By Astara Seague

This time of year it is increasingly difficult to keep in the “spirit” of the holidays and some times you wonder what this “spirit” everyone is talking about is.
As we get older we tend to loose the magickal feelings that we awaited and embraced as we grew up during this time of the year, we try to write it off by telling ourselves that we are grown now, seeing how much everything costs, seeing the fake smiles and plastic greetings we get in passing, we realize how superficial and materialistic this holiday really is. But by taking this type of attitude we are setting ourselves up to be miserable. Maybe it is just that we no longer have the same views we had as children.

You see, as I grew up and had kids of my own I found out how much responsibility was in store for me as a parent, I found that I was far from The Winter Goddess I should have been, in fact I’d say I turned into more of a grinch, eventually I learned that my happiness is truly up to me and it reflects out onto everyone else, and not just during the holidays. I wondered why it was so easy to think positive and provide hope and love to those around me in my day to day living and so hard to do during the holidays since this is supposed to be “the happiest” time of the year

How could I get at least a little of those magickal feelings back into my holiday? I missed them; I knew it had to be more than the presents and Santa, so I took myself on a focused meditation back to my childhood to try and gain some insight and to feel that childhood joy I had lost. I found that it wasn’t the presents {although that was a part of it} but I found the feelings came from the simple beauty that surrounded me: the colored lights, the decorations, watching my Dad paint a beautiful Christmas scene on the front window, the way the house smelled when my Mom was baking, the special foods, the snow, my grandparents, my brothers and sisters, the getting out of school for 2 whole weeks, the rides at night to see all the lights everyone put up to share, making secret homemade gifts {because I had no money to buy anything} and hiding them and the suspense when they opened it and the pride in a job well done

I felt happy inside and warm with memories for awhile, but unfortunately you can’t live in them no matter how nice they were. So I received my glimpse but now how could I recapture even a little of that lost joy? Yes, I still had to deal with everything else, but how could I make myself feel better about it? I really wanted to feel better and I knew it was up to me, because this season is not something that will go away it comes back every year so here are some things I did.

I first considered the beauty of nature, it may be too cold to go outside but you can use your visualization skills to create a winter wonderland that is warm. I first thought about myself being as the snowflakes gently floating through the sky, each beautiful and individual snowflake shining like a many faceted crystal as the sun’s rays embrace me, I was now covering the grey naked branches of brush and trees with a comforting blanket of love transforming the grey and dismal landscape to a frosted glittery glow of light that reflects the sun and the moons light offering hope and renewal to the world. I think of the seedlings safe in the earth protected and warmed by the blanket of snow waiting and preparing to emerge again come spring, just as the wheel of life flows never ending and full of hope. This is a very comforting thought and brings a smile to my face and peace to my heart.

Now, I feel a little better but then I begin to think again about what this holiday has become. Although I have never been a wealthy person, I am rich, with friends and family that I want to show how much I appreciate what they do for me.
Alas, I look in my pockets and they are near empty, I know that my family and friends will probably buy me a gift. Why do I feel obligated to get them something too?
There is no logical answer I just do, hence the stress. Here it comes barreling through, marking up my beautiful glistening snow banks burying me, and once again the frustration starts, I find myself asking the following questions: Why don’t I have more money? Why do I have to pay bills? And the big question, how can others afford to buy things and still take care of things at home? Why does it have to be this way? Why can’t I just run away somewhere and not deal with any of it? There I am again dwelling on the negative, covered in the muck; I know I have to stop. I am not being very grateful for the things I have and enjoy. Isn’t that what this holiday is all about? Kind of?

It is not easy to be grateful, but when you feel the least thankful, that is exactly when you are in most need of what gratitude can give you. You may not live in a castle, but hey, you have a home. You may not have steak for dinner but you have hamburger. Some people don’t even have that. When I feel like I have it hard, I go for a walk near the river where the homeless live under the bridge in tents, in the bitter cold, wearing layers of clothes or wrapped in plastic bags because they don’t have a coat. I try to imagine what that would be like seeing people speeding along with their life not even knowing or caring about my peril. We don’t all have areas like this near our homes, thank the Gods, but of course your heart goes out to them.

