(no subject)
Dec. 20th, 2011 09:33 pmLast year at Yule, I had a bunch of songs that I uploaded as a sort of Yule mix cd - a compilation of the way the holiday made me feel.
This year I only have two songs, but I keep listening to them over and over. This is the first one. You've probably seen me post it before and you'll probably see it again. This song is for the longest night.
( Mortal City, by Dar Williams )
We are not lost.
This year I only have two songs, but I keep listening to them over and over. This is the first one. You've probably seen me post it before and you'll probably see it again. This song is for the longest night.
( Mortal City, by Dar Williams )We are not lost.
(no subject)
Dec. 20th, 2011 07:14 amSo, tonight is Mothernight, the night before the first day of Yule*. I haven't even decorated my altar yet. Usually, I have plans for Yule. This year, I have nothing.
I feel a bit frazzled about it, honestly. I've been working more than usual, covering for a coworker, and while it's great to be getting more hours, it's a little stressful. Yule is kind of a Big Deal for me, and I feel guilty that I haven't done more to prepare for it, which is making me more stressed.
Which in itself, gives me a plan for Yule. We set aside our spinning for Yule (hail Holda), we are done with our work for the year. That's been stressing me a little too, because I've become even more of a compulsive knitter/crocheter this year than I ever was before. I usually put aside my yarncraft over Yule but yarncraft in itself has become a way of destressing. So instead of putting that aside, this year for Yule, I will celebrate by giving myself permission to be quiet and calm, by putting the stress of the season aside. Yule is a time for rest and renewal, after all.
There. Now that's done.
*Yes, the solstice moves around, but I like to start Yule on the 21st, so that the 12 days of it mesh neatly with the calendar and end on the 1st of January.
I feel a bit frazzled about it, honestly. I've been working more than usual, covering for a coworker, and while it's great to be getting more hours, it's a little stressful. Yule is kind of a Big Deal for me, and I feel guilty that I haven't done more to prepare for it, which is making me more stressed.
Which in itself, gives me a plan for Yule. We set aside our spinning for Yule (hail Holda), we are done with our work for the year. That's been stressing me a little too, because I've become even more of a compulsive knitter/crocheter this year than I ever was before. I usually put aside my yarncraft over Yule but yarncraft in itself has become a way of destressing. So instead of putting that aside, this year for Yule, I will celebrate by giving myself permission to be quiet and calm, by putting the stress of the season aside. Yule is a time for rest and renewal, after all.
There. Now that's done.
*Yes, the solstice moves around, but I like to start Yule on the 21st, so that the 12 days of it mesh neatly with the calendar and end on the 1st of January.
(no subject)
Jul. 30th, 2011 08:54 pmThings:
- I have finished the latest pair of socks I was working on (these, with a speckly blue and red yarn) and have started a new pair (these). The yarn I'm using is gorgeous, soft and green and subtly variegated and I'm terribly pleased with it. I've discovered that, although cables are gorgeous and I love them when they're finished, I much prefer the actual process of knitting lacy things. I have a collection of cabled patterns on ravelry - I'm going to have to start a similar collection of lacy sock patterns.
- After watching Murder By Decree, I have again gone my normal route of revisiting Sherlock Holmes, which is by way of Jeremy Brett, Clive Merrison, and Katie Forsythe. The audioplays are mostly for the car, but I have been watching The Speckled Band tonight which is, of course, marvelous. (I love Helen Stoner - I think she's awesome.) And now I get to reread Some Further Notes on the Roylott Matter, which I love.
- Tomorrow, I am going to cook all the things! I am definitely making bread and stewed apples, I'm thinking about trying a different jelly candy recipe, and I might just make a pie. Because you have to do something while the bread's rising, right? Anyway, I'm celebrating Lammas tomorrow and Lammas is very much a food-related holiday for me (what with it being a harvest holiday and all). Lammas is for feasting, after all.
ETA - And now I am watching Norwood Builder, because my love for that story is a bit ridiculous. Oh, Lestrade, you adorable smug little rat! You are my favorite.
