Christmas Eve

Ole' Guacamole's Christmas Tree

I admit to having senior moments, or lack of memory hitting pretty hard. First time was when I started to put on my shoes only to notice I didn't have slacks on yet. That would have looked strange, but mainly my legs would have been cold.

Then I did the 'same old same old' of posting a January blog, only it ended up in December. I Know I'd found the January calendar, so how did it get posted that day?

No clue. But two bloggers commented on it, which let me know it had happened. I took it down, and reposted it for January Again! and included the two comments. Sorry folks!

 Here we come a-wassailing

Among the leaves so green,

Here we come a wand'ring,

So fair to be seen.

(Chorus)

Love and joy come to you,

And to you your wassail too,

And God bless you and send you a happy new year,

And God send you a happy new year.

We are not daily beggars

That beg from door to door,

But we are neighbor's children

Whom you have seen before.

(Chorus)

Good master and good mistress,

As you sit beside the fire,

Pray think of us poor children,

Who wander in the mire.

(Chorus)

Call up the butler of the house,

Put on his golden ring,

Let him bring us all a glass of beer,

And better we shall sing.

Chorus

Repeat Chorus

Not the version that was in my hymnal!

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Today's goddess;

From Avdeevo, located on the Sejm River near the city of Kursk, Russia. Dated ca 21,000 BP (19,000 BC)

Thanks The Mother Goddess on FB

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And yes, that's all fake snow!

Ceramic creations at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts in the gallery

Dali's image of Three Wise Men

Arthur Rackham 1937 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

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Today's quotes:

Franklin Roosevelt said, "Remember you are just an extra in everyone else's play."

Practicing contentment is a radical act in a consumption-driven society.

ROBIN WALL KIMMERER

Norman Rockwell's Christmas paintings

There are many paintings by Norman Rockwell about Christmas. These are just some.

A Drum for Tommy (1921) by Norman Rockwell

The Christmas Party 1927

The Christmas Coach by Norman Rockwell 1930

Rocking Horse, 1933 by Norman Rockwell

Dicken's A Christmas Carol by Norman Rockwell, 1937

Train Station at Christmas by Norman Rockwell (1944)

Santa Looking at Two Sleeping Children 1952

Treasure homes

 

The Cotton Street house with all the lights. I mentioned it earlier, how it used to have several trees in the yard, then a tornado tore through the property. They were finally working on repairs (without any funding except insurance) when Hurricane Helene caused more damage. But a year later, here are beautiful decorations...just no trees to light up.

2023 version had a star in a tree as well as a fence (below)

Sharing with My Corner of the World

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McClure homes:

I was searching for the original post on FB for the McClure home which I'd been interested in - located in south west Virginia...kind of in my neck of the woods. And these other homes with the same title came up. So I'll share them as well! Some other McClures either built them or owned them!

From Preservation Oklahoma

"Built in 1909, the Nickel Ensor McClure House is a majestic example of Romanesque Revival Style in Alva, Oklahoma. I'm glad to see it in good shape with work continuing to take place by the current owner. It was listed on POK's Most Endangered Places in 2009 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010."

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From Jimmy Lloyd of Natchez Mississippi

"The James McClure house built in 1850 located on North Union. The name McClure is associated with King's Tavern, which was built in 1789." (No mention on the Wikipedia article of Mr. McClure, however as an architect he might have had some input in renovations.)

King' s Tavern built 1769 Natchez Mississippi

The King's Tavern building in was built in 1769, making it the oldest structure in the old river port city of Natchez. When the British moved in and established the nearby Fort Panmure, the King's Tavern building was originally built to be a block house for the fort. As there was no saw mill near this frontier town, this building and other structures were constructed using beams taken from scrapped New Orleans sailing ships, which were brought to Natchez via mule. Another source of wood used in the King's Tavern building construction were barge boards from flat river boats, which were dismantled and sold after arriving in Natchez with their goods after traveling down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Boatmen couldn't take their flat boats back up these rivers, so they just added to their profit by selling the boats as wood, which was needed to build Natchez. Besides the wood, sun-dried bricks also were used as building material. The result is a building which has an ambiance and decor of another era from the outside.

After the Revolutionary War in 1776, the British left the area, leaving the river port open for other interests. In 1789, a New Yorker by the name of Richard King moved his family to Natchez where he bought this block home and opened a combination tavern and inn, as well as the place where the town's mail was dropped off.  

...with the invention of the steamboat, which could travel down and up the river as well, the need for this dangerous travel along Natchez Trace ended with this form of modern transportation. This development cut down on the lucrative stage business significantly, dropping the economic activity taking place at the King's Tavern. Richard King sold the King's Tavern in 1817. The building was once again a private home, becoming the Postalwaith family home for several generations, a total of 150 years, beginning in 1823.

