Color Me Christmas

As we're bustling around decorating and shopping for Christmas, the colors of red, green and white seem to predominate and I had to stop and think why ... although it might seem quite obvious to some of you. Considering that most of the Christmas traditions we know are derived from western and northern Europe where the winters were dark and cold, it makes sense that people would look for anything living to help remind them that Spring would eventually come. Holly, ivy and mistletoe were readily available and, of course, evergreen trees. I read that Romans traditionally exchanged evergreen branches during the winter months as a sign of good luck and the Egyptians brought green palm leaves into their homes during mid-winter holidays.

As I look out in Lin's backyard woods, there's not much color there. It's bare and bland except for the evergreens. Inside, we've got the Christmas tree and the smell of evergreen permeates the air. Tuesday, the cat, seems fascinated that we've brought some of the outside to the inside … a tree in the sun room. She sits and contemplates the tree from time to time. She's managed to remove a few ribbons from the presents, but hasn't tried climbing the tree yet, thank goodness.

We've got sprigs of holly in vases throughout the house. Those tiny red holly berries provide color and contrast to the shiny green pointed leaves. Holly has been used as a winter decoration for centuries. The Druids donned holly wreaths for traditional celebrations and holly was used as an heraldic design symbolizing truth. Holly was also the sacred plant of  the Roman god, Saturn and the Romans gave each other holly wreaths at the Saturnalia festival to honor him. Holly was also used as a folk remedy for toothaches, measles and dog bites.

Then there's Santa's costume … all red and white. Evidently, St. Nicholas was a bishop and bishop's robes were and still are, traditionally red. The white is probably representative of snow at this time of year in the northern climes. Candy canes with red and white stripes adorn our tree and are placed strategically throughout the house keeping with that red/white theme.

We've got a big red poinsettia sitting in the middle of the dining room table upon a bright red tablecloth. Here's some trivia for you. According to Wiki, poinsettias are native to Mexico and the English name for the plant, poinsettia, is derived from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US Minister to Mexico who introduced the poinsettia plant to the USA in 1825.

It actually seems that the use of red and green was most likely taken from the 14th century Adam and Eve Day plays presented by the Christian churches on December 24th. The iconic apple tree and apples associated with the legendary first couple was obviously not available in the cold December north lands. Instead, they took stored winter apples and tied them to evergreen trees. The tradition was popularized, especially in Germany, where reputedly the first use of decorated Christmas trees in people's homes was begun.

So there you have it … perhaps way too much trivia about Christmas colors, but now you know!

Happy Holidays!

Following is an excerpt from our 2014 Holiday Newsletter...

Marcie rejoined David in Port Adelaide, South Australia in early January 2014. We wasted no time getting Nine of Cups ready, but had a chance to get a taste of Adelaide before we left. We were off the dock  in mid-February, heading west. We sailed rather determinedly from port to port, waiting for a good jump-off point and weather window to cross the infamous Great Australian Bight which we did in March.

April found us coast-hopping through the Recherche Archipelago and along the southern coast of Western Australia. We rounded Cape Leeuwin, our fourth of the five Great Southern Capes. By early May, we were exploring Geographe Bay and headed into Mandurah for a planned haul-out. Mandurah turned out to be a safe and friendly haven for Nine of Cups when we returned to the States once again … both mums were ill.

We finally returned to Cups in early August and made a hasty departure for points north and finally west across the Indian Ocean.

As we end an old year and begin a new one, we have some decisions to make. We'll complete our circumnavigation and round the last of the Great Southern Capes in Cape Town in early 2015. Where to next?  Stay tuned. We'll see which way the wind blows us.

For the rest of the story click here

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Celebrating Yule

It's no coincidence that many religions celebrate festivals of light at this time of year. There's Hanukah and Christmas and Diwali, not to mention all those luminaria that light pathways during the holiday season. It's winter in the northern hemisphere … a time of darkness, cold and short days. With Lin's circle of Earth-centered friends, I celebrated the old pagan ritual of Yule in anticipation of the solstice. It's a time of contemplation and hope, knowing that eventually the lengthening days and light of spring will follow. The venue at the UU church in Milton, Massachusetts is the perfect setting for such celebrations.

We sang traditional yuletime songs with a fire blazing in the fireplace. We each lit our own candle in celebration of light. We spoke of the past year and things to come.

I always find the Earth-centered celebrations to be uplifting. I'm warmly welcomed by the group though my participation is sporadic. I usually try to bring something of what I've experienced or learned to share and this year I brought bindis, those little dots that Hindus wear on their foreheads. The bindi is said to retain energy and strengthen concentration. It represents the third eye and was created as a means to worship one's intellect. Used by both men and women, the bindi helps to ensure our thoughts, speech, actions, habits and ultimately our character become pure. A strong intellect can help one make noble decisions in life, be able to stand up to life's challenges with courage, and recognize and welcome good thoughts. The belief is that on this premise,  a strong individual, a strong family and a strong society can be formed. How can you go wrong with that?

As with all celebrations, we ended with a feast very much akin to a cruiser's potluck. Everyone contributed a dish or two. Everyone brought wine or a beverage to share. We ate and drank. We did a Pagan gift trade … aka  a Yankee swap. Music played in the background. The evening was filled with warm, spirited conversation and good karma. Bring on the holidays … I'm ready.