- I have finished the latest pair of socks I was working on (these, with a speckly blue and red yarn) and have started a new pair (these). The yarn I'm using is gorgeous, soft and green and subtly variegated and I'm terribly pleased with it. I've discovered that, although cables are gorgeous and I love them when they're finished, I much prefer the actual process of knitting lacy things. I have a collection of cabled patterns on ravelry - I'm going to have to start a similar collection of lacy sock patterns.
- After watching Murder By Decree, I have again gone my normal route of revisiting Sherlock Holmes, which is by way of Jeremy Brett, Clive Merrison, and Katie Forsythe. The audioplays are mostly for the car, but I have been watching The Speckled Band tonight which is, of course, marvelous. (I love Helen Stoner - I think she's awesome.) And now I get to reread Some Further Notes on the Roylott Matter, which I love.
- Tomorrow, I am going to cook all the things! I am definitely making bread and stewed apples, I'm thinking about trying a different jelly candy recipe, and I might just make a pie. Because you have to do something while the bread's rising, right? Anyway, I'm celebrating Lammas tomorrow and Lammas is very much a food-related holiday for me (what with it being a harvest holiday and all). Lammas is for feasting, after all.
ETA - And now I am watching Norwood Builder, because my love for that story is a bit ridiculous. Oh, Lestrade, you adorable smug little rat! You are my favorite.
(no subject)
Dec. 18th, 2010 09:55 pmHey, everybody! It is almost Yule!* That means it is time for Yule music.
There are three ways one can go with Yule music. 1) You can repurpose Christian Christmas carols by changing the words. 2) You can find music composed by fellow pagans about the holiday. 3) You can find secular music that captures something of the feel of the holiday.
This year, I am taking option three. So I have gone through my music and developed a Yule playlist. Which I will now share with you!
( Here Comes the Sun )
I hope that you all have a good solstice, whatever holidays you celebrate. And I hope that your year ahead is a bright one.
*For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Folk of the southerly regions, I wish you a happy Midsummer.
There are three ways one can go with Yule music. 1) You can repurpose Christian Christmas carols by changing the words. 2) You can find music composed by fellow pagans about the holiday. 3) You can find secular music that captures something of the feel of the holiday.
This year, I am taking option three. So I have gone through my music and developed a Yule playlist. Which I will now share with you!
( Here Comes the Sun )I hope that you all have a good solstice, whatever holidays you celebrate. And I hope that your year ahead is a bright one.
*For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Folk of the southerly regions, I wish you a happy Midsummer.
(no subject)
Nov. 29th, 2010 10:24 pmThank you, people who answered my question earlier re: Dona Nobis Pacem. At least now I have an idea how surprised I should be when people don't know that song. 8)
And now, transitioning into another religion entirely, it is the end of November. Which means that it is time to start getting ready for Yule! Hooray! This evening, I have been decorating my altar. I have sadly neglected it for the past few months, but Yule is Important, and so there have been decorations.
( Wanna see? )
Also! In the spirit of not neglecting things and trying to be more connected to the gods in the season of Yule, I am trying to get back to doing regular rune work - doing my stadha, meditating, etc. In that vein (and inspired by![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
recessional's monthly tarot draws), I would like to offer a three-rune reading to anyone who might be interested.
So, you could ask a question or just ask for an open-ended reading. I would then draw three runes for you and attempt to interpret them to answer your question or give you some sort of divinatory insight. I can't promise to be any good at it, but it could be fun to try.
I work with the Elder Futhark. My interpretations of the runes are informed by Edred Thorson, Diana Paxson, and the interpretation of the rune poem found in Stephen Grundy's Rhinegold. I will also admit to my own UPG (of course). You need not have any idea what I'm talking about in this paragraph to ask for a reading. 8)
Any takers?
And now, transitioning into another religion entirely, it is the end of November. Which means that it is time to start getting ready for Yule! Hooray! This evening, I have been decorating my altar. I have sadly neglected it for the past few months, but Yule is Important, and so there have been decorations.
