~December Pagan Mama's Circle~ - Page 17

[midstreammama]

Mamas can you help me?

My dd, she's 8. She's in 2nd grade. She would like to share some things with her class about the holidays that she celebrates. Various classmates have done this...about Channaukah, etc.

She really wants to share some things about Yule or Winter Solstice. It seems it's pretty impotrant to her. What i'm looking for is for kid-oriented information about the return of the sun, etc.

I am really trying to help her out. Just so she has something to share, it would be great!

[Jennisee]

Wow, this thread moves fast! For those looking for holly, you could always ask at a florist shop. You could probably get a small bundle for $5-10.

I thought I'd share pictures of our tree, a swag I made, and our fireplace mantel. The tree is kind of sad, LOL. My 2 year old has been pretty destructive with the ornaments, so we didn't put many on. I like the way the mantle turned out. It's starting to look sorta alter-ish. Sorta. After I took those pictures, DD and I went out to my family cemetary and gathered some leaves and a branch from the old, old oaks and added those to the mantle, too.

[Kleine Hexe]

I just had to get that out. Sometimes people really make me wonder....

Ever hear something so : that all you can do is ?

Back to the regular thread.....

[Jennisee]

Well, now you have to share the story!

[Emmama]

Tell us! Don't leave us hanging!

[**guest**]

Originally Posted by Jennisee

of our tree, a swag I made, and our fireplace mantel.

I like the swag! Pretty! And I bet it smells wonderful.

[paganmum]

This thread is on speed or something. :P

Man it moves fast, I've been missing so much!

Maybe I'll be able to keep up with it better in Jan...... oh, what I'll be moving then.....OK I'll try to actively join in in march after the move it over.

[Changed]

Ya, I can't keep up either. I've been too busy watching the secret. Seriously, I watched it twice just today.

[Aeress]

*laughs* yes, we have to know kleine hexe!!

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by midstreammama

My dd, she's 8. She's in 2nd grade. She would like to share some things with her class about the holidays that she celebrates. Various classmates have done this...about Channaukah, etc.

She really wants to share some things about Yule or Winter Solstice. It seems it's pretty impotrant to her. What i'm looking for is for kid-oriented information about the return of the sun, etc.

I am really trying to help her out. Just so she has something to share, it would be great!

that's not too hard. she'd maybe have to give some background information about the other solar holidays for it to make sense, but maybe not. maybe start with "well, you know how it's been getting darker earlier? well, on Solstice, it's the shortest day and longest night of the year. we say the Sun is born that day, because starting the day after Solstice, each day gets longer minute by minute until Summer Solstice, when the days get shorter again".....blah blah blah. you know, and some people believe the goddess gives birth to the god, and some people do the holly/oak king thing. or maybe that is too complicated. just make it simple. 8yo's are pretty smart; they could look up the sunrise and sunset times to see for themselves. your dd could suggest they do that on their own time. maybe look on the "local on the 8's" on the weather channel; it usually has sunrise times.

then maybe "in our family, we get up and watch the sunrise, and leave offerings to the newborn sun" or "we bring a pine tree into the house and decorate it, to symbolize life amidst the rest of the world dying" or whatever your family does.

thank you for the Frosting!! i wasn't sure whether to bother feeling left out or not, until someone else mentioned it as i'm not really all that active on the list. but i do read every post!

Maiasaura

[Kleine Hexe]

The story is not that interesting. It's just that I don't understand those who are not happy or agree with X, Y, Z in their religion of choice and so they choose to just ignore it and pretend it doesn't apply to them. Kind of like the white elephant in the room. They just refuse to acknowledge it and/or discuss it. So if you don't agree with something then why does one stay with that religion? To me it is so : that I can do nothing but laugh and shake my head.

[CariOfOz]

Originally Posted by brendon

I did use my macys card this year but is has a very low limit and we will pay it off in jan, so no interest!

Other than macys, I only shopped used, consignment, momma made or karen made and local!!!

Good on ya! Love momma made stuff And you are a better woman than I if you can actually stick with paying it off that quick hehehe...

Originally Posted by Jennisee

I thought I'd share pictures of our tree, a swag I made, and our fireplace mantel. The tree is kind of sad, LOL. My 2 year old has been pretty destructive with the ornaments, so we didn't put many on. I like the way the mantle turned out. It's starting to look sorta alter-ish. Sorta. After I took those pictures, DD and I went out to my family cemetary and gathered some leaves and a branch from the old, old oaks and added those to the mantle, too.

