Joyous Yule

I'm sitting in my parent's house in snowy Michigan, listening to the rain beat against the roof (!). The recent warm weather has made it less snowy, but blessed us with wonderful travelling conditions. The Christmas cookies are baked, cider is ready to be mulled and a hearty soup is bubbling away on the stove. My daughter is on hour two of her nap, blissfully unaware of the fact that nearly half of the presents under the tree are for her (and confirming for me what a good choice it was to stay home from the Christmas Eve service). We've been here since Thursday, enjoying the greater gift of time with family that we genuinely like as well as love, and will do the same tomorrow, travelling farther north to have dinner with longstrider's family after Christmas morning with mine. I'm so grateful that travelling to see our families is a joy rather than an obligation.

I don't think that it's a coincidence that this is the time of the year, at its darkest and coldest, that our ancestors chose to set a holiday, fighting the darkness with light, warmth and togetherness. I will probably not be posting for most of the next week due to dial-up access, so I hope that you all spend your holidays in joy, warmth and safety, and safety especially to those who are travelling.