There I go, turn the page . . .
There’s a brilliant Bob Seger song called Turn the Page, which is where I snagged the title of today’s blog post from.
Now that Thanksgiving is past, it’s time to turn the page to the next holiday.
The next holiday that we will be observing here at my house is Chanukah (there are many acceptable ways to spell it), which begins at sundown on my wedding anniversary this year. Morris and I got married on December 7th, 2016, to make our “new” anniversary date easier to remember. Being Pearl Harbor Day, it’s an anniversary date that will live in infamy.
tl;dr Chanukah starts at sundown on December 7th. (In case you’ve ever wondered why Jewish holidays (and all days on the Jewish calendar) start at sundown, it’s because of Genesis: “And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day.”)
We will light our menorahs (chanukiot), have potato latkes at least twice, and invite our future machatunim (our daughter’s in-laws—there’s a Yiddish word for that!) for dinner—an evolving tradition, since we had them over last year as well. When they are here, we will break out the chocolate coins and dreidels and see who can spin themselves into a win.
Other December dates for which I’ve got plans:
Solstice is on December 21st, which is the same day that Yule begins. I will be observing Solstice, and, for the first time ever, decorating my house for Yule. I’m looking forward to some greenery inside the house, as well as to some crafts.
Oh! And I am hosting an online Solstice Gathering again this year, which is a pay-what-you-want event.
Darkness Into Light is about gathering together to celebrate the turning of the planet toward the light. This year’s celebration will include a candle-lighting ritual, a guided meditation, some journaling, and for those of you who sign up by December 11th, a WISH ceremony using wish paper that I will mail to you. It will take place via Zoom starting at 8 pm EST, and is a donation-based event. Details and sign-up are here.
Christmas is on December 25th, with some folks celebrating things on Christmas Eve (the 24th) and/or Boxing Day (the 26th). My kids and future son-in-law celebrate Christmas, so I will be seeing them on Christmas Eve eve (the 23rd), as is our tradition. They will get their stockings and gifts from me and Morris, and we will enjoy some time together. Maybe Sara will sleep over, maybe not. (Jon and Maggie have a special needs kitty and live semi-locally, so I know for sure they will not.)
While I don’t have any plans for Kwanzaa, I feel I should note that it begins on December 26th.
New Year’s Eve is on December 31st, and we have tentative plans with our friends for the evening. New Year’s Day is (of course) January 1st, 2024.
Do you have holiday plans?
If you do have plans, are they ones you want to keep? If you don’t have plans, do you want to make some?
Whether you have a good holiday or not is largely up to you.
If you want to go to or have a party, you need to make plans. If you want to have folks over to bake cookies, or wrap gifts, or sing Christmas carols, you need to take action. Don’t just wish for it to happen, then sit around hoping it will magically occur. Either organize something yourself, or reach out to the person who usually organizes whatever it is to confirm that you’re still on for this year.
If you want to sit at home and watch ELF or DIE HARD or some other Christmas movie instead of going to your in-law’s, guess what? You need to take action.
If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed this holiday season, or are just feeling blah about the entire situation and wish you had a bit more oomph, then I invite you to join us inside ALL IS CALM: Simplify Your Holidays. We first focus on how you want to feel this holiday season, and how you want to move through the holidays, then create your plan. Throughout the season, we focus on your self-care (not baths and manicures as much as sleep, nutrition, movement and more).
ALL IS CALM contains four modules, each with a video recording I made for you plus journaling pages. Plus each module has an additional download, ranging from planning pages to a guided meditation to help you through the holidays. There is also a private Facebook page for support, as well as an upcoming coaching call on December 11th at 1 pm EST via Zoom.