In 1973, the building was sold to a local investor and it eventually became a tavern and restaurant to serve both locals and visitors, taking the original name, the King's Tavern. Under new ownership as "The Tavern" it reopened in the fall of 2013. The owners used the farm-to-table concept using locally sourced quality ingredients.

It was for sale in 2022. It is also supposedly haunted.

Source: Wikipedia

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I don't remember having any McClure ancestors, actually. But there surely were a lot of them building houses! Yes, I found some more McClure homes...(coming soon!) My Ancestry search brought out Confederate Captain John McClure Biggs, husband of my first cousin four times removed. I don't know why his middle name was McClure, haven't gone back in his ancestry...but who knows...

Sharing with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures!

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A house blessing.

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Two more days until Christmas!

This and tomorrow are the biggest days men go shopping (at least in my having seen their quick and somewhat stressed presence in many stores through the years!) Gift wrapped things are highly popular.

Not all men of course.

Some just arrange for gift cards to be emailed around.

(If this sounds familiar, thanks for thinking of us who purchased presents (after thoughtful consideration of the traits of the receiving person) back in what, October? August?)

Actually I purchased or made my presents either this month, or over several years - but packed them and gave the pottery away last month. I do hope my Ohio relatives don't mind. They were busy looking at each other's phones to see what someone said they wanted was the right style or color! That was the 4 women. None of them asked me what I wanted for Christmas. There was no thought that I might like a present. I am positive if I'd presented a list there would have been dead silence from them. I was told however, that my daughter-in-law had already chosen my present.

I'll be grateful to receive anything. How thoughtful to be included in the family with busy lives.

I've said that for years.

But a little bit of the angry "Elderly Grand-Elf" has a bitch to share. No not toward male shoppers who procrastinate...they know who they are.

When do adult grandchildren acknowledge that they have the wherewithal to give gifts to their Elderly Grand-Elf?

My oldest grandson has done this several years. For which I'm very grateful. Of the other 5 grands...not so much.

So no excuses kids...you're grown ups now, and have incomes (except the 2 still in college)..probably much more than mine.

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Today's goddess:

Ceramic creation on display at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 2025

Winter is supposed to be going out

 So the sun has returned, with promises of warmth to come - but it will be many more months before the spring blossoms start peeping out.

10. 16 by wildwoodblessing - Grandfather Mountain of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Seven Sister's mountains over Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain, NC my photo probably 2024

Lake Tomahawk almost frozen over, January 17, 2025.

Dec 16, 2025, shallow Lake Tomahawk with some ice as it is being drained again. Sigh. Walking by gives the muddy marshy decaying odor. No more pretty reflection photos for a while. The senior citizens are still waiting for the Lakeview Center to be renovated so we can again hold programs and eat in the dining room together. The Town Council has been dragging it's feet with many promises (unfulfilled.) Politics! Bah! Humbug!

Oh, speaking of that which I just quoted, what is your favorite version of "A Christmas Carol" (movie?) by Charles Dickens? I kind of enjoyed Bill Murray in Scrooged (1988). But I first saw the TV show sometime in the 50s, just not sure which one, except it was pretty long. But I probably remember best the TV rendition in 1970 with Albert Finney and Alec Guinness.

The Arboretum in Asheville has a great Holiday light display, for night-time enjoyment. Here my friend Teresa shows her affinity to a butterfly (bundled for the weather) Taken 12.11.25.

A similar pose by a Santa at the Peri Social House.

Many are busy preparing for their Christmas celebrations. What rituals do you and your loved ones share for this holiday? Do you open one or all your presents on Christmas eve? Do you plan a big feast? What do you share? My friend Teresa (the butterfly above) has a pickle ornament which becomes part of different family fun each year.

My favorite pie, Dutch Apple Pie (just bake it from the freezer!)

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Thank you for being with me while I celebrated the Winter Solstice yesterday. I watched a lovely zoomed program. It was best for my health not to be in an intimate circle with friends this year...and I missed that camaraderie. 

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Last evening (Dec 21) was the last night of Hanukkah.

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Today I changed the header to this...

Winter Solstice being celebrated in a small apartment...thanks to YouTube video of a fire, and my own little grove of fake evergreens!

Winter Solstice - Maybe the Angry Women - 3

Today the sun starts shining more hours each day in the northern hemisphere. It is considered the birth of new light.

"In this tradition since pre-Celtic times, and in many other cultural traditions, Winter Solstice has been celebrated as the birth of the God, and in Christian tradition as the birth of the Saviour. But there are deeper ways of understanding what is being born: that is, who or what the “saviour” is...

Birthing is not often an easy process – for the birthgiver nor for the birthed one: It is a shamanic act requiring strength of bodymind, attention and focus of the mother, and courage to be of the new young one.

