Quick and Simple Holiday Crafts

Some of the happiest memories of my life were created by making very simple holiday crafts with my family. It is also a source of great abundance to be able to take bits and pieces of what you already have around you and create something beautiful for yourself or to give to someone else. Here is a free article on my Buy Me a Coffee page to get you started.

Here is another idea that is for the birds. I its been a while since I’ve done this one. Sorry, no pictures.

Supplies: Medium to large open and sturdy pine cones. Ponderosa pine is perfect. Regular, animal safe peanut butter. Bird seed (I grew broom corn so used broom corn seed). Cotton cord.

Instructions:

With a butter knife or spoon, work the peanut butter into the pine cone.

Roll the pine cone stuffed with peanut butter in the birdseed until it is well coated and the birdseed is worked into the peanut butter and pine cone.

tie a hanging cord onto the top of the pine cone with the cotton cord.

Hang the pine cones outside for a decorative and festive treat for the birds.

All parts of this are biodegradable and in most circumstances are good for the environment.

A Celebration of the Turning of the Year

In my yearly cycle, the winter solstice marks the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next. The winter solstice is The Turning. After I have been pushing, working, and striving for an entire year, this is the time that I take a step out of that cycle and breath. The exact timing of my retreat varies a bit from year to year, but ideally I start on the solstice and stay in retreat for about a month.

The most important part of The Turning for me is the ceremony. In this darkest few days of the year, I start a fire (or a candle) and keep it burning for anywhere from 18 hours to three days. This is my time to assess the previous year with gratitude for the lessons that the year had to offer. I also take the time to set my intentions for the next year. I follow this initial ceremony with strategy, planning, and scheming. Most important, I spend the time on things that bring me joy, healing, and rejuvenation.

I am not writing this to suggest that everyone should follow my practice. My practice is just one way to assess and re-balance in order to craft a more sustainable and fulfilling life. What I am suggesting is that it is important to create time and space in your life to acknowledge your accomplishments and lessons. Even if what you accomplished is survival, being grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow is important. Investing time with your people and purpose is also important. I would suggest that this is a time to take your lessons, joys, and gratitude and craft plans and strategies to live the life that you want to live.

The following questions are some that I ask myself during my retreat. For full disclosure, I formulated these to suite my purposes over the years from a variety of sources. I recommend that you start by brain storming answers to these or similar questions.

What do you want in your life?

What are your talents and skills?

What brings you joy?

What are your values? beliefs?

Who do you want to be?

How do you want to live in the world?

What is your greatest frustration?

What other questions are helpful to you?

Next, take the answers to these questions as the starting point of what you want for the year. To the best of your ability, put the answers or the desires they inspire into one of these categories: Spiritual, Family, Environment/Community, Purpose, Health/Recreation, Financial/career.

Now prioritize the categories and each list as to what is most important to you. The top three to five should be your primary focus. (My list usually ends up being 15 to 20. So, yep. I prioritize.)

To transform this from resolutions (wishes) to something achievable, craft a proactive plan of action. (When I don’t know what steps to take, the plan is research)

The last step might be the most important. Make a list of positive words and terms related to your goals and start using these words. Then make one small change or step and be consistent with that change for 30 days before adding the next change.

This is the time of year that I reassess what brings me joy and create a plan for my path for the year.

May your next year be joyous, fulfilling, and peaceful.

The Turning - a story

The morning dawned crisp and bright with the sun sluggishly poking its nose over the horizon far to the south. This was the day of The Turning. There was much for the old woman to do to get ready for the longest night and to catch the stories that the fire would tell…

The downloadable digital print and story are available to purchase on my Buy Me a Coffee page by using the link below.

And for a little bit more

Events

December 8 - 15 - Hanukkah

December 12 - Feast of our Lady of Guadelupe

December 13 - Day of the horse

December 21 - Winter Solstice

December 24 - Christmas Eve

December 25 - Christmas

December 26 - Boxing Day

December 26 - January 1 - Kwanzaa

December 27 - Full Moon

December 31 - New Year’s Eve

January 1 - New Year’s Day

January 2 - Give yourself a Break Day ( I just Made That One Up)

January 11 - New Moon, Publishing date for the next newsletter

Cedar

Cedar is a term that is used colloquially for a number of tree and shrub species around the world. Each of these “cedars” have similar culinary, medicinal, and energetic properties as true cedar. While true cedar comes from the Mediterranean what I am most familiar with are the species in the United States from the cypress family. The most commonly used of these are:

Eastern White Cedar - Thuja occidentalis

Eastern Red Cedar - Juniprus virginiana

Western Red Cedar - Thuja plicata

These cedars in the United States are an important part of the natural environment and play an important role in a perma-culture design. They help to create a resilient and sustainable environment. And, they are an important plant for self-sufficiency for their culinary and medicinal properties. I am not going to go into that here as these cedars can have a toxic effect when consumed in large quantities. I recommend that you consult with a trained herbalist for guidance for these uses.

These trees are an important wildlife habitat and food source. They can be used as part of a wind break and weather moderation plan. They are good fire starters, so I would not plant them next to buildings. And they smell wonderful.

The wood from cedar is aromatic, rot resistant, and insect resistant. This easily worked wood is perfect for someone trying to become more resilient in their life. Here are some common uses for these trees:

Outdoor construction

Building construction and roofing if your area is not fire prone

Boxes and chests, especially for protecting valuables from insects and mildew

Canoe making

Flute making

Basketry

Incense making

Cedar is an important wood in my spiritual practice. I use it to set up the ceremonial space and protect the energy and intention of the ceremony. More about this is covered in the sister article on my website. You can find the link at the bottom of the article.

One last thought about these trees: I believe we had a Juniprus virginiana when I was growing up. It was one of the hosts of cedar-apple rust. This fungal disease requires both “cedar” and apple to survive, so before planting cedar close to apples, double check the cedar species for host susceptibility for this. A quick internet check confirms that the junipers are the second host for the fungus.

To read the article on my website, click below.

Bison

In my spiritual framing, bison sits in the position of the north, or at the winter solstice. For me, this is a time of retreat and solitude so that I can reflect on the past and plan for the future. While the bison is not a solitary animal, it is a good symbol for this time of the year. In Native American spirituality, the bison represents abundance, wealth, and resilience. It also represents gratitude, prayer, respect, balance, and protecting the future.

For many historical Native American communities, the bison was life itself. All parts of the animal were used and provided most of what was needed for life. Bison provided food, shelter, tools, glue, and adornment. This animal represents living a sacred life that is in balance and respectful of the Earth.

In the past, these animals roamed in massive herds and played a critical roll in the environment. When they migrated into an area, they grazed the herbaceous cover short, stirred up the surface, and fertilized the ground. Then they would move on. This process kept both the environment and the herd healthy and vibrant. It kept the resources cycling. Most of the massive herds worldwide are pivotal to setting up a similar cycle. This natural process provides an important model and lesson for sustainable livestock management. The lesson is to stock densely on a limited area and move the herd frequently. In a natural system, this instinctive. In a managed system, this is done by setting up paddocks and timing the movement of the animals.

To read the longer article on my website, click on the button.

Digital versions of my artwork and stories can be purchased at Buy Me a Coffee

And I'm Not The Only One

Here are a couple of places to find more information.

Here are a couple of places to look for information on rotational grazing. Both Rodale Institute and Joel Salatin are great sources of information.

The Rodale Institute at rodaleinstitute.org

Salad Bar Beef by Joel Salatin

Some one I'm following:

Recently, I have been following Just Have a Think on youtube. This is one place to get information on sustainability topics.

youtube.com/JustHaveaThink