Quiet Winter Solstice
Sweetie and I had a quiet private Winter Solstice celebration on Monday night. We managed to wait to break into the stockings and gifts until after the sun had set. I lit the magic candles on the tree and sitting on the floor by the tree we pulled treasures from our stockings and then handed each other presents from family, loved ones, and ourselves. Moj got an antique Dionysian pitcher and plate for ritual cakes and wine, Dionysus oil and incense, as well as many witchy books, more incense, candy, and homemade preserves. I received a ton of witchy books (love my witchy man!), chocolate, an evil eye doll from Toadbone's Apotheca, pairs of beautiful handknit socks from my Mom, books from her trip to Scotland, handmade soap, and also some powders and animal curios for magic. For both of us I had purchased an authentic set of Welsh horse brasses as a house protection and blessing charm. Most horse brasses are just for show - this one was made from an actual well-used thick piece of saddle with a lovely pattern stitched into it. The leather is so old it is starting to decay and a few of the leather strips holding on the brasses had broken so I had to repair them. The symbols on the brasses are personal to us, so I just showed a few in the picture.
In honour of the occassion I set to work after presents preparing the Yule feast we'd share with the God. First I started the wassail by adding a bottle of last year's apple mead, apple juice, lemons stuck with cloves, sliced apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg into my crock pot to warm while cooking dinner. My apple mead turned out tasting a bit like sherry and a pretty red colour - strange but delicious! I made a wintry feast of pork schnitzel with maple syrup-roasted root veggies (beets, carrots, parsnips, and maple syrup my Dad harvested on his farm last February), mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, and some homemade gravy to pour over half of it. We put a bowl of the wintry feast on the God's altar and left him some wine and then went off to watch Terry Pratchett's Hogfather while eating our own plates of the feast.
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