oh so each type of wood has its own meaning?” Gaz asks slightly understanding. “What do the others mean?”

“Well.. families usually burn Pine since they hope for a good year of prosperity..” You say softly looking at the log in front of you. “Couples.. will drag a bough of birch to their hearth. If they wish fertility the upcoming year.”

“..And I’m guessing you only decorate a Pine and oak log before?” Price says looking at your now sadden eyes. “..Or..”

“None.. actually.. an accident happened before we could even.. start it.” You say getting up from the floor. “..this is my first year alone..”

“Why don’t we celebrate with you?” Gaz says getting up and helping soap get up. “We aren’t leaving for the holiday and hell this seems nice.”

“Really?” You say looking at them. “You guys will actually do this with me?”

“Sure why not!” Soap says with a smile. “What else do you do in this Yule holiday.”

“..I mean I was going to out and get some food and return to the base and eat.” You say with a soft laugh. “Like a feast..”

“Does the feast have to be something specific?” Ghost says making you remember he’s been there the whole time.

“No.. it can be anything really, your favorite things. Just plain food..” You respond looking at him now. “I don’t know how to cook so I just planning to get some chips and soda.”

“Why don’t we al go out to eat!” Soap says with a smile. “Like a family, Y/n you pick the restaurant and we will come along.”

“That will have to be on the twenty fourth.” You say softly. “I just wanted Sri get the log done while I declutter some stuff around my space.”

“Oh so you clean out things you don’t need too?” Gaz says slightly confused. “This is an interesting holiday.”

“Mhm..” you mumble slightly embarrassed.

“Then what are we waiting for.” Price says clapping his hands. “Let’s get this place clean up.”

“Do we have to decorate?” Soap asks you making you look up form the log once more. “Besides the log.”

“I mean we could just put candles or some fake plants around..” You say with a smile. “It doesn’t really matter, it just matters that we all just.. feel happy and comfortable.”

They all nod to your words ans head to their own spot. Starting to clean the room you all share with, made you slight happy. Seeing how strangers you started working with couple months ago now want to celebrate Yule.

—

December twenty four came by fast. You were laying down in bed reading your book. Enjoying the silence until Soap bursted into the room with Gaz with excitement. You jump out of your bed and stare at the two of them, Ghost and price behind them. You see them holding food on their hands.

“I thought we were going out to eat?” You say walking over to them. “Ah wait I forgot holiday..”

“Mhm, we went ahead and ordered some Chinese food. We got you broccoli with chicken.” Price says setting the food down on a table. “Are you alright with that?”

“It’s perfectly fine!” You say with a smile and look at Soap. “You two are excited.”

“I read more about the holiday you mentioned and I can’t stop thinking about it.” Soap says with a bright smile. “I like it more than Christmas now! It has more meaning than giving shit to people.”

“Can we just.. eat Im starving.” Ghost says grabbing plate. “Which one is mine?”

“Any of them really, I order randomly.” Price days with a smile. “I do know I ordered broccoli with chicken.”

“..Why don’t we all just share the food? Can’t hurt us to try new things.” Gaz says looking at the food. “God that smells so fucking good.”

“Damn right it does..” Price says handing everyone a fork. “I didn’t think we would be sharing so uh.. enjoy?”

You give them a smile and nod. Grabbing some orange chicken and stuffing it in your mouth. You were too busy eating with soap to realize Ghost has taken his mask off. Price went to lock the door incase anyone tried to get in. Eating with the men was a new thing you never thought that would happen. Ghost stares at for a slight moment, slightly happy you aren’t mentioning him without his mask.

—

After a couple hours of just relaxing and playing card games against them you looked at the time. There you saw it twelve am. You quickly got up form your chair, almost falling down in the process and rushed to get something under your bed.

“What are you doing! We are in a middle of a game.” Gaz says looking over at with ghost. “Y/n!”

“I need you guys to write something you wish for!” You say running over slipping and landing in Ghost arms. “Write! Fast! Don’t tell anyone what you write!”

You tear small pieces of paper and hand them out to the men. Ghost still has you in your arms and stares at you. Slightly smiling under his mask seeing you so focus on the holiday. You finally notice your in his arms and move away. You hand him a paper and and the others start writing.

“When your done roll it up and grab a coat!” You say scribbling something on your paper.

