Saturday, December 10, 2011

Yule Ball - sorry to be late



I have gone back and forth of how best to post for this event. We have had many bad setbacks and tribulations of late (seems to be life, most of the time)
 There is no decorating anymore, sadly. Hubs is 70 and I am 51 and have several physical disabilities.
the kids are grown and out. I do not even think we will bother with a tree again this year (3rd year)

I decided I would look for decorations that I WOULD LOVE to have in or out of my home, or things that are similar to how I used to decorate.

My YULE Alter is not ready yet, as tonight is the full moon, and I will be blessing everything that is going on my alter.  If you are part of the next yule blog party you will see my alter.

Click here to go to the main page for all the YULE ball blogs.  MANY THANKS TO
for hosting this Fabulous blog party!

I am going to share, some awesome images, some great links for YULE LOGS (the edible kind)
and some quotes or poems.  Additionally I'll be giving away a home made ornament, that is made with spun glass and some collage work.  That will be the last item added to this post. and it may not get added to later.

Rules for the giveaway:
*MUST comment here on this post, a REAL comment, not just "Please add me to the giveaway"  tell me something about the post you like, or share something that is similar to your own decor
*MUST be a follower
*MUST, MUST, MUST add your email to your comment, I suggest using this format: sallyjo AT charter DOT net (listing your email with the correct symbols etc, is a good way to start getting more spam, as the internet "spiders" will pick it up. ----- My last giveaway came down to less than 7 people, as all the other comments did NOT have an email listed.
*drawing will be approx. 9pm est on Wednesday 12/14

Now for My Wishes and Hopes for Smiles and Good things for all of us, captured in beauty, food and good thoughts.

Isn't this just so welcoming? To me this says "You're home, be at peace"

 "I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
-   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I have found now, in my "beginning Crone years" that I seem drawn to the blue and white and silver decor, more than the bright mixed colors I used to like.  I am still very fond of the country Christmas decor also..woodsy, pine cones, plaids etc.


"I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.
'We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,'
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December."
-   Oliver Herford, I Heard a Bird Sing

Can anything be more soothing to the soul than the flicking warmth of a candle? Even a solitary one makes me feel different, than I did before I lit it. How about you?

 Ron and I used to make wreaths and other shapes like Tress and stars with wire forms and pine cones and other decorations, and sell them at Christmas bazaars :) I kind of miss that!
 Isn't this Gorgeous!?

"Shall we liken Christmas to the web in a loom?  There are many weavers, who work into the pattern the experience of their lives. When one generation goes, another comes to take up the weft where it has been dropped. The pattern changes as the mind changes, yet never begins quite anew. At first, we are not sure that we discern the pattern, but at last we see that, unknown to the weavers themselves, something has taken shape before our eyes, and that they have made something
very beautiful, something which compels our understanding."
-   Earl W. Count, 4,000 Years of Christmas


This is the Gavle Goat (2 dots over the "a" in Gavle)
The Gävle Goat (known in Swedish as Julbocken i Gävle or Gävlebocken), located at Slottstorget ("Castle Square") in central Gävle, is a giant version of a traditional Swedish Yule Goat figure made of straw. It is erected each year over a period of two days[1][2] by a local association called the Southern Merchants in time for the start of advent. Another version is erected by a group of students from the Natural Science Club of the School of Vasa. The Natural Science Club's goat holds the world record for the largest Yule Goat, but since 1994 the Southern Merchants' goats have been larger and have had more publicity. The goats have become the subject of a 'tradition' of regularly being torched by vandals.
(read more about this particular goat, and its history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A4vle_goat)

The Yule Goat is one of the oldest Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbols and traditions. Originally denoting the goat that was slaughtered during the Germanic pagan festival of Yule, "Yule Goat" now typically refers to a goat-figure made of straw.[1] It is also associated with the custom of wassailing, sometimes referred to as "going Yule Goat" in Scandinavia.

