Pagan Holidays for December 29th, 2009

Pagan Days for Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

 

Tuesday belongs to Mars, Ares, Tiwaz, Tiw (named after), Tuisco & Tyr

As Tuesday belongs not only to the God Mars, but also to the Planet of Mars, we can toss the Element of Fire into the mix ,and have the makings of a very heated and passionate day!

So if you don’t have anyone to vent those wild emotions out on, don’t fret because you can point them into the direction of matters or magical rituals and spells concerning: anything having to do with marriage, money or wealth, loyalty, enemies, protection, confidence for yourself or another, and of course, courage!

The moon phase for today is:

Waxing Gibbous

94% Full

* Waxing Moon Magic *

From seven to fourteen days after the new moon.The waxing moon is for constructive magick, such as love, wealth, success, courage, friendship, luck or health.

Today is the Greek Observance called The Day of Nymphs.

It’s to honor Andromeda, Ariadne, and Artemis.

Today is also Ra’s Birthday in Egypt.

The Moth Festival

Hi all, just a quick plug – featured artist Tom Brown has a new blog. It’s early days yet BUT there’s a very neat subscribe feature, so if you want to keep track of Tom’s latest art, this is a good way of doing so.

As for why it’s the Moth Festival – this would be entirely due to skype. I have no idea what I actually said, but it was something else. Tom miss-heard it was Moth Festival and the whole thing went from there. The blog also features a thing I scribbled, a contemplation of what a Moth Festival might be.

www.mothfestival.wordpress.com Please do drop by!

Kai Stubborn

Kai Stubborn

by Nix ‘Nick’ Winter
all rights reserved
copyright 2006

Note: This story was published by Thunder Mouth Press in 2006, in the ‘Zowie, It’s Yaoi!’ anthology, but the rights have reverted to me now.

Cover link: http://www.jewlsthelucky.com/2009/12/kai-cover.html

Buy Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Kai-Stubborn-ebook/dp/B00322ONQK/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

If you have a Mac and no ipod:

http://www.lulu.com/product/e-book/kai-stubborn/6183442

Summary:  Kai withdrew from the realm of the Fae, leaving behind the man he loved and all his friends. He’d been injured in a mission. With a ruined hand, a broken heart, he thought he was completely retired.  Then Dorian came for him. They both have secrets. These secrets are going to drag them into the middle of a war of succession for the throne of the Fae.  Love and war can be very hard on fragile new love, even for a dragon and his elf prince.

There were two of them, standing by the ocean, a lone bed and breakfast in the distance. One was tall, wearing a black trench coat, jeans, bare feet. His blond hair lifted, dancing tangled as the breeze danced lightly down the beach. Cigarette smoke curled back and around him, lazy and yet also tangled on the breeze that promised the world had not yet really stopped for them. He drew his hand slowly to thin piles, the white filter of his cigarette tucked between two bent and stiff fingers, to pull a slow drag of smoke in. Green eyes, half-closed, watched the weak wave as it broke down to nothing. “You shouldn’t have come.”

The man next to him was younger, perhaps, but not by much. In a suit and tie, polished shoes that left their own imprint in the sand, he stood with both hands in his trouser pockets, short dark hair untouched by the breeze. He could have been a samurai or a yakuza, a ghost of some of the things a man does for his country that are never spoken of, but when he leaned forward a smile lightened him and hew as just a man. “I had to come, as soon as I knew where you were. Kai, I have missed you so much.”

Surf came closer to them, leaving little bubbles unsaid of the ocean’s soul. Kai touched the back of his wrist to his forehead, pushing suicide blond back, smoke trailing over the dark roots. “And now you’ve found me,” he said, in English, voice mellow, a playboy’s voice that could never quite give up on the lazy sensual being. “You’re going to miss the ghost I was.”

“I missed the man much more,” Dorian said. It wasn’t a Japanese name, but it had been his name for as long as he could remember.