You finish up and rush to the log, gently grabbing it and rushing out the room. The men hurry after you in slight confusion, all grabbing a coat expect you. They see you look around and place the log down.

“Oh! Are we doing what I think were doing?” Soap says coming up from behind you. “We are!”

“Mhm!” You say quickly grabbing the papers out their hands. “Someone have some sort of lighter?”

“I do..” Price say taking it out his pocket. “For what?”

“To burn the log, it’s the final thing to do..” You say with a smile. “Give me!”

Price hands it to you, slightly concerned as you crouch down to the log. You flick the handle of the lighter and hold it up to the log, which immediately burst into flames. Ghost quickly grabs you away from it and and stares at you.

“Careful..” He mumbles letting go of you and letting you approach the fire again with the papers. “What are you doing?”

“Hopping.. the year will become great.” You say dropping the papers in the fire and backing up. “You all do the same.”

“God, the log is really burning.” Price says looking at you and the log. “..Y/n.. you really love this holiday don’t you?”

“..Mhm.. puts my mind at ease..finally being able to let them go.” You mumble taking your necklace off and placing it in the fire. “Like they would wanted..”

The others remain in silence as they see your paper drop in the fire. They see the writing, their hearts sink down to their stomachs.

“..To live another year without..you..my family..”

Ghost pulls you between him and the men. All of you huddled up, watching the log burn, your necklace and paper burning too.

“Happy Yule..” Soap mumbles for the group putting his arms around them.

“Happy Yule..” You respond looking at your burning necklace and then at your new found family.

[kraviolis]

ive got so many random boiling isles worldbuilding HCs in my head but i dont have a way to share them besides just random posts. so here's a random post about one of my headcanons.

there's no modern human holidays in the boiling isles (like christmas, passover, halloween, etc.) but there IS holidays that are widely celebrated by witches like samhain, yule, beltane, the equinoxes-- which i know people do actively follow and celebrate nowadays but i mean more of the ancient ways of celebration. like, live animal sacrifices and everything.

i like to think that demons have similar holidays to witches but different names/traditions. like witches have yule, but demons have krampusnacht. and obviously while there is a lot of similarity with how humans celebrated those holidays, there's obviously a creepy/weird/magic spin on them.

like on yule they do an animal sacrifice to the titan and then eat the animal & burn the inedible parts in a magical fire. but the sacrifice maybe isn't just straight forward, and is more like a hunting competition for the whole family where the one who actually kills the animal gets a special prize. like getting the best cut of the meat or getting to open their presents first.

im specifically imagining eda & lilith as girls both throwing everything they have at this beast they're hunting down and eda getting the kill in the end and gloating all smugly at lilith. with all my headcanons i usually default to imagining the clawthornes doing the thing to see if it's something that feels like it fits in with the world.

also samhain im specifically imagining to be like. less of a halloween or dia de la muertos type of holiday, but more of like... where they are appreciative and thankful to the titan for giving them magic by abstaining from using magic for the day or something. like fasting sorta. it's more of a serious holiday in my mind, where you spend it at home with family or you go to grand galas that usually have some type of charity aspect to them. the emperor's coven holds a samhain gala every year and invites mostly only the wealthy & powerful & their biggest supporters (the blights get an invitation every single year, for instance) & also the coven scouts who performed the best that year. usually theres also a charity auction.

krampusnacht for demons i think would be more set in legend & myth than simple tradition or reverence for the titan. it's 100% kings favorite holiday. it's gotta be about the Krampus, a terrifyingly powerful demon who could travel between the human realm and demon realm at will. maybe the krampus lost its powers somehow and got trapped in the human realm? maybe its even believed that the krampus was The First Demon or something. anyways, demons do sacrifices or more specific things to appease or give it strength so it can gather enough power to temporarily come back and give little gifts to all the demon children sleeping soundly in their beds before going back to the human realm to wreak terror on the human children. maybe that part is more like, for the kids, but the sacrificing stuff in krampus's honor is definitely the main point.

i can literally imagine a full owl house episode in my head of luz learning about yule & krampusnacht from eda & king respectively and trying to help both of them with their traditions and rituals and stuff but actually having a really hard time with some of the stuff-- like the hunting & sacrificing parts for sure (she is the daughter of a vet, after all) but like, they always did their best to follow the traditions of her human holidays that she shared even if they were apprehensive at first so she really wants to be active and engage with them and be more open minded. so instead of voicing her discomfort or upset over the more gruesome parts, she tries so hard to go along with it but at the very last second she ends up not being able to do it and takes off.

