24Dec / 2018

Wreathes of the Season

~

“There is something about saying, ‘We always do this,’

which helps keep the years together.

Time is such an elusive thing

that if we keep on meaning to do something interesting,

but never do it,

year would follow year with no special thoughtfulness

being expressed in making gifts, surprises,

charming table settings, and familiar food.

Tradition is a good gift

intended to guard the best gifts.”

.

Edith Schaeffer

“All you need to enjoy this world

is imagination, not money”

.

Vineet Raj Kapoor

Christmas eve invites nostalgia from the most contemporary and practical among us. Like our own birthday or wedding anniversary, Christmas eve is one of those still points on the wheel of the year where we pause and remember.

Christmas eve invites, and perhaps demands, that we observe the rituals learned from our parents, adopted from our friends; inherited from the literature of our evolving lives. We light candles, make music, prepare our family recipes. We share the evening with loved ones. Anticipate giving and receiving gifts. Re-tell familiar mystery stories.

Christmas eve celebrates the great mysteries of our lives and loves. As the year winds down towards its close, we hope our dearest wishes will be fulfilled in a sparkling starry magical way that gifts us with wonders we have not earned, and perhaps can never explain. However practical, whimsical or existential our wishes may be, we dare to believe they will be granted on this magical night.

Christmas, as we know it, is a relatively ‘new’ holiday built on ancient customs and symbols. One of those ancient symbols is the evergreen wreath.

Once again this year, Colonial Williamsburg is dressed in its Christmas finery, wreathes upon most doors.

Although Christmas was barely celebrated in the colonial era, and ran more to parties and church services than to elaborate decorations or shopping, visitors find beautiful della robia wreathes and other decorations made of evergreens, fruits, nuts, pods, berries, flowers and twigs throughout the Colonial part of town.

We enjoyed the wreathes as we walked through CW earlier this week, and I hope you enjoy these few photos I captured.

On this Christmas eve, I wish you and yours the merriest of Yule celebrations tonight.

May you be with those you love, and may your greatest gift this year be a heart filled with happiness.

“Take the time to celebrate stillness and silence

and see the joy that the world can bring, simply.”

.

Tony Curl

“December is full of the beauty of Light

and love we can bring into our life.

You can chose to be stressed

or you can choose to let the small stuff go

and be peaceful this Holiday season.

It really is a choice you make.”

.

Eileen Anglin

Photos by Woodland Gnome 2018

~

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey,

stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity.

Life is eternal.

We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other,

to meet, to love, to share.

This is a precious moment.

It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”

.

Paulo Coelho

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24Dec / 2016

Where the Paths May Lead

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The last few days of December find us nostalgic for other times and places.

As the little ones among us look ahead to Christmas Day and the promises of wishes made real; many look back across the years to joyful moments passed.

~

We remember loved ones no longer with us. We look back along the winding pathways which led us to this particular moment.

~

It is a time to take out stored memories, like the treasured ornaments we place on the Yule tree each December. Normally wrapped up and put away, we allow them to breathe and shimmer for a short time each year.

As our collection grows it takes on a certain luster of age, a patina wrought of familiarity.

~

Some recollections bring us an echo of joy across the wide space of years; others fresh waves of sadness or regret.

~

It is part of being human, I believe, and a hallmark of a lifetime’s journey. For our paths aren’t always straight and clear. They meander through fate and circumstance, opportunity, and those choices we claim and those we reject.

~

Sometimes we can see paths which parallel our own, but can’t find the gate to access them. Sometimes our paths wind in spirals or loops which feel closed off from further progress along the way.

~

Other paths feel inevitable, wide, clear and straight. We travel them with groups of loved ones and friends who share the same destination we hold before us.

~

But always, at this time of year, we finally look ahead; considering where to journey next. Whether to continue on our present path or to seek a new one.

~

What goals do we hold out for ourselves in the months ahead? What changes do we need to make? What special wishes will we hold in our hearts at this magical time of Winter Solstice?

~

Are we seeking fresh challenge or warmth and comfort? Is there a cause calling to us, or is it time to enjoy a span of peacefulness and rest?

~

Is the way ahead clear, or are there obstructions we must move before we continue on our way?

~

In the quiet space we find in late December, we have an opportunity to ponder our life’s path. Time away from work and the normal routine invites us to ponder where we have been and where we are going in our lives.

~

We can enjoy the peace this season brings us to look both behind us and ahead of us.

And perhaps there is a bit of child-like wonder in our hearts, yet.

~

As we articulate our wishes to the Universe, we can almost hear sleigh bells in the distance; and once again believe in the magic this season holds.

~

All photos taken at Colonial Williamsburg, December 23, 2016.