Day 8 - Holidays

Oh, Finally. A FUN topic.

As a Pagan I'm not entirely into the whole idea of "Sabbat Celebrations". I mean, I try to at least do something for the Sabbats that roll around. I try to input some sort of Sabbat changes to my altar by putting representations on my altar (i.e. for Imbolc, I took a page from "Witchy Words" and put out a salt dish into which I placed bay leaves, a rune and tarot card representing Imbolc...for the Summer, I have just my tarot card and rune representing summer...I'm seriously lacking lately).

But there ARE some holidays I love. Samhain for instance. I've always loved Halloween. I love dressing up, I love the atmosphere, I love what it represents, etc. I believe the very first ritual I ever performed as a Pagan was a Samhain ritual. I really wish I took a picture of my altar at the time. It was beautiful; all lit with candles, my tools in the right spots...it's was awesome.

But being a wife and mother of three children (and a willfully oblivious husband) can make holiday celebrating a bit difficult. I have little privacy to perform a full ceremony, and if I were to do so during the day...my kids (well, my youngest, I should say...he's only 18 months) would have no problems playing with my tools, regardless of if I'm in the middle of something.

And having an oblivious husband doesn't make things easier. I don't exactly have the time during a ceremony to play "20 Questions". Ask me later dear.

But aside from lack of privacy...holidays can be fun. I'm really not entirely interested in the whole "Wheel of the Year" but other holidays I do like. Christmas is another example. While it's the time of year for people to complain that those "Narsty Christianses Stole the Precious Yule" and the same old arguments come out...I love Christmas. The look of trees all brightly decorated, the snow, lights, the atmosphere. It truly is a joyful time (though lately snow has been at a premium for Christmas...I don't remember the last time it snowed on Christmas Eve).

I suppose it's probably because there's little pageantry for the other holidays that make me go "meh" when it comes to the other Sabbats. But I also suppose it's just a matter of time before I can get the time and privacy I need to fully embrace my Paganism. Parenthood can get in the way sometimes, and if you're not a part of a family who is entirely Pagan...incorporating the family into your holidays is next to impossible.

But then...I suppose rituals don't have to be so overly elaborate. I don't necessarily have to call in the Goddess to celebrate the Summer Solstice or Autumn Equinox, nor do I have to cast circles and whatnot. Simply re-organizing and decorating my altar should suffice. After all, it's just me and I know what these tasks represent.