Birthgiving is the original place of “heroics” … many cultures of the world have never forgotten that: Perhaps therefore better termed as “heraics”. Patriarchal adaptations of the story of this Seasonal Moment usually miss the Creative Act of birthgiving completely – pre-occupied as they often are with the “virgin” nature of the Mother being interpreted as an “intact hymen”, and the focus being the Child as “saviour”: Even the Mother gazes at the Child in Christian icons, while in more ancient images Her eyes are direct and expressive of Her integrity as Creator. In Earth-based religious practice, the ubiquitous icon of Mother and Child – Creator and Created – expresses something essential about the Universe itself … the “motherhood” we are all born within."

-Glenys Livingstone, PhD, PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion

 

Tlazolteotl *

Birthing.

Any woman who has given vaginal birth (as opposed to Cesarian Sections) knows the incredible energies she had to find to push another human being into life.

When the nurse says you are 10 centimeters dilatated, that's how big your cervix must expand for you to give birth.

Every human being has experienced being born.

And every mother who gave birth has experienced the incredible forces of her womb to do this act. Us who had C-Sections (2 out of my 3 births) still had much similar feelings both emotionally and physically in the process and recovery from an abdominal surgical incision.

There are lots of photos on the internet of expectant mothers pushing, grimacing, breathing but no photos of actual birth. The babies are shown right after birth, being examined, or having the umbilical cord cut. The babies are shown with the moms holding them right after birth.

But though thousands of doctors and nurses and many fathers have seen a baby's head crown, the actual birth isn't shown. Perhaps the prudish society says we can't see a woman's vagina giving birth, or her anus, or somehow these are taboo still. OK, I don't want my privates spread all over the internet...but really, millions of births take place all over the world every day! They are invisible to the mothers, however. Just saying...

The only photo of an actual birth that I found.

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We celebrate (almost everybody) birthdays each year, to mark how many years we've accomplished of life so far.

And nobody sings to the mothers!

Well, I'm just saying, it kind of is mixed up, isn't it? The mothers did all the work, risked their lives and spent many hungry hours during labor, practicing different kinds of breathing while birth was about to finally happen, after waddling around with this extra weight hanging from their very centers for so long.

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Today's goddess is any mother.

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Winter Solstice, the rebirth of light, is today at 10:03 am ET.

''god is a mother

and with that

sentence

the world stops

the world always stops

when woman and

divine

commingle

as if the

feminine

dilutes the

miraculous

when in reality

it embodies it

when jesus turns water

to wine

they clap

but when women turn breasts

to milk

they cringe

a broken man’s body

is celebrated each sunday

while a broken woman’s body

is just hidden away

and it’s no wonder

that mother is a word

used by men

to demonize those

who don’t claim the name

and weaponized to shame

those who step out of line

because

their ideal

woman

plays the role of nurturer

and silencer

in pews

built and led by them

but

when god

becomes mother

she is neither quiet

or compliant

she leads confidently

she questions authority

she commands respect

which might be the problem

for mother god

did not gather us up

carelessly

but took her time with it

she fed us milk

birthed our souls

and broke her body

and the permanence

can be uncomfortable

and to disentangle god

from motherhood

is impossible

but

to disentangle god

from womanhood

is sinful

because seeing god as mother

is one step closer

to seeing god in me

and it’s in that

i am truly

born again''

~ Kaitlin Hardy Shetler @kaitlinshetlerpoetry

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My personal wishes are that the returning light, the seasonal rebirth as the earth starts to have longer daylight hours (northern hemisphere), will bring you bright healing, abundance, love, comfort and joy! And for those of you beginning the shortening days in the southern hemisphere, you are also wished the exact same things!

Bright Healing

Abundance

Love

Comfort

Joy

As the light reaches its lowest point here in the northern hemisphere we tuck ourselves into our warm homes, and even amidst the holiday gatherings it is valuable to find a bit of time to slow down enough to feel ourselves germinating, or even incubating. This is the time to nurture what wants to be born in us and in our communities—to protect and nurture our seeds until the time comes to send out our first tentative roots. When we reach deeply into the dark and embrace it, we find that what we need to know is inside of us already.

Mary Porter Kerns

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The last of 8 nights of Hanukkah

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Four more days till Christmas.

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And of course a woman has to have a choice whether or not to give birth!

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* This statue of Tlazolteotl is now one of the best-known sculptures in the Robert Woods Bliss pre-Columbian Collection at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. Many scholars consider it to be a masterpiece of pre-Columbian art, highly sophisticated in design and execution (Kelemen 1943; Covarrubias 1957; Mason 1958; Coe 1993; Quilter 2002). Others question its stylistic and iconographic features, and are disturbed by its lack of provenience (Baudez 1998; Pasztory 2002). They believe it is a misattributed, more modern creation. What has been written in support of the sculpture’s authenticity since the early years of the 20th century is almost entirely subjective, interpretive and speculative, endlessly repeated, occasionally elaborated. It is axiomatic, unfortunately, that whatever is repeated often enough is eventually taken as fact.

Jenny Mendes Ceramics FB site

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