then luz feels so guilty bcus these traditions are obviously really important to the both of them and they're including her because she's family and she doesnt want them to think she's rejecting them but in the end king and eda are obviously just like "you dingdong you dont have to force yourself to do stuff you're uncomfortable with just to make us happy! we care about you more than any traditions, no matter how badly we want you to do them with us!" and they find ways to adjust their traditions, like instead of killing the beast they just capture it humanely and then let it go, or instead of doing live sacrifices they just get a pre-killed animal from a butcher and do the burning of the inedible parts, all so luz can feel better about participating in them :-)

and for samhain, i bet at first king never really celebrated it bcus he couldnt do magic but always liked getting to spend it with eda and pulling pranks on her bcus even she would abstain from magic for a day (she def does it bcus her dad has always been super into giving thanks to the titan and treats the nature of the isles with a lot of reverence due to his career as a palisman carver-- think about how eda encouraged luz to connect with the isles! her dad 100% did the same stuff with her!!)

after learning about his dad, king probably spends samhain in remembrance. i like to think the first samhain after he finds out about his heritage, luz & eda take him to pick some flowers and luz uses the memory-tweezers to show him what his dad looked like and they make a little shrine for his dad with the photograph at the center and all three of them spend the day together

[fairuzfan]

Hey! I just saw your post about libraries, and I wanted to chime in. Speaking as a Palestinan Muslim librarian in Cook County, IL aka the county with the highest Palestinian population in the US, where a good majority of our patrons are Arab, the main reason our library doesn't hold programs that cater specifically to our Arab patrons is because they never show up.

Like your library, we have tons of 3arab kids who hang out after-school because the high school is down the street, and college kids who come to study but that's it. When we host, for example, video game night, or anime club, or study with a dog, anything really, we'll get 1 or 2 and the rest are predominantly White. The only 3arab demographic who consistently shows up (and this is the case in many libraries) are the moms with their toddlers. That's why we have bilingual story time and Eid/Ramadan crafts in the children's dept. It's habal for us to create programs in the adult and YA dept where I work when we never see the 3arab community turn out, and I so wish they would.

Libraries have a programming budget. We have to use it in a way that draws the most patrons to the library. It's great that you hang out but you also need to attend programs! If there's a specific program you want to see, let us know! Please! And then show up for it! We want to do what the community wants! We want you to show up! Complaining that there's nothing for you doesn't help us or the community at large.

I have personally created displays for Ramadan, for Arab American Heritage Month, for Palestinian authors as well as Pride, Halloween, Xmas, Hispanic Heritage, etc. Libraries are for everyone.

As for bias, that's everywhere, libraries included. If your library's collection isn't as diverse as it should be, speak up! Send an email! And keep an eye on your library board. See who's on it and vote the racists off.

Also. Just a little fun fact in case your library puts up Xmas decorations but not Ramadan. An excerpt from a BookRiot article: The fact of the matter is that not everybody celebrates Christmas or puts up a tree. We’ll skip the fact that the Christmas tree was appropriated from the Pagans and their Yule Tree. It is now so synonymous with the Christian faith that it’s hard to separate the two. You know what is supposed to be separate, though? Church and state. 

That means that anything symbolic of a specific religion should not be prominently displayed in a government building. Libraries are funded by the government; therefore, that separation should extend to those buildings. And if a Christmas tree aligns with the Christian faith…you see where I’m going here. 

TLDR: Complain politely to your library and show up for programs.

hey cook county! i have cook county family!

totally, i agree, do show up to events like I definitely definitely think that and i regret not mentioning it in my original post. libraries do rely on funding from people that show up but in my specific case of being in a very very conservative location.... it's not a consideration of who shows up. like actually people do show up to events, i see kids there all the time participating. and part of it is that muslim communities don't know they can ask for it or just dont know they're also welcome in these spaces but it also requires people to reach out and make it known that these are welcoming spaces contrary to the other public spaces that are very much. not welcoming.

