Merry Christmas? Nah…Please Pass The Yule.

Why I Don’t Celebrate Christmas

by Andrea Watson | December 19, 2020

Hello my dearest readers, and thank you for coming! Today I am going to talk about why I don’t celebrate Christmas in a the middle of a community and country that so totally does. You want the short answer? I’m a witch. Okay, bye bye now. No wait! Don’t go! I was just kidding. I really want to tell you why and what the witchy holiday (yes, there is one) looks like for me and my family. Now that my ridiculous sense of humor has had it’s say, let’s move on!

It’s not that I’m against Christmas… okay maybe I am a little jaded that the holiday was (according to some) taken from the pagans by the Christians and situated in such a way to accommodate their schedules. (Some even say that Christ was born in April. I am one of those some). But I don’t want to get into a religious war here. I totally respect Christians and candy-cane loving atheists all the same just as I respect Muslims and the Jewish and the Buddhists and all religious belief systems. We cool…you do you and stuff, always ❤️. This is just my own personal bias. Bad me, BAD!

So. In my house and those of some who I love deeply, we celebrate the Winter Solstice. This is the shortest day of the year and falls on the Wiccan Sabbat, Yule. Between December 21st and December 22nd, the two male aspects of the God-theme of the year’s cycle coincide more powerfully than at the summer solstice. This day and night is when the Sun-God dies and is reborn. This means that the Oak King rises up to slay the Holly King and take his place as the Goddess’s Son-Lover who fertilizes her and brings back the light and warmth into the world.

I know this all sounds very confusing, but basically, the Winter Solstice marks the end of the waning darkness and the beginning of the waxing light. So instead of the days continuing to get shorter, on December 22, they will begin to get longer. Light will creep back into the world even before the onset of spring. Go ahead, observe for yourself. It’s true! If you have an interest in the theology of it all which is indeed fascinating, you should check it out by reading all about it in The Witches’ Bible, written by Janet and Stewart Farrar.

Of course with any Sabbat comes ritual. We do not get too into the rituals in my house, because it’s just me and my son. He is only almost 9 at this point and would not get it. Not only that, but we are not a coven. We are both solitary witchy people. I am not even in a coven with my sister, who is my other half since birth and also a witch. We practice separately and always have, and that’s the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, we like it. Rituals for Yule differ around the world, and between nationalities. In my house, we just pass around a cup of juice (we don’t drink wine yet) and voice a solemn prayer of thanks for the turning year and promise to do with it as we should. Then mommy (me) goes off and chants over her witchy bowl making sacrifices that will not be discussed here and pleas to the almighty Goddess.

But there is much joy to be taken due to the returning of the sun, don’t you think? I do. Winter Solstice is much like Christmas in celebratory ways. We give out Solstice bags that are much like stockings. We give gifts, we feast, we spend the day with our families and loved ones. We tell stories and play and bask in our merriment for as long as we can. Then we tuck ourselves in for the night to await the coming of the waxing sun. Nice, right? Yeah, I think so!

Well thank you so much for reading past the first couple of paragraphs. I hope your interest was piqued or your understanding a bit deepened. So how do you celebrate at this time of year? I know about Christmas and I know about Eid and Ramadan, what else is there out in this world, it is all so fascinating! Well, whatever it is you celebrate and even if you don’t celebrate anything at all, I hope your days during this winter period are happy and full of love and light. Til next time,

Andrea xo