Hello Everyone,

I'm posting this early to help kick of the Yule season on my site. My new article gives some tips for Pagan families for their winter holiday.

Pagan Family Yule Activities

Funny, I just posted a blog on MySpace about all the 'Christmas' traditions that are actually of Pagan origin.

Yep, it's interesting to learn where our traditions come from.

well it was more to prove that there was such a thing before christianity...ugh @ growing up a 'liberal yankee' (which might as well be a curse word) and living in the south!

I also forgot to mention that I made the salt dough ornies and pressed my pups paws into them, my mutt Corona, wasn't thrilled and neither was our corgi mix, but it was great fun...made some regular ornies (stars, dragonflies, dog bones, etc) for friends to go with holiday cookies, and the neighbor that just moved in across the street this weekend.

How fun, I didn't think of pup paw ornaments.

I hope you don't get too much grief for being a "liberal Yankee" but it sounds like you and your husband handle it well.

We dress in the colors of the sun (red, orange or yellow) and at night we turn on every light in the house and light a lot of candles. That's usually the day we put up the tree. We get a fresh one and pre-kids, it was cheap. Now that our son is aware, it's helpful that the tree isn't up for a LONG time before we put presents under it--so he's not discouraged by the whole thing waiting and waiting and waiting.

We're taking from the christian Advent calendar (we're christopagan, so not a stretch) and found this AWESOME garland of tiny hats and mittens that counts down 24 days. We got it from the Garnet Hill catalog. Inside each one, we stuck a little note with something to do. I took ideas from the calendar of days of December in the back of "Yule" by Dorothy Morrison. It explained the significance of each day in December and gave ideas for things to do. I either took the idea or thought up something related as I saw fit. It was rare to have to replace one altogether. Yesterday we had to do something with apples. On the 6th we left our shoes out for St. Nicholas. On the 17th we'll celebrate Saturnalia by inviting friends over. My son checks every day. It's been pretty neat!

Heather,

I love the Advent calendar idea. I grew up Baptist and was always a little envious of those.:) I think it's such a treat for kids to make the season last as long as possible. It gives them such fond memories of tradition later on.