Kai pulled another moment from his cigarette, then tossed what was left into the encroaching ocean. “You should go away and pretend like you didn’t find me. I can’t work with the team anymore. Even Spades acknowledges that. I could never do intelligence only. I’m just not that smart.” He held out his hand, the mangled remains of a skilled weapon, three fingers broken so badly in an interrogation, left to the ravages of infection and damage. The other two fingers were better only because they’d been broken for less time when the rest of his team had found him. The problem with being an undercover terrorist hunter was that it was sometimes hard to tell the good guys from the bad. “I’m finished, Dorian. Done. Ruined. You have always been smarter, kinder to the world and yourself.  You can make a place for yourself in the organization, to do something more than hunt and strike.”

One hand came from the warmth of Dorian’s pocket and reached fro the twisted hand, but Kai turned way from the guilt in his friend’s face, to the reaching touch. “I didn’t find you to invite you back to the team, Kai. I know that’s done. If we’d rescued you sooner… if you’d just told her who you were.”

“If I’d started talking, I’d wouldn’t have ever shut up, and how was I to know she was really a cop like she said? Terrorist lie too, you know.” Kai pushed his foot in the sand, plowing up a small trough that water slipped into. “I couldn’t give her anything that might have been used to hurt you.”

There were so many things that might never rise to the surface, like a soul dragged down to the bottom of the ocean. Usually, things that one hadn’t meant o think or do. It didn’t stop a person from wanting someone to love them, wanting to believe that someone could, not a ruined hand or a ruined soul.

Kai dropped then, to a squat, then down on his ass in the sand. Salt water and sand weren’t going to ruin his faded-out jeans and he’d had about all he could stand of pretending he didn’t care about Dorian being there. “Just get out of here. Or are you planning on breaking my fingers to make me talk?”

“Don’t be a goddamn ass, Kai,” Dorian snarled, dropping to one knee, a hand reaching cautiously for Kai’s t-shirt, to grab hold.

Cautious or not, he had him, a fistful of black t-shirt and Kai looked up, not so cocky, more vulnerable and afraid.  “Dori, you want to kick my ass, fine. But I can’t go back to being who I was. I learned things about myself, too. It’s not just my fucking hand.”

“I understand,” Dorian said, holding Kai’s green eyes locked with his gaze. “I learned, too. I learned that I love you. I love you, Kai. You’re the only person I’ve ever really let get into me that deep. You know me and I now you, maybe better than you think anyone can. It’s more than just knowing you, it’s something so primal. You’re the only person I’m attracted to, and I don’t make it out like it’s some kind of fucking joke. ‘Dorian’s a fag.’ Whatever. I….” He paused, his eyes finally letting go of their hold as his power rolled back out like the tide, leaving little bubbles of feeling that he couldn’t quiet put words to. “I love you,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”

Kai’s other hand had healed much better and with it,  he reached to touch Dorian’s cheek, caressing smoothly shaved skin, his thumb moving over soft lips. It had always been that way between them, words of foam, but deep moving emotion that pushed the current of their lives. Kai’s other hand, his mangled one, rose, the side of his little finger smearing away a tear and he leaned close, shifting to one knee, smashing sand against Dorian’s expensive trousers.

Their kiss was a tentative brush, a passing of spirits where there should be none, Kai’s chilled lips against Dorian’s blush-swarmed lips that opened back with a willingness of a Christmas just one day delayed, hunger, need, roaring back from the oblivion of a soul which knows it’s banished. Deeper into each other, tongues dancing nervous, afraid to touch, needing to touch, until dorian took the kiss, his fingers combed into Kai’s hair, holding to him as if he were the only breath. Cigarette smoke, salty ocean air, heat of needing the touch of someone you love and respect and redemption.

Kai moaned into the kiss, his heart and body both waking. Panting, Dorian pulled back, dark eyes dancing with hope and happiness. “And you love me, too. I know you do.”

“I do,” Kai said, lips full of color now, a crooked smiles forcing it’s way into being. “I’m not any good for you.”

Dear Spirit, December 25, 2009-All About the Critters

Merry Christmas, folks in the broadest and truest sense of the word! I was making a little merry, hence the lateness of the post, but as they say, better late than never, right ! This week’s posts are about furry members of two reader’s families. The first was with regard to the health of a beloved dog, the other an interesting question regarding the actual spirit of a feline familiar. Let’s see what the cards have to say.

