Let’s set the tone… turn the speakers up, pop your headphones in, and give this album a listen: Thea Gilmore – Strange Communion. If you’ve not heard it before, this is one of my favourite Christmas albums.
I love Christmas. Continuing the Uborkan trend to date, I don’t really fall into the “Christ” bit of Christmas, but I go with something I heard Mitch Benn say: “If only Christians can use the word “Christmas”, then only Vikings can use the word “Thursday””
Despite my dislike of formal religion (a discussion for another time) I have a big love of ritual, especially around seasons. I have huge plans for an epic season tree that we are going to make which will be part Christmas tree, part nature table and will be decorated throughout the year to match the seasons. I’m looking forward to knitted pumpkins, paper tulips and scavenged conkers.
Neil and I are slowly building up our own rituals, the main one so far is that each year we buy ourselves one special Christmas decoration to go on our (currently very small – about 2ft, black plastic) tree.
5 Christmases, 5 decorations. There are other bits on the tree, but these ones tell a little bit of a story of us, and that’s really exciting for me.
Christmas day itself for me is about good food, friends and family, and lots of laughter. Slightly drunken laughter preferably. And lots and lots of silly games.
I quite like the idea of only Vikings being able to use Thursday. (And Wednesday, actually – Odin’s day followed by Thor’s day)
Friday is I think named after Freya? And Tuesday after another norseish god (Tyr?)
It’s true, Bernard and I have been learning this for his homework. The days of the week are all Norse and Roman gods. Also, by coincidence, I was listening to Nine Lessons for Godless People in the car this morning and heard Mitch Benn say those very words.
When we were small we were each allowed to choose one new decoration each year. We still do it, like you, to some extent, except I try to pick them up from different places these days – I am looking forward to hanging a very posh Venetian glass bauble this year that will remind me of visiting Venice.
Karen, what are the other eight lessons?! I didn’t know I needed to learn anything formal in order to be a good heathen but I do love rules so.
Clair, Stuart and I have also done annual “us” ornaments, and they’re the most special ones that go on the tree every year. I love the idea of an all-season tree! If I ever get a yard, that would be where I did it. As is, I can barely keep any indoor plants alive so I wouldn’t want to torture a newcomer with those kinds of expectations.
Krissa, it’s all here.