I mean outreach is a problem that is hard to do, i won't deny that, and personally as someone who is working in the community that they grew up in (palestinian cultural heritage) it's not that hard for me and i fully acknowledge that.

and im not a public librarian i totally think librarians are like. the cool kids of "GLAM" like as a whole actually and do a lot of good work, but like cook county does have a different demographic of people than my personal library. i've gotten sneers and eyerolls from library staff in my area for asking questions when i was younger that kinda turned me off for a few years from interacting with them. and that's not a problem in every library, yeah, but it is definitely a problem for some.

it's definitely improved in recent years and theres been a push in many library spaces to ensure inclusivity and i absolutely love that in ways i don't see in other spaces. my post originally was more like... acknowledging that some people Are Racist in positions of leadership in libraries lol and that affects people's experiences that i think some people, depending on where they live, kinda need to acknowledge.

i know like something i'm trying to do also, (instead of just complaining lol) is host archive workshops with my muslim community at my masjid and letting them know theres ALLLLLL these resources you can use FOR FREE to let them know that you can participate in libraries and archives and you should! but there is the feeling of like "well that's not For Me" that i think a lot of muslims deal with internally and need to be reached out to first and not the other way around. but that also is reflective of the community at large too and how public events are catered to different people.

[the-wizard-in-blue]

Difficult post ahead, fair warning.

TL/DR: Not having the best self esteme right now; feeling depressed and lonely.

Some holidays are really hard for me...and none moreso than at Yule. In the past, my family and I would be very active around the winter seasons; going to each others homes, making food, spending time together. The winter never felt too hard because everyone was together. As I grew older, I began to keep these celebrations alive with my friends. I didn't celebrate Christmas as a religious observance, as I am much more into the cycle holiday of Winter Solctice (being a pagan and all that). Whatever celebration they were choosing to observe never really mattered to me. All I cared about was that my friends and I were spending them together.

Unfortunately, I don't have many friends these days and I rarely go to many celebrations. Don't get me wrong, I try and reach out and communicate with those friends I do have. Even try to set up times and see them and let them know that I'm thinking of them from time to time. But my health affects my ability to see people or go out, and no one really comes to visit me personally. In fact, I can probably count on one hand how many I consider actual friends. Sure, I have many aquaintences, but it is very rare that anyone reaches out to me independantly anymore. Mostly it's just to reply to a message I've left, and even then, I might not receive one in return for days, if ever. It makes me sad realizing this and it makes the holidays even harder.

I wish I wasn't so sick. I don't see much value in myself these days, and it's hard to feel valued when you have a very small support system. Again, dont misunderstand: I love my wife and my partner, and I am thankful for the love and support they show me. But again, it's hard when you have no real friends to speak of, especially when these times were always so busy in the past. Now it's very quiet these days. My apologies if this post brings you down. It's not meant to. But I felt I needed to speak into the void, if for no reason than to not keep my feelings stuffed down anymore. I am trying to find my way, and I will Always Keep Fighting. But right now...things aren't alright...and I'm so very tired of things being this way.

[spookyserenades]

Do you celebrate Christmas, if u dont do u celebrate smth else like Hanukkah?

If you do celebrate, what are you looking forward to this Christmas? Do you have any special traditions, my family hides pickles! Have a wonderful Holiday and New years!

Hi sweet pea!!! 💞

I do celebrate Christmas with my family -- I grew up in a non-religious home so we really just celebrate it the American way (cheesy movies and presents on xmas morning) But ! I do observe Yule as a holiday within my own spiritual practice!

One of my family's traditions is opening up one gift each on Christmas Eve, but I like your tradition a lot (I LOVE pickles gjadkfsdaklf) One of my Yule traditions is lighting a candle for ancestors. 💜

Hope you had a lovely holiday and a happy happy New Years as well! Here's to 2024 bestie!! 🥳

[fictionkinfessions]

Let me just start this off with Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates ! Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanza and Happy Yule and !! Everything else thats happening around this time of year !

This will probably be put out after everyone is done celebrating but my well wishes still stand , if not for this year than for the next .