Its origins might go as far back as to pre-Christian days, where goats were connected to the Norse god Thor, who rode the sky in a chariot drawn by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, and carried his hammer Mjöllnir. The "Prose Edda", written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, relates that when Thor kills and cooks the goats, their flesh provides sustenance for the god and his guests, and after Thor resurrects them with his hammer they are brought back to life the next day.
(read more about this tradition of Yule, and its roots and meanings here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_Goat)
 Scandinavian goat ornaments
 Father Christmas riding the Christmas goat

I personally do not do the "goat" thing but perhaps some of you do.


"Yule, is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half.   Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day.  Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb.  Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider."
-   Yule Lore  

This picture was taken from a Yule Log Workshop. 

This is another item Ron and I used to make an sell. I am going to start them again...until I run out of birch again. I know that they can be made out of any wood but birch and oak are the traditional.




A Couple of Alters:


 These are  very beautiful examples. What is on your Alter? or what will be on your alter?

I had to remove the photos of yule alters I had here, as one of them I was called out on and asked to be removed

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne."
-   Robert Burns

 This one is one of Martha Stewart's  the mushrooms are meringue (links below)

Some wonderful links from Martha Stewart for yule logs with edible decor (pine needles, twigs, nuts, leaves, mushrooms)
I plan on making this cake!
 Birch de Noel - Martha Stewart Recipes this is the one I am planning for next year (as I do not have all the tools needed)
all of these are super cool! 

 I am imagining you sitting at this beautiful table with me, and we are toasting each other, and new turn of the wheel!
 May you have all the warmth and love the season offers!

Remember to click the image up top for the main blog...all the blogs are listed in the comments section.

Here is the Ornament I am giving away:
 Spun glass, German Victorian scrap girl angel on chipboard, gesso with glitter used for snow, and I added stickles to the wings and the tree.


19 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know, I really like the silver and blue decorations too. I haven't used just that but am tempted to one year.

Kat of EmKatCreations said...

I love that first picture and I would love for my home to look like that. I like blue but worry that it gets a bit too teal.

Thank you for hosting a giveaway for the Yuletide Ball!

EmKatCreations(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

So love all the things you have found to post. I love pictures of the beautiful trees, and the wonderful candles and candle holders... I just love this time of year. Thanks for the great post!

http://awmylifeasiknowit.blogspot.com/2011/12/witches-yuletide-ball-blog-post.html

Leaping Frog Design's said...

When we were young my sister and I would make a Yule log..My parents would place it in the fire place. It is a memory I cherish to this day..Laughing..spilling wax adding glitter and bows (we got a little carried away) my sister and I. Thank you so much for your post...it warmed my heart and made me remember a long put away memory. Think I am going to call her and see if she wants to do one together this year again! Peace--Your ornament is stunning - it is so kind of you to share!

ike said...

Hi Susan,
I don't do christmas - I have Hanukkah (20 - 28 Dec this year), but I must admit that I like the warmer colours for christmas. I love the look of blue/mauve/purple with silver or white, but I think it looks cold and I wouldn't want it inside my house. That first door picture you put is just FAB isn't it? Soo welcoming? I did make a yule log one year with my friend. I think it was 'death by chocolate' but was very yummy, and I decorated it with holly from a beautiful tree I had growing outside my door.
I think you should at least have a little baby chrimbo tree on your table if you can't put the decs up !! :-( xxxxxxxxx

Anonymous said...

Oh, I absolutely love those woodsy candles! Thanks for participating - Dana and I really appreciate it!

Aisha @The Bewitching Bibliophile said...

Love this post, thanks for sharing those pictures , im sorry you dont decorate but at least you keep the spirit of Yule alive within and that's what truly matters
Merry Yule!!

Erin O'Riordan said...

You've created a wonderful Yuletide post here. So many lovely images.

I'm loving the idea of an edible Yule log. I think the Martha Stewart chocolate mint recipe sounds the yummiest.

erinoriordan AT sbcglobal DOT net

http://erinoriordan.blogspot.com/2011/12/blessed-yule-and-welcome-witches.html

petoskystone said...