( Wanna see? )Also! In the spirit of not neglecting things and trying to be more connected to the gods in the season of Yule, I am trying to get back to doing regular rune work - doing my stadha, meditating, etc. In that vein (and inspired by
recessional's monthly tarot draws), I would like to offer a three-rune reading to anyone who might be interested.So, you could ask a question or just ask for an open-ended reading. I would then draw three runes for you and attempt to interpret them to answer your question or give you some sort of divinatory insight. I can't promise to be any good at it, but it could be fun to try.
I work with the Elder Futhark. My interpretations of the runes are informed by Edred Thorson, Diana Paxson, and the interpretation of the rune poem found in Stephen Grundy's Rhinegold. I will also admit to my own UPG (of course). You need not have any idea what I'm talking about in this paragraph to ask for a reading. 8)
Any takers?
(no subject)
Oct. 31st, 2010 09:54 amAlso. You guys, it is Halloween! Happy Halloween!
Halloween, for me, is about a lot of things and which one I'm focused on depends on the year and how I feel when the holiday rolls around. There's the horror aspect, of course, the ghoulies and ghosties and my beautiful monsters, which is always lovely. And there's the dead aspect and the honoring of one's own dead and Little Miss Heathen over here says that there is never a bad time to honor your ancestors.
This year, I find myself thinking about masks.( Cut for religion )
Here, have a song. Oysterband, On the Road to Santiago
Halloween, for me, is about a lot of things and which one I'm focused on depends on the year and how I feel when the holiday rolls around. There's the horror aspect, of course, the ghoulies and ghosties and my beautiful monsters, which is always lovely. And there's the dead aspect and the honoring of one's own dead and Little Miss Heathen over here says that there is never a bad time to honor your ancestors.
This year, I find myself thinking about masks.
( Cut for religion )Here, have a song. Oysterband, On the Road to Santiago
(no subject)
Mar. 20th, 2010 09:46 amHey guys, guess what! It's the first day of spring!* Thus, here is some spring-ish music for you all.
The Waifs - Fourth Floor - "I cannot tell what kind of flowers they are. I'm too far below on the street. But the color they add to the building so drab brings a warm splash of welcome relief. Yeah, it's something worthwhile for the sun to shine on, a reason to radiate heat."
Innocence Mission - I Haven't Seen This Day Before - "If I could, I would break into flower. If I could, I'd no longer be barren. This day is filling up my room, is coming through my door. Oh, I have not seen this day before."
Tracy Grammer - Gypsy Rose - "My love is like a gypsy rose. Wild is the only way he grows. Out where the sweet July winds blow, he blooms over yonder."
I know I've put some of these up before, but they're worth listening to again.
It's spring, everybody! Hurrah!
*Or autumn, if you live in southerly places, which is well worth celebrating, also.
The Waifs - Fourth Floor - "I cannot tell what kind of flowers they are. I'm too far below on the street. But the color they add to the building so drab brings a warm splash of welcome relief. Yeah, it's something worthwhile for the sun to shine on, a reason to radiate heat."
Innocence Mission - I Haven't Seen This Day Before - "If I could, I would break into flower. If I could, I'd no longer be barren. This day is filling up my room, is coming through my door. Oh, I have not seen this day before."
Tracy Grammer - Gypsy Rose - "My love is like a gypsy rose. Wild is the only way he grows. Out where the sweet July winds blow, he blooms over yonder."
I know I've put some of these up before, but they're worth listening to again.
It's spring, everybody! Hurrah!
*Or autumn, if you live in southerly places, which is well worth celebrating, also.
(no subject)
Feb. 14th, 2010 01:55 pmSo. This year, I was trying to be cool about Valentine's Day. I mean, if you are a happily coupled person who celebrates Valentine's Day, that's fabulous. I'm happy for you - really. And I try really hard not to harsh other people's squee. ( Which is why the next bit is behind a cut. )
( Which is why the next bit is behind a cut. )
(no subject)
Dec. 25th, 2009 09:39 amI 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.
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair, I bowed my head.