Since i ‘ ve been oddly festive feeling , i ‘ ve remembered celebrating Christmas with Talon . We didn ‘ t really do much besides drink christmas eve and do a secret santa with my squad but once i got promoted and began working with the big guys we started doing more . I wasn ‘ t really raised with Christmas per say . Yeah , we did a [palm] tree and presents , but it was never about santa or religion . It was about family and community . After so many of the kids I grew up with lost their parents to the Omnic crisis , the remaining adults and elders really stressed community , so naturally holidays are very important to me , even though I havent talked to my family for ages by the time i reached Talon ‘ s higher ups . Still , though , I held onto my love for that feeling of everyone coming together and having a good time , so I encouraged everyone to celebrate something, to have something to be happy about .

Luckily I didn ‘ t have to worry about my leaning towards christmas because Olivia [Sombra , for those who dont know her name] went hard every year for christmas . I ‘ m talking fresh tree up in november , christmas music blaring , everywhere she could decorate being decorated [including people ‘ s private devices being color coded or having their backgrounds changed] , even the coffee creamer was peppermint flavored . So when it came to celebrating , I fell right in . Most of everyone didn ‘ t actually care , if i ‘ m honest . Gabriel [Reaper] was a bit of a grinch , but who ‘ s really surprised there ?

I used to go hard on presents . I ‘ d have Olivia help me out , of course , and i ‘ d get all that I could , wrap up everything [i ‘ m damn good at wrapping too , even now] and get it all set up under [or at least next to] the tree . Everything i ‘ d get for everyone were genuine gifts too . Olivia did all of the gag gifts . I suppose after losing Baptiste and then slowly the rest of my old squad I valued my new crew a lot more than I realized at the time . I miss everyone . Especially Baptiste . Especially Olivia . Especially Amélie [Widow] . Especially Moira . I hope you guys are having a good holiday season !! Just know Mauga ‘ s got a present for you !! [it ‘ s an obnoxiously bone crushing hug]

Much love to my crew back at Talon,

— Maugaloa Malosi [Overwatch]

📦

[mxfitmatrix]

I think a good chunk of the big heavy thing im feeling right now is left over grief from cutting my mom out of my life.

She was easily the 2nd most important person to me other than my brother for most of my life. She taught me to survive and to be ok with being silly as an adult. She created the holiday magic with me and stayed up late when I couldnt sleep because she couldnt sleep.

The older I get, the more my body becomes like hers. I have a lot of her health conditions now, and I look and sound a lot like her some days.

Then my heart shatters because I hear from my brother and his gf that shes supposidly forgotten why i left. Why i cant come back. She fell into some very narcissistic patterns and she had us so well trained to feed into them, to the point that I still feel guilty from time to time for holding my ground. But everytime I think, you know what its been a few months, maybe i can reach back out and we can talk and maybe i can express my conditions for coming back and we can work together to repair things. Then she lies and manipulates and it breaks my heart again.

This year I have to go through the holidays without the magic her traditions bring. They were dying for a while, but it still brings some whiplash when I have the urge to ask her when we are making krispelli or if she wants to do a yule celebration.

She just proved this week, and mind you its only wednesday as i type this (this shit started sunday night), that she has not grown at all, and if anything is getting worse as my brother begins to disconnect from her since her scapegoat is gone. Shes forgotten that her husband wanted to have me arrested if I stepped foot on property again, and that its because of their actions that i cant come over. Its not my choice, its respecting a boundary at best and being incredibly cautious over a man who cannot be anything less than the best in the room at all times always at worst. I cant fix them, and its not my job to. But im still sad. I dont have much hope that things will change.

Funny thing is, this is perpetuating family cycles too. It should be obvious to her whats happening. She did the same thing to her mom over 10 years ago! She cut my gma out of our lives because she didnt care about her kids.

And honestly I hope that she does know whats going on at some level. I hope she does know that shes wrong but isnt ready to fix it yet. The alternative is so much more painful and I'm not sure that I can reconsile that with my inner child in a way that will not fundamentally break me.

How do you handle it when your greatest hero becomes the ultimate villain after all?

All that to say, I'm feelin big sad, but I know its whats best for me right now. I am trying to look forward to new traditionsand hopefully breaking the bad luck surrounding me trying to help plan events.

Fucking love planning events. Would love it if people showed up to them sometime. (To be very clear and fair: 95% of cancellations are emergencies, unavoidable circumsyances like illness, and weird things that need to be taken care of. I refuse to blame my friends because they all try to show up in other ways and its a huge improvement over what used to be and i love them so deeply for it.)

So here's to ending generational trauma, the strange grief that comes from going low/no contact, and to any traditions that bring you joy in these cold dark months.