“My older dog has been “off his feed” lately and not acting his usual self. Is he winding down or is this an indicator of something more serious? He’s eleven years old. His first initial begins with the letter ‘C’.” CB, Los Angeles, CA

CB, this is going to read strange, but spirit is prompting me to say age is not an indicator of a dog’s desire to remain with its human companion, the life lessons they learn together are the motivation. With that stated the cards pulled as follows, the 9 card–The Moon, upright; the first initial–Page of Cauldrons, upright, the second initial (in this instance I used another 9 card)–Seven of Rods, upright; and the final initial (again, a 9 card)–Four of Pentacles, upright.

The Moon tells me immediately things are unseen and reasons are not clear as to what is happening with your furry family member. In a reading however, this card tends to symbolize the law of cycles and phases. Eleven years old is old for most dogs (based on the standard 7 years in a dog’s life for every 1 in a human’s, but that is not appropos for all breeds or sizes of dogs either, let alone large or small mixed breeds, if indeed your dog is mixed). With that stated, I feel he’s winding down and deciding what his next move is, companion to you, or move on. You do not elaborate on his symptoms, but the phrase “off his feed” tells me it’s time for a trip to the vet to make sure his health is in order first and foremost. If he comes out with a clean bill of health, it is time to accept the fact that puppy and adult phases are over and he’s moved into his own version of the Crone stage. I’m sensing he feels the need to rest more and just enjoy life from an observer’s standpoint as opposed to a participant. I say respect that and make him comfortable. He can love you as much from your lap as walking by your side. The Page of Cauldrons tells me that if you take him to the vet you will receive good news with regard to his overall health as this card is also indicative of healing taking place. So I stress for sure take your friend to a vet to tend to his needs right away. The Seven of Rods further reinforces this message as the vibration of the number 7 always indicates victory after a struggle. Your animal companion is definitely under the weather in my opinion and it’s time to get him the help he needs. He still has fight left in him, but needs the appropriate tools to do so. In general also, the wands relate to the body’s temperature i.e., as in fever, perhaps some sort of bacteria has invaded his system. It also represents digestion and the burning of caloric energy. My educated guess/intuition is telling me because he’s older he’s dietary needs have changed. No more people food, no more treats, especially if he’s not as active as he used to be. I’m also feeling he may have eaten a human food (i.e., onions, grapes, chocolate, etc.) that dogs cannot digest properly or was contaminated and is now paying for it big time. The Four of Pentacles further reinforces that he IS definitely dealing with intestinal issues as the Four of Pentacles reflects waste disposal, intestines, how the body breaks down and metabolizes food. You feel like a loving pet owner who spoils his buddy rotten and that includes indulging his appetites for human food. NO MORE. He can’t take it any longer and is being deprived of the nutrients he needs to function as a dog and as an older dog. So, it’s time to shower him with affection instead of hot dogs. Get to a vet, one that you can trust. I sincerely feel he will be all right once you get him on the proper nutritional path. Take care! Erin Sinclair

Now for a cat owner who believes her new kitten sees the spirit of her recent feline companion who crossed over.

“Dear Spirit, This is going to sound so crazy, but I have a new kitten whom I adore. My new familiar has been acting very strange. What I mean by that is she is doing all the “things” my fourteen year old cat use to do, including sleeping in the same spot. She plays as if she is playing with another cat, expressing the same kind of body language cats use with each other, meowing at corners and at my closet door, where my old cat use to sleep in her bed and where she passed away. I know I’m missing my old cat who had been with me since I was 9 years old, but I feel her behavior is so odd and so uncannily like my old cat, I wanted to see what you thought. Her name is Tabitha.” Thank you, Catgirl, NY, NY

Catgirl, I’m sorry about your loss. I know how I would feel, were I in your shoes. My animals are as important to me as my children, I’m sure the pain is palpable at times. Know that your pet is in a good place, no longer in pain. I feel there was an issue with its blood, hence its passing. You did the right thing in letting your former cat go. She was holding on because of your sorrow at losing her. Once you gave her permission to leave however, she was so thankful she could move on, the cross over was an eventless situation for her, although I’m sure not for you.

With that stated the cards pulled as follows. The 9 card, The Sun, upright. The first intial–Six of Swords, upright; the second intial (a 9 card)–King of Swords, upright and the third intial–Seven of Pentacles, upright.

