Midwinter is upon us once more. Longest day, Darkest night – the Oak King battles the Holly King to ensure the sun will come up tomorrow morning…
The birth of the Son at the darkest hour of the year to ensure the continuation of light and hope.
Funny how things all seem to link together.
But then again the first myth was around long before the second one and humans like to link things together when something changes – just so no one feels left out. I don’t know if this is survival instinct or just a thing that humans do, but in some ways it means that our midwinter holiday traditions are constantly changing.
So how have your family’s midwinter traditions changed?
When I was a kid, it was all carols and church. Then I went to uni and it became chocolate and alcohol. When my children arrived, it became all about them and their enjoyment. When TOH’s grandfather died, midwinter became about keeping the older generation happy. Who knows what it will become in the future?
We will be visiting Bristol again this year, staying over night with GIL and visiting SIL. What that means in practice is that our family Christmas (the one that revolves around the children) is moved from the 25th to the 27th. Oh, we’ll open the presents on the morning of the 25th, but we won’t get to relax until the 27th.
I know the kids are looking forward to the weekend – it prolongs the fun for them, I suppose – but for TOH and I it means having to deal with a lot of stress and unhappiness. Which is why I don’t like christmas at the moment.
I think we need to morph the traditions again…
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My friends are also thinking about the midwinter traditions as well, take a look!
The Christmas Conundrum ~ what is the spirit of the season?
The World of The Teigr Princess 