Your swags are awesome! Very old timey holiday feeling, love that I think I have pics of my Santa/solstice altar that I can put up too.. must find em

Here's our beautimous tree http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...iOfOz/tree.jpg
and here is moi's hair http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...stonedhair.jpg

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by Kleine Hexe

The story is not that interesting. It's just that I don't understand those who are not happy or agree with X, Y, Z in their religion of choice and so they choose to just ignore it and pretend it doesn't apply to them. Kind of like the white elephant in the room. They just refuse to acknowledge it and/or discuss it. So if you don't agree with something then why does one stay with that religion? To me it is so : that I can do nothing but laugh and shake my head.

: This is something that's always bothered me, too.

[Aeress]

Cari- great hair!!! I love the spikey look. I did try the spikey look for awhile and i was bad about actually doing it.
this will be my first attempt at paying off a credit card before it collects interest. I haven't used one in years but decided to be good and pay it off when the bill comes.

Your tree looks great.


Kleine- I can totally relate to that. My mother says things about her church and religion that make me scratch me head. I once asked her about it and she said "well the bible is the only truth, not the church." O.k. then. I don't agree with that at all but....I am not going to argue with my mother about religion.

Feeling : today! all this nice warm weather is great, especially for western ny and that it is december but really, it makes me : all day and then get stuffy. *ick*

Well today begins my frantic attempt to get my house organized and cleaned for the coming festivities. I try to do one big clean up so I can just relax and maintain for the rest of the holidays!

For a solstice craft - if you happen to have small plastic confetti, glue it on a paper plate. take it into a dark room and shine a flashlight on it. very pretty.

I started drying my orange slices to hang on our tree. We are going sat/sun to get a small live tree...our first!!! Our little tree with have only lights and natural decorations that have been made buy us.

[Emmama]

: Ignorance....my favorite all-time pet peeve. Yes, all I can do is

[Pam_and_Abigail]

We're getting out Yule tree this weekend, and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas for a token or gift I can leave for the forest spirits. It's an organic tree lot, so I have to think about it in terms of that. We will probably be out there with the tree lot owner, since we know him pretty well. Any thoughts?

[shelley4]

how do you guys handle door to door people who are trying to convince you to join thier religion? we had 2 come by today, and i kept saying "i'm not interested", and they just kept rambling on and on didn't understand why i didn't want to hear it. then, of course, i had to explain to the kids why those people really really wanted us to believe the same things as them, and why we don't. it's hard to be respectful, and still get them to leave!

[paganmum]

Originally Posted by shelley4

how do you guys handle door to door people who are trying to convince you to join thier religion? we had 2 come by today, and i kept saying "i'm not interested", and they just kept rambling on and on didn't understand why i didn't want to hear it. then, of course, i had to explain to the kids why those people really really wanted us to believe the same things as them, and why we don't. it's hard to be respectful, and still get them to leave!

I take the route and nutral answers to any questions. You know like the "do you believe in heaven?" or "If you were to die tomorrow do you believe that you will be going to heaven?" My answers are "yes, I do." Hey they don't need to know that I think I'm going to Tir'nan'og or the apple iles or what have you. It's heven to me.

What can I say, even when I was trying to follow the faith of my parents people were trying to convert me so you learn how to play them so that htye give you a minimal ramble and then leave you alone. Once they are gone the whole conversation gets lost in the filing system.

[heathenmom]

I'm afraid that's one of the few occasions we do NOT demonstrate hospitality. We don't let them in, we don't talk to them ... period. We had a couple of people come up while we were outside this summer and just kept repeating over and over, "We're not interested. We're not interested. We're not interested." Until they left.

[wombatclay]

We have a couple different techniques for the door-to-door people depending on my mood when they ring.

I never let them in, but:

Sometimes I tell them, "Thank you for your concern, but I'm a witch and perfectly happy with my chosen religion. I'd be happy to tell you a little about witchcraft if you like...". They're usually a bit flustered and looking for reasons to get off the porch by the end of the sentence. That's when I'm feeling friendly.

If I've had a bad day and they are Mormon, I tell them our family was dis-fellowshiped. (A frirend's father is a Mormon minister and I learned this one from her...apparently when you are disfellowshiped you're socially "cut off" and the door to door people put a note in the sector map leaving your house off the subsequent missionary routes).

I forget where I saw it, but there is a pre-printed "pagan response to missionaries" guide. It uses biblical quotations to explain why pagans are not "candidates" for conversion/salvation. It's called something like "The Other People" and it suggests that pagans are the descendents of the "other people" Cain met after he was cast out...people not descended from Eve and therefore not carrying original sin. No original sin = no need for judeo-christian salvation. Now, I don't believe the religious framework within which the arguement is being made (and neither did the authors), but it is a framework the missionaries are familiar with and might be an interesting discussion if you have a spare half hour when they come to the door. Still not letting them in however!



(found a link to the other people story... http://www.caw.org/articles/otherpeople.html )