[reesevanriper]

Christmas is a time where you take account of those you love but also those who love you! so many people love you. even if you may not know it rn there are people pulling for you. I used to hate christmas. For my own reasons. Maybe you were like me, you had your own reservations. what changed for me? Love…. Love changed my view. Turns out i was doing it wrong all along. I thought christmas / the holiday season was about family and family time… it is but who is your family? This picture and this night reminds me of a night i was still testing out the holiday waters (even though im dressed as santa; you know me head first!) On this night, i brought joy to my closest friends. Thats what I’m rambling on about! friends, family… they’re the same to me. This night 5 years ago at Jon and Joe’s place dressed as santa I came to a realization. There are people for you, find your tribe! We took a ton of pictures ate drank, were merry and we celebrated our LOVE our friendship for another season! I dont know… all i gotta say is this. If you follow RVR if you’re reading this. I appreciate you. Love me or not you have a spot in our tribe. Don’t sit there with your evil eye. Speak, tell me your truth! Teach me how to be better and maybe we can meet somewhere in Valhalla. Merry Yule Saturnalia! Go in love and peace! #merrychristmas #happyholidays #love #loveisthelaw #peace #forgiveness #santa #santareese @itsjonthehuman @joefromfacebook (at North Pole) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmiGgT_LFJL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bigtiddy-gothbf]

.

[breelandwalker]

as a closet witch, how can i celebrate yule without being caught or snitched on? at decemember i would have to go to my relative's house and none of them are witches and are hard catholics, Its very important that I dont get caught but I would love to celebrate

This is my first yule too! (i started this month!! very new baby witch) I managed to persuade one of them to buy some scented candles (because that's what all i could manage to get them to buy it for me since i'm a broke student) but that's all I could manage if im being honest

i could eat breakfast with them, would that count as a feast? while i light the sun candle, should I shorten the things I should say while lighting it?

I genuinely want to welcome the sun and celebrate because I feel very safe while it's present and I want to thank it for the warmth it generously gives! And i thought yule would be a good time to get to know the sun more and repay it's kindness! (also, if i am referring to the sun incorrectly, please correct me!! I wanna be as resectful as i can)

[Also I'm very sorry if this isn't the types of asks you would like to recieve!! please delete if you wish not to answer ^^]

Oh, we're about to get REAL sneaky on this answer.

Before reading, please note - I do not recommend mixing religious practices willy-nilly or appropriating Christian rites for non-Christian witchcraft. But sometimes a witch has to be stealthy and here's how I managed a similar situation in my younger days.

I became a witch in my early twenties, while I was still living at room with progressive-but-highly-religious family members. There were occasions when I was expected to go to church. I was expected to say grace at family meals, celebrate religious holidays, pray about my problems, accept faith-based advice, and not be averse to Christian-themed gifts or the Christian radio station constantly playing in the house. For all my moms knew, I was still a Good Christian Girl.

I was NOT.

I hid books about witchcraft in with my fantasy novels. I decorated the top of a short bookcase with knickknacks for an altar. I used cheap candles and craft supplies for magical purposes. I bought herbs from a natural food store, started a potted garden, and talked (a lot) about my interest in herbal medicine. I took notes about witchcraft in the back of the notebook I used for notes about botany. And I did all my pagan stuff offsite or when I was home alone.

Keep in mind, this was purely to keep the peace in my home. I couldn't move out and I knew my mother would have a full-sized bird with all the trimmings if she found out I was doing pagan stuff under her roof. (As it turned out, it was a series of medium-sized birds. But that's another story.) I was lying, yes, but I was doing so out of self-preservation.

And that's exactly what I recommend you do.

Go along with what you're expected to do, to the extent that you are comfortable with. Use the mundane objects available to you to practice your craft silently and in secret. There's no need for fancy accoutrements, elaborate rituals, or spoken prayer. All of that takes a backseat to your physical safety and mental and emotional wellbeing.

Make the plans you already have and the things you're already doing into celebrations and devotional acts. Caroling is singing up the sun. Putting up lights is keeping the needfires burning through the solstice. Christmas breakfast with family absolutely counts as a feast. When everyone bows their heads for silent prayer, no one will know whether you're praying to the same god they are.