The Woodland Sweets are gorgeous! My parents stopped putting up a tree years ago. The first year my Mom bought a hook-rug kit of an evergreen Christmas tree...one that hangs on the wall. Think it's like 3 feet by 2 feet. She chose a dozen of her favorite ornaments (brass ones with children & grandchild birthdates),& distributed the rest amongst us all that year. I'm not sure how she stores this rug, but she doesn't take the ornaments down, just every year out the tree comes & up on the heavy-duty hanger my Dad put up. My Dad has his to-scale lighted Christmas Village he puts up every year. That's it! (Mom doesn't do holiday dinners anymore now that it's just the two of them. She says that's why they have restaurants)
jlalexia(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love the idea of candles in the fireplace. And I have been trying to find a pentacle wreath like that for quite some time. I may just make my own next year.

Unknown said...

It's so cool that the colors you are starting to love are the colors I recently redid my bedroom in except I also added black, too. I found your blog about aweek ago but I like to read them for awhile before I comment. I really like your back ground of a starry night, so pretty. I took one of your buttons and also the address where you made it, I've been wanting one. I would love to enter your contest and if I win cool if not I love looking at your pictures! natalie underscore adair at yahoo dot com my blogspot's name is bridgets daughter 5 I hope I did this right

Anonymous said...

Oh Susan, what a truly magical Yuletide feature. I love all the images and history.

Thank you so much for telling me about the feed nests! I have not heard of these and cannot wait to share them with my sister and children. Have a beautiful holiday season, my friend. Mina

greenwitchwithsprinkles at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

A wonderful yule post, Susan! I, too am changing my tastes in colors for decorating. I have always done the traditional red & green because that is what I grew up with. The past few years though, I have been slowly adding more silver & white. I love so many different color combinations, so I kind of do a different color in every room, depending on the color of that room.
Love the blue & white table!
The altars are beautiful. I think that might be a nice replacement for a Christmas tree.
Oh, and I would love to be entered in the give away!

spiritdogstudiosATgmailDOTcom

Wishing you a wonderful season!
Chrislyn

P.S. I will be emailing you this week. You asked me some questions and I never had a chance to get back to you-I did not forget!

Liz Revit said...

Hi, Susan. Your pictures are very festive!

Sara a.k.a. Eternal Princess Ryan said...

Susan... This is a beautiful collection of Yule images and historic information! Thank You so much for sharing it with me! I hope you have a wonderful Yule and Holiday Season!!! Hugs!!!

eternalprincessryan AT gmail DOT com

Toriz said...

Sorry I'm a bit late in here; a combination of not being around the blogs muchh lately in general and spending most of yesterday fighting to persuade photos to work (resulting in my post for the blog party being in two seporate posts).

Anyway...

Maybe your craving for a combination of silvers and blues and natural items is a reflection on your feelings about the holidays now; your embracing of the old ways? After all, the silvers and blues would maybe reflect things like ice, and the natural items would - of course - represent the elements of nature added to the home. Just a thought.

I've toyed with the idea of adding the traditon of the Yule Elf to our celebrations, but since he and Father Christmas are a sort of intertwined thing, and "Santa" does come to our house, I don't suppose it mattes, since in a round about way the Yule Elf is included.

I keep my altars simple out of personal preference. For one thing I don't feel the need to have a lot on my altar, for another it's easier for me to work without too many items crowded around me. There's always a candle though... There has to be a candle; and even not being able to see in to the flame doesn't change the power of a lit candle. I love to sit with a candle burning (scented or not) and just think or meditate. Actually, that's what I've done most years for Yule.

I love the quotes and poems!

Can you make my drink something non-alcaholic? I have a couple of wassail recipes that can be non-alcaholic... I don't drink anything alcaholic, you see. :)

toriz at talk talk dot net

You know my e-mail, but you said comments without e-mails don't count for giveaways, so I thought I better add it! :)

DIYDesignStudio said...

Loving all the photos, so many choices and colors, it's always hard to pick just one style for Christmas. I do different rooms with different styles.

Anonymous said...

I love all the pictures that is amazing!!!! I also love reading the goat information I never knew that.
thank you for sharing.

Rue said...

Such beautiful photos!

I would really like to make a Yule log this year (both the wood one, and an edible one!) Thanks for the examples & links.

We have some Swedish friends, so I'm familiar with the Yule goat - he's charming!

Great post!