'Tis the reason to be jolly!

December means Christmas for many, Litha for those of us living south of the equator, and Yuletide for those to the north. The colours for Christmas; red, green, silver, and gold; are also used to celebrate Yule and Litha.  

Most of us were raised in a belief system other than those that fall within paganism and celebrated many religious holidays and we know the celebration of Christmas was aligned to the pagan festival of Yule possibly to either mollify or convert pagans to Christianity at the time.

Whatever our religious beliefs, we are inundated with decorations, music, movies, and messages about Christmas. We can’t help but be affected by the festivities. They often bring back memories of family and warmth, sometimes loneliness and fond reminiscing of those crossed over, or perhaps a longing for close ties which we may not have. And we all secretly wish for a Christmas miracle of our very own.

Although Christmas has become more about fun, festivities, gift swapping and feasting than about the birth of Jesus Christ, during this period people tend to be more generous towards each other, to those less fortunate or those who are different. We are more likely to engage in friendly conversation with a stranger and to be cheerful and kinder than usual. It’s a time when we look past the human form and we see the spirit of the person in front of us instead of the gender, race, or sexual orientation. We forget our bigotry and are more forgiving and tolerant. We see the Spirit in the person.

As pagans, we live this daily, or at least try to, we understand that skin colour, the shape of your eyes, or where you come from can be likened to the different homes we live in. Some are big, some are small, some are neglected and some are decorated and maintained. It all depends on the Spirit housed within.

Pagans strive for tolerance of others’ beliefs even when they are vastly different from our own and we know that judging others is not really what we’re here to do – unless it is. Each of us is here to learn and teach, to experience and evolve in some way, all on separate journeys.  We understand the spirit of giving and forgiveness, and that everything affects us as a collective.

This is what the rest of the world becomes at Christmas time.

What’s my secret wish for a Christmas miracle?

That we treat each other the way we do at Christmas, all year. 

*Photo by Any Lane from Pexels