Merry Yule!

It’s the Friday before Christmas…

Merry Winter Tide everyone- it’s officially Winter Solstice today, the darkest day of the year. The Sun will start to come back tomorrow, and it’s time again for new beginnings, new ideas, new resolutions… sweep out the old, and bring in the new!

But it’s also time to shut down the Workshop for another year. There is just too much to do, and not enough time to do it in. It’s been a good exercise though- letting go of expectations, impossible lists, burdens and strife. This has been a good crafting season. I got enough done, made a few new designs, lots of reading and baking and now…time to slow down and enjoy the last few days of the season. It’s been an enjoyable one since I refused to be drawn into decorating and have just been experiencing the commercialism outside our home, leaving this space a bit of a sanctuary from the hustle-and-bustle that is the Christmas Season.

To be truthful, I enjoy the relaxed feel of Winter Tide more than the flurry of activity that is Christmas. Hot Cocoa on a snowy winter night, the invigorating air of a mountainside retreat, tuning into the natural world…our Holiday has turned more and more into a relaxing, rejuvenating time over the years. I enjoy the sharing and giving more than the expectation of my childhood Christmas- it’s less stressful, and lots more fun.

So from our house to yours: Merry Yule everyone!