Honor the sun by scattering seeds for the birds and small animals to eat. Make dried-orange garlands - they're traditional for this time of year. Use that scented candle for color or scent magic, or for devotional purposes. (And you don't need to say anything out loud when lighting it. You can just think it to yourself.) Watch the sunrise on the winter solstice and wave. Make plans for how you too will rise and shine in the new year.

The nice thing about being pagan is that the gods meet us where we are. The world is our church and while there are sacred places that are worth visiting, we also carry our temples inside ourselves. Our hearts, our hands, our minds, and our voices are our altars, and on these tables, we offer the best of ourselves in honor of those we venerate.

Whatever you offer to your chosen gods, offer it sincerely, and whatever deeds you do in their honor, do them well and with all of your heart. It doesn't matter how small that might seem to you, because right now, that is everything you can give. In the future, maybe you can do more, be more open, celebrate in new ways. But for now, your task is to learn and grow, quietly, until that time comes.

I hope this helps and I hope you have a merry and meaningful Yule! Good luck, witchling, and welcome!

[witchings-ofkoi]

does anyone have any tips on celebrating yule while closeted?

my family is Christian an my parents are pretty against other practices that dont follow their own so its hard to even have my altar out

[smutty-ki113r]

Happy holidays red! A lot of my family celebrates Christmas but i celebrate yule and im trying to get my parents to join me since we dont do much for christmas anyway. Im picturing how different creeps would celebrate different holidays, what christmas would be like for them now that their lives are so different.

I hope you have a happy and fulfilling day though! Dont forget to hop on cleverbot and tell ben you love him, im sure he'd love to hear it 💕

-🐞

THATSSOCOOL!

I actually read this and went immediately, than I started crying. LORD

I hope you had a lovely Yule!!!

[thecampfirestory]

Im so sorry for bothering you, but how would the gang celebrate Christmas/yule?

i dunno??? i just.... theres nothing that comes to my mind tbh???? dgdjhdjd

i genuinely dont know Christmas isnt a big deal for me i just spend it w my family dhdhhdhd if u have any ideas theyre welcome tho :>

I just know Vee rlly rlly likes Christmas lights

[of-faunsandyellowflowers]

Yule personal post:

What are yalls traditional food items you do for Yule? Do you ro anything special for your gods? I am!

I'm doing so much baking tommorrow and marinating my game meat (antelope my dad got) for our dinner on the 25th. Cernunnos adores game meat, and since he is the god of the hunt, he appreciates when my dad hunts, i use all the animal that i can to feed my family, and honor said animal for its death.

(If you're vegan, please do not hop upon my post telling me I'm immoral. Hunting is very sacred to me. Its sacred to a lot of people. My family does it for food, we use hides, all that. I CANNOT eat vegan, I would die. My chronic illness causes me to be anemic and needing meat to keep healthy. By all means, eat vegan! Just dont pressure me to)

Anyway:

Typically I'd do a good dinner every night of yule, but since I'm with my parents we are incorporating a large meal into their Christmas holiday, and it being game meat for MY holiday, alongside making wassail for ritual with brandy, and making paper snowflakes, and we will extend out celebrating until the end of yule, when my brother comes up! I'll be making gumbo.

List of baked goods are:

Irish shortbread, to which I will be sending some to my lovely buddies @lord-worms-shakespeare-class and @lost-my-sanity

Cinnamon buns the morning of the 25th (long overnight rest in fridge before bake)

Dark chocolate fudge with walnuts (cuz milk chocolate is WAY too sweet 🤢)

Dutch letter pastry, also known as: letterbanket. Or banketletter. I make this EVERY year for the family as it is my grandmother's recipe passed down from when my dutch great grandma came here from Holland. The are called letter pastry because they are originally shaped into a letter 'S' for Sinterklaas which is the dutch version of santa. It is filled with almond lemon filling, much like marzipan with lemon zest.

Bara Brith: a welsh tea cake which I know Cernunnos LOVES along with the irish shortbread, however hes probably more excited about the Antelope roast. I also am dedicating this tea cake to my friend @angiethewitch. Love you girl ❤

Wassail: technically not a baked good as it is a hard cider mixture but I use it in rituals for fae and trees outside.

And of course, I will be leaving out some red wine for Lilith, Lucifer. Water for Beelzebub, some fresh flowers for Freyja.

I'm so excited!!!!!