I've done a bit of spinning -- wool & linen mostly -- & I will tell you that if some guy comes along & burns the linen I'm working on I'm gonna hit him with something a lot harder than a bucket of water! He can have the leftover short tangled bits, & while he's at it, he can use that to help get the fire going.
I have complied less and less in recent decades with the other end of the commercial Christmas season. I have little mood to celebrate and buy extra stuff as the days continue to grow shorter. I discovered a decade or so ago that old Advent traditions are not about that at all.
Once the solstice comes and I viscerally notice more daylight--that's about three or four days later--I get interested in celebrating. My friends and the groups I'm in have already been shopping and doing staff parties and all. They seem to be tired well before the end of twelve days. For me, that span is about right.
So I've already been a bit counter cultural in celebration timing. Your article gives me a handy excuse to extend the holiday for another day or so, when I'm feeling frisky after the twelve traditional days. Thank you!
I take my decorations down usually on Dec 30 - only because it’s my birthday on January 1st and it’s important for me to have that as my day, without Christmas. However, a vintage gold shiny bauble is left on my altar to represent midsummer !
And yesterday (7th), I actually picked up my cloth to sew!! Not spinning but still cloth work / embroidery & appliqué
Oh my! This is just a gloriously deep post, so much here! The insight about folk traditions & the 18th C. & the Industrial Revolution shook me: I hadn't quite put that together, and you did it so beautifully! Thank you, dear Bee ♡
As always, your wonderful writing and spiritual care in the writing, lifts my heart. I loved especially the image of the wool/raw material, tangled on the distaff, and being spun into beauty and material to be woven into a garment, and for me, the image spoke to the way grief, so tangled, is slowly spun. I will honor that today—as I honor and cherish you. Thank you for your writing throughout this season. My Christmas decorations still up!
I knew NONE of this, absolutely fascinating, thank you so much 🙏🏼
Hooray! Oh, that is exciting! Happy Distaff Day, Frankie!
I've done a bit of spinning -- wool & linen mostly -- & I will tell you that if some guy comes along & burns the linen I'm working on I'm gonna hit him with something a lot harder than a bucket of water! He can have the leftover short tangled bits, & while he's at it, he can use that to help get the fire going.
I have complied less and less in recent decades with the other end of the commercial Christmas season. I have little mood to celebrate and buy extra stuff as the days continue to grow shorter. I discovered a decade or so ago that old Advent traditions are not about that at all.
Once the solstice comes and I viscerally notice more daylight--that's about three or four days later--I get interested in celebrating. My friends and the groups I'm in have already been shopping and doing staff parties and all. They seem to be tired well before the end of twelve days. For me, that span is about right.
So I've already been a bit counter cultural in celebration timing. Your article gives me a handy excuse to extend the holiday for another day or so, when I'm feeling frisky after the twelve traditional days. Thank you!
A brilliant read thankyou Jacqueline !
I take my decorations down usually on Dec 30 - only because it’s my birthday on January 1st and it’s important for me to have that as my day, without Christmas. However, a vintage gold shiny bauble is left on my altar to represent midsummer !
And yesterday (7th), I actually picked up my cloth to sew!! Not spinning but still cloth work / embroidery & appliqué
Oh my! This is just a gloriously deep post, so much here! The insight about folk traditions & the 18th C. & the Industrial Revolution shook me: I hadn't quite put that together, and you did it so beautifully! Thank you, dear Bee ♡
As always, your wonderful writing and spiritual care in the writing, lifts my heart. I loved especially the image of the wool/raw material, tangled on the distaff, and being spun into beauty and material to be woven into a garment, and for me, the image spoke to the way grief, so tangled, is slowly spun. I will honor that today—as I honor and cherish you. Thank you for your writing throughout this season. My Christmas decorations still up!