21st December - Winter Solstice.

The Sun has been reborn!

This morning, found me impatiently waiting for my boy to wake up..finally the door knob to my bedroom turned and in he bounced joyfully announcing the Winter King had been and left him a well stuffed stocking.

I suppose its a hang over from when we co-slept, Yule morning, Rye always comes through to my bed with the stocking to open it, and share his joy at with me.   I revel in his innocent joy of his gifts, his whoops and exclamations as he opens each gift, his eyes are wide with excitement and glee.   It is wonderful to see his joy and I feel some understanding for my mother's frustration when I was a kid.  I, unlike Rye, was much more reserved.  All eyes were on me, and I felt like a performing monkey, I didn't whoop, or exclaim.  Sadly, my mother took this for lack of gratitude and responded negatively.  She never grasped the more she pushed, the more I drew back into myself, I was grateful, excited, overjoyed, I just didn't express it in whoops.

Anyway.

Stocking opened, we waited for the sun to raise, this morning was overcast and raining, so we didn't actually see the sun's rebirth, but we did clear away the old alter and refresh it with a winter theme.  Candles were lit, and the pine cones sprinkled with essential oils.

"Now?"  Rye kept asking, as he eyed the rather large pile of gifts under the tree.
"Breakfast first", I responded.

We eat hash browns and vegan sausages, he's too excited to wait for anything more elaborate.  Breakfast is wolfed down, a leap and hop propels him across the living room, and he falls upon the gifts, opening the combine Yule / Birthday gift from his Uncle Kevin.

As the gifts continue to be opened, a litany of "Oooohs", "WOW", and "OMG's" fill the air.  He squeals, he flaps, and he dashes over to give me a hug and kiss on the cheek.  Yeah, I finally "get" why my mother always found Christmas morning with me so lack luster and disappointing.

Later tonight when we have a fire outside I will turf out the old plans, and ask my ancestors to bless my new plans for 2017.   And there will be good company, wholesome soup, sun bread, and a wee tipple or three.

Yuletide Blessings!