The Sun tells me after darkness there is light. I’m not sure how you came to be the new mama of your kitty friend, but the receiving of her was as if the Sun came out from behind dark clouds. Your sorrow at the loss of your other cat was truly deep. I feel you put much into your feline companion because you didn’t have human friendships cultivated (I’m referencing the Seven of Pentacles, more on that in a moment). I know that sounds odd and not a direct response to your query, but Spirit is indicating to me you tend to be overwhelmed by human relationships and much prefer solitude and the companionship of animals. While most of us can relate to that on some level, your self-isolation is far more harmful than it is good to you and it’s time for a change. With that stated the Six of Swords upright tells me you are moving from a bad situation to a good one, from more difficult to more peaceful times. This little kitten has received a lot of unconditional love and attention from you, but it is now time for you to see things as they truly are and not as you would want them to be. I have no doubt your kitten is smelling your former pet all around your home. I also have no doubt that spirit animals exist. Whether or not your kitten is truly sensing or seeing your older cat I can’t honestly say, although The Moon imagery does often remind me of spirit energy, so your old kitty may very well be stopping by to check in on you. I do believe your kitten is exhibiting behaviors common to all cats and perhaps in your mourning you are labeling standard behavior of cats from your kitten as those of your former cat. I think it is time to truly say goodbye to your old cat, for the Six of Swords does represent healing from mental stress therefore in saying your final goodbyes, you will be able to appreciate your new companion and give it the individuality it deserves. The King of Swords is represented by the Air sign of Libra. In all things, balance. Find your peace and center in the passing of your loved one. Nature hates a vaccum, as such it replaced your void with a new kitten and it is time to appreciate it for the companion it can be for you. Do not compare it to your old friend as they are individuals of the same species, not the other way around and it is just causing you unnecessary pain, I believe.  The third intial, Seven of Pentacles is an interesting card for you with regard to your question. It represents a period of waiting, of not knowing how a matter will manifest itself. I feel you are entirely too caught up in your relationship with your animal companion and you are neglecting your other needs on the physical plane. It is time to start paying attention to other aspects of your life and enjoy your animal as one aspect of it, not the be all and end all of it. Once you broaden your horizons, your ache of loss will lessen with time and you can truly enjoy your new “familiar” the way she is meant to be enjoyed…a wonderful NEW addition to your household.

That’s all for now! Stay tuned for a question regarding a potential new career option and a question regarding whether a reader should or shouldn’t get married.

Erin Sinclair

Merry Christmas from all of us here at The Pagan & the Pen!!!!!

May you have a Very Merry Pagan

Christmas!

From all of us here at The Pagan & the Pen!!!

C.H. Scarlett

moondancer

nixwinter

bocperkins

brynneth

celticchick

ravenstarr

conniewood75

adriannebrennan

mspanthera

Jesse Fox

riemcgaha

myristica1

reesejohnson1

jodilee

mychaelblack

helgaleena

Cynthia Clay

Elen Sentier

Brandi Auset

Valora

erinsinclairwriter1756

christophercnewman

Kim Clune

meingee

Jes

esinclair1756

Morgan Sylvia

Lizz Clements

!

Other People’s Festivals

If you are in need of a respite from other people’s festivals, then please do pay a visit to www.itisiacircle.com – we have a festive special on the 25th, and Monday the 28th ‘At The End Of The Bed’ is a two part story with illustrations, and a bit of a twist on some seasonal myths and traditions.

In a dark, gothic environment, the propsect of something sneaking into your room and leaving stuff, is not a pretty one!

I wish you peace from the mayhem of other people’s festivals. May you have quiet days, without too much of the frequently ugly and careless consumerism that goes with this time of year. As we head into a new calendar year, here’s hoping this is a wiser, more responsible and ethical time for our species.

Winter Solstice/Christmas

Winter Solstice (December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 20 in the Southern Hemisphere) is the shortest day of the year and was also celebrated as Midwinter, Yule and later as Christmas.

