Woman built her own family Yule tradition

[icymist]

By Elan

The Register-Guard

Published: (Saturday, Dec 10, 2011 05:00AM) Midnight, Dec 10

Most people who currently follow a pagan spiritual path grew up in families that practiced some other religion. Most found paganism as seekers. They were trying to find a closer fit for how their personal feelings connect to the divine. That’s how it was for me.

When I first came to Eugene 16 years ago, a friend came to me with a worry. She wanted to celebrate Yule, also known as Winter Solstice. Since there were going to be no public rituals that year, she didn’t feel that she could.

This comment surprised me and touched me deeply. As part of my previous religion my family had had many holiday traditions. Even though we sometimes went to services on religious holidays, no one felt it was essential to go to services as part of the cele­bration. We celebrated holidays together as a family. My family had many different traditions that we looked forward to as the holidays approached. My friend’s comment got me to thinking about what kind of pagan traditions my family practiced. The answer was: not enough. I decided right then that I wanted to develop some traditions that my children would, hopefully, remember fondly as they grew up.
http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/27274385-46/family-dinner-holidays-traditions-yule.html.csp

[Chemisse]

1. I really love being able to construct

my own practices and traditions, and not be tied into those that someone else came up with a thousand years ago. That's what I love so much about being Pagan. There is just so much freedom to follow your own path.

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

2. Over the years our family has actually cut down on the rituals

Granted the family is Catholic, but still, a ritual is a ritual (I found my own Pagan path years ago and my sister is on the fence). Most of this is due to the failing health of many of us and loss of almost an entire generation in a very short period years ago. We also have no new generation in my family to pass them to (mainly due to the ill health).

The one person that was most into this season was my mom, but we lost her this year. We have already decided that this year, we are just going to have a simple family dinner and exchange gifts.



Sorry, I didn't mean to write a depressing reply, I prefer stupid little jokes with my comments.