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."
Then ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
Merry Christmas, people who are celebrating! And everyone who is not, I hope that you are happy and merry as well.
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair, I bowed my head.
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."
Then ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
Merry Christmas, people who are celebrating! And everyone who is not, I hope that you are happy and merry as well.
(no subject)
Dec. 24th, 2009 06:26 pmChristmas Eve so far has been great. Dad, Megan, and I had our traditional Christmas Eve breakfast of Cinnabons at the mall and last-minute Christmas shopping. (Mom, alas, had to work and Katie is in England with Eddie for Christmas this year. Katie, we miss you!) Then a nicely quiet afternoon full of reading and napping and last minute wrapping, and now we are preparing for dinner. Megan planned the menu this year - she had this recipe for fish cooked in paper bags with coconut milk that she wanted to try - so she's cooking while we all help out in the kitchen.
We don't often cook as a family. We tend to get in each other's way a lot, because there are five of us, and it's often easier to just let one or two people handle it. But tonight, it's been a joy. We should try to do that more often.
I hope those of you who celebrate are having an equally lovely holiday.
We don't often cook as a family. We tend to get in each other's way a lot, because there are five of us, and it's often easier to just let one or two people handle it. But tonight, it's been a joy. We should try to do that more often.
I hope those of you who celebrate are having an equally lovely holiday.
(no subject)
Dec. 23rd, 2009 07:20 pmFor the last few years, I've had a quiet little Yuletide tradition, just for myself. I don't crochet during Yule, the whole twelve days. Traditionally, one was to be done with one's spinning before Yule, in order to get Mother Holda's blessing for the work in the year to come. I don't spin (well, I own a spindle but I really suck at it) but I do crochet quite a lot and so I extrapolate the ban on spinning to a ban on yarn crafts in general. For the twelve days of Yule, I don't do them and I make sure that I'm done with my projects before Mothernight. (The projects I'm actively working on, at least. I have a sweater that I haven't touched for months that still languishes unfinished, but I don't count that.)
I have a hard time sitting still, a lot of the time. I like to have my hands occupied when I'm meant to be concentrating on something. My crocheting is an outlet for that nervous energy, as anyone who has watched tv with me for an extended period of time will tell you. 8) Being without it, even for only a short period of time, means that I have to think about being still, about concentrating fully, about listening and watching in a different way. And that's a big part of why I do it - Yule is a lot of things, all wrapped up in one big holiday season, but one of the things it's about is reflection and waiting and stillness. We wait through the longest night as we will wait through the winter, and we hope that we will come out the other side with sunlight and rejoicing. We reflect on the year that's passed - on the things we lost and the things we gained. We are still in the dark and, if we try, we can hear the voices of the gods.
Sitting still is work. So I try to sit still at Yule, and I think about Mother Holda, a goddess who knows about work and winter and stillness. I hope that she will bless my industriously empty hands.
I have a hard time sitting still, a lot of the time. I like to have my hands occupied when I'm meant to be concentrating on something. My crocheting is an outlet for that nervous energy, as anyone who has watched tv with me for an extended period of time will tell you. 8) Being without it, even for only a short period of time, means that I have to think about being still, about concentrating fully, about listening and watching in a different way. And that's a big part of why I do it - Yule is a lot of things, all wrapped up in one big holiday season, but one of the things it's about is reflection and waiting and stillness. We wait through the longest night as we will wait through the winter, and we hope that we will come out the other side with sunlight and rejoicing. We reflect on the year that's passed - on the things we lost and the things we gained. We are still in the dark and, if we try, we can hear the voices of the gods.
Sitting still is work. So I try to sit still at Yule, and I think about Mother Holda, a goddess who knows about work and winter and stillness. I hope that she will bless my industriously empty hands.
(no subject)
Dec. 21st, 2009 08:10 amThe Shortest Day
And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!
~Susan Cooper
Happy Yule, everybody! The sun came up! (For certain values of "up". It's really cloudy here right now.) Hurrah!
And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!