I cannot help but wonder how the ancient people felt when the days grew shorter, the nights longer. They looked up in the sky, wondering at the sun’s great power to bring life to the earth and related it to a god. Without the scientific knowledge of how the earth rotates around the sun, it must have been frightening to think the sun might never reappear. It’s no wonder they created rituals on the shortest day of the year to bring back the Sun god.

Some of the earlier rituals involved animal, and possibly, human sacrifices. They also celebrated with holly, ivy, pine boughs, lighted trees (candles), warm beer and spiced wine drinks (wassail), roasted pigs, large Yule logs and large bonfires, songs and gifts in the hope that the sun would rise earlier and banish the cold, harsh winter. The traditions are still celebrated all over the world.

Later, Christianity incorporated the birth of Jesus into the celebration, naming him the new Sun god even though according to some historians, Jesus was most likely born in March or April. Here in the United States most people celebrate Christmas using some of the traditions of Winter Solstice.

In my house, we celebrate a combination of Winter Solstice and Christmas. I put up a Christmas tree and my Pagan Santa with his green cloak, staff and antlers. For me, this is a time to spend with family and friends, a time for sharing and a time for reflection. Each December I look forward to the end of winter and the beginning of a new season. Every ending is a beginning.

My latest release is a short, sweet, contemporary/paranormal romance called A Winter Solstice Kiss, which is part of the Winter Kisses anthology from Noble Romance.
Noble Romance Publishing http://www.nobleromance.com

Blurb: When Brianna decides to attend the Winter Solstice masquerade ball, she never thought she would end up kissing a handsome knight beneath the mistletoe, but they part without exchanging names and phone numbers–how will they find each other again?

Excerpt: She followed his gaze to mistletoe hanging from the low ceiling, glimmering with a tempting glow. Her breath caught in her throat. Captivated by his nearness, she imagined those masculine lips touching her. “I . . . .” Her feet froze to the floor. He had the most amazing blue eyes.
“It’s tradition,” he said, dipping his head and pressing a kiss to her trembling lips.
She couldn’t move her mouth at first, allowing his lips to capture her mouth in a thrilling crush. His forceful yet tender kiss awakened something inside her. She forgot who she was or that she was allowing a stranger’s lips to caress her. Her head spinning, she surrendered to him.
His hand cradled the back of her head and she was aware of the slight scratch of stubble tickling her face. The kiss grew more passionate and she almost dropped her cup, the only thing keeping their bodies from touching.
The heat from his skin sent a flush to every part of her body. Her breasts heaved and tingled. Excitement spread through the rest of her body, quickening her pulse. She wanted to stay there in his embrace, feeling a man’s lips giving her so much pleasure again.
“Okay guys, get a room already.” A reveler laughed and ducked into the bathroom.
She stepped away from the stranger, the magical moment broken. Blushing, she avoided eye contact with him.

Happy Yule, Winter Solstice, Midwinter and Christmas!

Kelley Heckart
‘Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic’
http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

http://www.myspace.com/phantomqueen3

My book page at Awe-Struck
http://www.king-cart.com/Awe-Struck/category=Kelley+Heckart/exact_match=exact

Pagan Holidays for December 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 2009

I am going offline (by the time this posts I will be lol) so sorry for posting so many at once.  These are the Pagan Holidays for the following days. I did not include the day’s information—just the holidays for that day. if you need information concerning what Tuesday, Wednesday and so forth means, then please check past Holiday posts. Thank you.

Wishing everyone a Happy Winter Solstice, Yule, & Christmas! See you when I get back on the 27th!

C.H. Scarlett

Tuesday, December 22

• 6th day of Rome’s Saturnalia
• Welsh—Today is Pryderi’s Birthday (Rhiannon’s son)
• Celtic Tree Month of Ruis Ends

Wednesday, December 23

• Irish—Secret of the Unknown Stone—a day of unpredictable potential & mystery—when nothing of the coming year can be seen or predicted.
• Last Day of Rome’s Saturnalia
• The only day In Celtic Culture where there is no Tree ruling
• Acca Larentia –a Roman Observance is celebrated today as well.
• Egypt honors Hathor
• In Welsh tradition, this evening belongs to the Festival of Gwyl Nadolig Elder

Thursday, December 24

• An extra day is added to Romes’ Saturnalia called Juvenalia. This was for children only and not adults.
• Celtic Tree Month of Beth Begins

Friday, December 25

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

• Christmas in many cultures around the world. This holiday is thought to be Christian but in all actuality, every symbol and or tradition can be traced to pagan roots.
• Roman celebrate a day called “Dies Natalis Invicti Solis” which was the Birth of the Invincible Sun.
• In many Teutonic Legends speak of two witches appearing on this day called Lutzelfrau & Perchta
• Today is the birthday of Horus as prophesized and promised.