If you want to help your wallet may be empty, there are other things you can do like donate time, food, clothing and things like that or even something as simple as remembering them in your prayers. You can also go visit or send a nice note or treat to an elderly shut in with no local family. Can you imagine what it would be like to live in their shoes? I have found that many times helping others in deeper need makes me feel better about my own situation. There are many things that you can do to help yourself.

1- Say aloud or write down 5 things you would not change in your life
2- Practice self gratitude see what attributes in yourself that you are thankful for
3- Think of 5 memories that you are most grateful for and write them down
4- Tell 3 people you are closest to why you are thankful to have them in your life
5- Each morning when you rise, offer a silent prayer of thanks for the gift of another day
6- Before you go to bed think of at least 5 things that you appreciate that happened during the day

Ok so, that’s a good start, but what else can one do to feel better during the holidays? Dance and sing, yes I said sing, out loud and strong, and joyful. Both have a way of raising all sorts of sprits and be sure to invite other nature spirits to join in your dance as well. We can also make time for ourselves and our families, down time, story time, family cooking nights and so forth. Appreciate the joy and happiness you get from being with those you love, not just in the same room but actually being with them, talking, and listening and having fun. Be sure to take time out for yourself, Take a relaxing bath with a hot cup of tea and a nice candle or anything else you can do that comforts you well.

Now for the fun part …the gift situation. Well, first off we need to remember that we are special. After all we are witches, we know things others don’t, we can do things others cannot. Gifts don’t have to come in a colorful box with a bow. The original gifts were simple such as: twigs from a sacred grove for good luck, figs, honey, homemade pastries, homemade jewelry, candles, soaps and statues of the God and Goddess. What can we give to others without spending large amounts of money? What can we make with what we have? First ask yourself what you have?

Most witches I know have a variety of herbs, stones, books, unique paper, slightly used tarot decks that never quite felt right for you to use. Some of us have bottles and vials, massive crafting supplies, broken jewelry, and empty boxes. Pull them all together
and give them a good look, what can you make from these things? Call upon your creative muses for some help with this.

In the past I made a desk set from an old OJ can covered with scraps of cloth for a pencil box, bookmarks made from paper and more scraps and broken jewelry, and pens and journals from the dollar store. I have given away books I may have read once but don’t plan on reading again. Anything old can be made new again by cleaning or decorating it, you don’t have to be an artist, you know what appeals to your eye.

I even made puzzles for my kids one year with pictures from a magazine glued to cardboard and cut into pieces. Used stuffed animals and dolls can be cleaned up and renewed; kids are actually quite easy to please. You could make astrology charts or horoscopes, and make them personal and pretty, some people spend a fortune to get these things, and look you can do it for free! Make some lotions, potions, and bath sets with the things you have around that you use in your daily practice. We all know how much those bath sets cost in stores.

If you don’t have time to make things – then draw up some coupons for things like a free home cooked meal, back massage, tarot reading, healing session, or anything else you can do. People pay a lot for these things as well.

Need something not so witchy? Create some original artwork, make a very special recipe book with your own tried and true recipes inside, burn a CD of your friend’s favorite songs, or make a homemade children’s story book. The possibilities are endless you just have to think about it. If you can’t afford wrapping paper, try tin foil, much cheaper and very pretty or color cartoon page from your newspaper or even something as simple as brown wrap with a colorful bow.

The joy you will get from creating something special and personalized for those you love can really warm the heart. Looking past the price tags and looking into yourself you can find many gifts that you can give that will be appreciated even more because they are personal.

The bottom line is we have the power to create our own world. A wise person once said to me “We see the world not as it is, but as we are.” This is a very true statement, because the best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, they must be felt in the heart.

That’s what this holiday is all about: love, joy, and peace, the three most illusive things in the world. So illusive that they are sitting right next to you, you just have to open your eyes and your mind to find them.

Let’s open up a bit, forget the petty things and see the beauty that surrounds us in day to day living. Be thankful for what we have, continuing to grow and learn everyday and not just during the holidays but all year round. Remember the world is what we make it; and we all want a happier place right? Then climb out of the box, smile, move forward, and work every day to see the positive.
Remember, You have the power…You have the choice.

All the best for the season
and the year to come my friends
Brightest blessings in love and light

Astara

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