~Susan Cooper
Happy Yule, everybody! The sun came up! (For certain values of "up". It's really cloudy here right now.) Hurrah!
(no subject)
Dec. 20th, 2009 09:00 amSo, I am thinking that it is time to upload some Christmas music. This year, I am being all self-promoting, because I am uploading bits of our chorale concert from Christmas last year. (I don't have a cd for this year's yet.) Because I think we are pretty awesome and I think we did a pretty good job on some really cool music that other people might enjoy. Also, I have a solo on one of them and you might possibly enjoy hearing me sing. 8)
(They are, umm, kinda long pieces. The shortest one is something like seven minutes long. Just so you know. But they're good, I think.)
Christmas Day (by Gustav Holst) - A medley of Christmas carols, mostly Good Christian Men Rejoice, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, and The First Noel. This is the one in which I have a solo - I'm the one singing The First Noel up really high above everyone else at various places.
In terra pax (by Gerald Finzi) - I love this one, but it's weird and modern and kind of discordent. It was totally fun to sing. Also, the baritone soloist is pretty awesome.
Fantasia on Christmas Carols (by Ralph Vaughn Williams) - Another medley, but of older-feeling carols this time, and with that same awesome baritone.
If you take any of them, I hope you enjoy!
(They are, umm, kinda long pieces. The shortest one is something like seven minutes long. Just so you know. But they're good, I think.)
Christmas Day (by Gustav Holst) - A medley of Christmas carols, mostly Good Christian Men Rejoice, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, and The First Noel. This is the one in which I have a solo - I'm the one singing The First Noel up really high above everyone else at various places.
In terra pax (by Gerald Finzi) - I love this one, but it's weird and modern and kind of discordent. It was totally fun to sing. Also, the baritone soloist is pretty awesome.
Fantasia on Christmas Carols (by Ralph Vaughn Williams) - Another medley, but of older-feeling carols this time, and with that same awesome baritone.
If you take any of them, I hope you enjoy!
(no subject)
Dec. 14th, 2009 07:00 pmThings:
- Yesterday, we had our Christmas cantata at church, of which I was (again) the director. I think that it went quite well. The choir were all wimps and made me sing the solo, but they did a great job with the rest of it. (They do keep telling me I'm a good director. This is very kind of them but, y'know, I've worked with good choir directors and I know that I am not one. What I am good at is explaining how to be a good choir member. But still, it's nice to hear.)
- I discovered, just before we were about to go onstage for the cantata that my boots - my black stompy boots that I wear all the time - have a hole in them. I am sad about that, as it is winter and wet and I have no other boots that are quite that comfortable and stompy. I will have to replace them after Christmas.
- Yesterday was also the Revels, which is in the running for my favorite family Christmas tradition. This year, they did a lot of Spanish music - incorporating some Sephardic and Turkish stuff - along with more usual British/French stuff. Also, there were holy fools and death stealing the sun and moon and stars, but the fools got them back by trickery and also by singing the most badass setting of St Patrick's Breastplate ever. I'm really hoping that I can find an mp3 of that floating around somewhere. I love the Revels because, though it's nominally Christian (being about Christmas and all), what little story there is in the show is always very welcoming to pagan viewers. It's always more a solstice story than a Christmas story. And there's Morris dancing, which is awesome.
- Dentist this morning. I have cavities - that's what happens when you don't go to the dentist for several years. They are all on the left side of my mouth, too, which is completely unsurprising as that's the side of my mouth I chew on. The molars on the right side don't meet when I bite down. I know this, because every time I have ever gone to the dentist since I got my adult teeth, someone has told me about it. Also, I know it because it is my frelling mouth.
- I made cookies today - the cherry-and-mint cookies that I tried to make last year but was defeated by. This year, I am successful and they are delicious. Go me!
Net positive, I think. 8)
- Yesterday, we had our Christmas cantata at church, of which I was (again) the director. I think that it went quite well. The choir were all wimps and made me sing the solo, but they did a great job with the rest of it. (They do keep telling me I'm a good director. This is very kind of them but, y'know, I've worked with good choir directors and I know that I am not one. What I am good at is explaining how to be a good choir member. But still, it's nice to hear.)