Saturday, December 26th

• The Norse Yuletide
• Today is the Hunting of the Wren
• Egypt honors Neith
• Goddess Month of Hestia Begins

Pagan Holiday for December 21, 2009

Pagan Day for Monday, December 21, 2009

Monday (moon day) is the day of the Moon Goddess, Selene, Luna, & Mani.

~

Mondays are an awesome day to take care of matters or magical rituals and spells concerning:

Traveling, memory, one’s instinct, sharpening or increasing Psychic abilities, dreams, healing, home, ancestors and of course, family.

~

Monday belongs to the Moon and the Element of Water

3 More days until Christmas…but hold onto your hats Pagans because there is ALOT to celebrate today…

Today we celebrate:

Winter Solstice which is the shortest day of the year.

The Norse gave us Yule, so many will be celebrating that. Yule marks the turning point of Winter. It also brings an end to the past year. Have you ever heard of a Yule log? Well today, its lighted but from the fire from this year’s past. Its symbolic and very important. It means that Winter’s darkness is making its journey towards the light of Spring.

Now, listen close because we learned how the Norse gave us Santa and we learned about how they gave us the whole tradition of decorating the Christmas or Yule Tree…now listen to how they gave us mistletoe and that whole ‘kissing thing’.

On this day, a Norse woman could proudly and loudly speak her intensions…her hearts desire…telling all the name of the lover she wanted. She would do this by standing under the mistletoe by calling him forth.  It is my guess that her words would be sealed with a kiss. *winks*

Now don’t run off yet because we have more CELEBRATIONS!!!!

On this day the Druids would celebrate their festival Alban Arthuan

Also known as Arthur’s Light, we see the birth of the spirit of giving. Yes, on this day Druids would give gifts to the less fortunate— (recognize that one?) While this was also believed to be Arthur’s birthday, it was also a beautiful day filled with traditions that we see or hope to see during our own present time.

Today is also the Fourth Station of the Year which means—a time of enlightenments, when the light is born in the darkness of the womb.

I hope everyone is noticing the pattern this month with all of our Ancestors celebrations and can connect that with the world known beliefs and myths adopted by Christianity, etc? If you didn’t catch this one…think the birth of Jesus who was believed to be the light of the world…a light from the darkness (womb). it also falls back to the whole Geneses thing when the Christian God takes the light from the darkness etc.

And last but certainly NOT least, Egyptians will hold a celebration for Isis & Osiris. Why?

Because on this day, Osiris returns to the world…resurrecting…Osiris—light—death—darkness—resurrection—reincarnation—birth of Jesus—soon to be the birth of Horus—Osiris’s son given to the world—in some minds—the reincarnation of Osiris himself– will come about on December 25th. Oh I could connect this stuff forever lol.

Despite that, may I wish you ALL (Pagan or non-Pagan) a Blessed Yule, & a wonderful Winter Solstice!!!!!!!

From all of us here at The Pagan & the Pen!!!!

C.H. Scarlett

Merry, Merry Happy, Happy

When my children were all young and at home the house was just a peg below uncontrolled chaos from the beginning of the school year until after the winter break, but Christmas was really something to behold at our house. When you have twelve lively, talented, artistic and loud children who try to out do one another on a regular basis you wind up laughing a whole lot.

The only time of year that might come close to out decorating our house than Christmas would be Halloween. But that’s for another blog.

We didn’t have a lot of money left over for store bought decorations so most of the ones we had were made by the kids and me. We had everything from paper snowflakes in the windows to colored paper chains on the tree, along with popcorn and cranberries strung together. One year I got the idea to cut wood into little blocks and wrap them like presents, attach an ornament hook and the kids hung them on the tree like they were the most beautiful ornaments they’d ever seen.

