Geeking on Yuletide

     As I look out my window here in west-central Indiana I see the first snow of the season on the ground. Like Mr. Dickens, I think snow at this time of year adds to the sense of magick. The wreaths are on the doors and the tree is up but not yet decorated, maybe tonight.The snow makes me happy, and my wife cranky, ah well.
     As a Pagan I celebrate Yule but I also celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday. The Nativity is a lovely little myth and I see it as another promise of new life coming soon, even if I don't find it all that meaningful from a spiritual perspective. The pretty lights, the music, I go geeky on the whole bit.
     Yet, it is also a sad time for me. We live in the house my grandfather built and I gre up in. So many ghosts of Christmas past...my mother singing carols and cooking and decorating the house. But she has crossed over along with my grandparents, my brother, and too many dear friends. My father is in a nursing home, suffering from Alzheimers, he still knows us though. We put up his little Christmas tree the other day and, I believe, it truely made him happy. Still, I grieve the man he was, my strong Dad, my independant Dad.
     I think of how my wife and I have blended our family traditions to make something new. Part Pagan Yule, part Christian/Secular Christmas, extra treats for the dog snd the kitties. Even Joan Jett's rendition of "Little Drummer Boy" and Jackson Browne's "The Rebel Jesus" and , lest we forget, Elvis Costello's "The Saint Stephen's Day Murders"!
     So enjoy it all , my friends. If it seems geeky, so what? Blessings of the Holly King on you all!