- I discovered, just before we were about to go onstage for the cantata that my boots - my black stompy boots that I wear all the time - have a hole in them. I am sad about that, as it is winter and wet and I have no other boots that are quite that comfortable and stompy. I will have to replace them after Christmas.
- Yesterday was also the Revels, which is in the running for my favorite family Christmas tradition. This year, they did a lot of Spanish music - incorporating some Sephardic and Turkish stuff - along with more usual British/French stuff. Also, there were holy fools and death stealing the sun and moon and stars, but the fools got them back by trickery and also by singing the most badass setting of St Patrick's Breastplate ever. I'm really hoping that I can find an mp3 of that floating around somewhere. I love the Revels because, though it's nominally Christian (being about Christmas and all), what little story there is in the show is always very welcoming to pagan viewers. It's always more a solstice story than a Christmas story. And there's Morris dancing, which is awesome.
- Dentist this morning. I have cavities - that's what happens when you don't go to the dentist for several years. They are all on the left side of my mouth, too, which is completely unsurprising as that's the side of my mouth I chew on. The molars on the right side don't meet when I bite down. I know this, because every time I have ever gone to the dentist since I got my adult teeth, someone has told me about it. Also, I know it because it is my frelling mouth.
- I made cookies today - the cherry-and-mint cookies that I tried to make last year but was defeated by. This year, I am successful and they are delicious. Go me!
Net positive, I think. 8)
(no subject)
Dec. 1st, 2009 03:35 pmSo. We are starting to talk about seasonal decorations at the library. Now, I like Christmas/Yule decorations as much as the next person but as the library's designated non-Christian, I always end up being the person who points out that we are, y'know, a public library and as such should maybe not have specifically Christmas decorations. And then I feel kinda like a jerk for spoiling other people's fun.
And, y'know, it's not that Christmas decorations offend me or anything. It's not a personal issue, because that would be ridiculous - I would object even if I were Christian still. I object because we are a public library and we serve the whole community, not just the Christian part of it.
And also because, if I didn't, my coworkers wouldn't think about that kind of thing at all. Seriously, we were talking about December book displays and I mentioned that we can put up Hanukkah and Kwanzaa books as well as Christmas ones (and the one book we have on the winter solstice) and somehow this morphed in conversation into "multicultural Christmas traditions." Dear coworkers - Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are not "Christmas traditions". ::headdesk::
I know they know that, and of course it's just a slip of the tongue but it's a slip of the tongue made by a privileged person who fits in during the Christmas season, who sees their traditions honored everywhere they go. And of course, I'm privileged too, because I'm happy celebrating Christmas with my family, and my celebration of Yule slots fairly well into the Christmas season. But the public library shouldn't privilege anyone - that's part of the point - so I guess I will have to keep objecting or pointing out that maybe we should just decorate for winter and leave all the holidays at home where they belong.
And, y'know, it's not that Christmas decorations offend me or anything. It's not a personal issue, because that would be ridiculous - I would object even if I were Christian still. I object because we are a public library and we serve the whole community, not just the Christian part of it.
And also because, if I didn't, my coworkers wouldn't think about that kind of thing at all. Seriously, we were talking about December book displays and I mentioned that we can put up Hanukkah and Kwanzaa books as well as Christmas ones (and the one book we have on the winter solstice) and somehow this morphed in conversation into "multicultural Christmas traditions." Dear coworkers - Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are not "Christmas traditions". ::headdesk::
I know they know that, and of course it's just a slip of the tongue but it's a slip of the tongue made by a privileged person who fits in during the Christmas season, who sees their traditions honored everywhere they go. And of course, I'm privileged too, because I'm happy celebrating Christmas with my family, and my celebration of Yule slots fairly well into the Christmas season. But the public library shouldn't privilege anyone - that's part of the point - so I guess I will have to keep objecting or pointing out that maybe we should just decorate for winter and leave all the holidays at home where they belong.