I tried to put a little money aside all year long to buy each of them a store bought gift, something they each wanted and was theirs alone, and also a game or two we could all play on family night. I also sewed bathrobes, crocheted blankets, and knitted slippers and scarves for everyone. I would also save old clothes that no one could, or would, wear anymore and cut them up into squares that were used for patchwork quilts. Or if there wasn’t enough quilt squares, I used the pieces to make pillows and the kids never failed to recognize their own clothing in the fabric. I often had the pleasure of listening to them tell me stories about each square because the fabric would bring back memories of what they were doing at a time they wore the particular garment.

On Christmas Eve we all sat around the table with cups of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and sugar cookies, and while they drank and ate I read the Bible story of the birth of Jesus, usually followed by The Night Before Christmas. Of course, it really wasn’t Christmas until we all watched It’s A Wonderful Life, which is my favorite movie, but I usually had to force the kids to watch with me. A bribe of fudge and popcorn usually worked!

On the big day I baked a turkey, (or ham if we could afford one), along with candied yams, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, stuffing, and I bake my own bread so there was loaves of fresh bread and dinner rolls. The dessert table was what everyone looked forward to because I made everyone their favorite desserts.

Never less than a dozen different desserts that included pumpkin pie, pecan pie, lemon icebox pie, coconut cream pie, pumpkin rolls, cinnamon rolls and monkey bread, maple bars, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cookies, fudge, and two kinds of eggnog, one for the kids and one for me with lots of alcohol!

This year my kids are all spread around the country with their own kids, but for the first time since I became a mother, I am going to one of my children’s homes for Christmas. I’m wondering if I was invited so I can cook when I get there! No matter, though, I’ve had phone calls since early November requesting recipes and details on how to cook a variety of items.

I thought I’d share a couple of recipes that are favorites around here. Don’t worry, these are easy enough that even my kids can make them and not screw ‘em up!

Lemon Icebox Pie

1 ready made graham cracker crust (if you don’t know how to make one)
1 can condensed sweetened milk (not evaporated canned milk)
2 eggs, separated
1/4 c. lemon juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)

Mix milk and egg yolks together, add lemon juice. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks, add them to milk mixture, blend well, pour into graham cracker crust and refrigerate several hours or over night. Garnish with thin lemon slices and serve.

The pumpkin roll is a favorite at Thanksgiving and Christmas both, but the original recipe is a little involved. When you have a lot of kids you want things to be quick and easy, so I found a way to cheat on this recipe and it’s still awesome!

Pumpkin Roll

1 box spice cake mix
1/2 c. solid pack pumpkin
1/2 c. sugar
1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
Powdered sugar

Oven 350 degrees.
Spray a large jelly roll pan, or cookie sheet with lip, with pan spray, then line it with wax paper and spray paper.

Mix cake according to pkg. directions. Pour thin layer onto wax papered jelly roll pan and bake about 15 minutes or until done. (depends on your oven, so check it around 10 minutes and every couple of minutes after so it doesn’t over bake)
While it bakes, spread clean dish towel on counter, sprinkle with fair amount of powdered sugar. When cake is done invert onto sugar covered cloth and peel wax paper off, then sprinkle cake with powder sugar. (it helps if you have a sifter) Do this all very quickly while cake is very hot. Flip end of towel over narrow end of cake and roll up into tight roll, lay seam side down to cool.

Beat softened cream cheese with sugar, then add pumpkin, mix thoroughly.

When cake is still warm to the touch, but not hot, carefully and slowly unroll it enough that you can lay the towel flat, (the cake will not lay flat, don’t try or you’ll break it), spread cream cheese filling on cake leaving about a half inch all the way around the edges, then re-roll cake and place on platter with seam side down. Refrigerate until completely cool. Sift a little powdered sugar over cake before serving.

If you don’t want pumpkin in the filling, you can add a little vanilla, and 3/4 cup powdered sugar to the whipped cream cheese and use it that way.

Memories:
Three of my four youngest (the youngest hadn’t been born yet).

My brother-in-law Frank and his wife Merly, getting ready for Toys For Tots.

Grandbabies-Alissa, Meagan & Tyler

My Santa baby granddaughter, Meagan.