How have you been doing in recent months?

First off, please allow me to extend my deepest and most appreciative heartfelt thanks to all those who reached out to me in the months spanning my post about the sudden end of my nearly 18-year marriage and the present day.

Your soul-touching support, compassion, kindness, empathy, relaying of personal stories involving your own very difficult relationship issues and breakups over the years, and so much more have bolstered + helped me a good deal (and still continue to, for that matter).

Secondly, in the midst of everything that has been transpiring in my life lately, I completely forgot that back in the late spring/early summer, I penned and scheduled some blog posts which were originally intended to go live in either July or August.

In the midst of contending with the unforeseen events of July 2022, I ended up bumping them ahead all the way to December and then promptly (and, I think you will agree, rather understandably!) 110% forgetting that I had done so.

It wasn’t until I saw a flurry of new blog comments suddenly come in recently that I realized these long auto-scheduled posts had unintentionally gone live this month.

My bad all the way!

Not that there is anything wrong with sharing these posts now (or at any point in time). There certainly is not.

It is just that I fully intended for my first post since this past July to be a brief life update, not a project share or other type of entry.

Therefore, I sincerely apologize that things played out how they did. Just as I do to all those readers who I know were wondering why a life update post had not happened before I launched back into more of my usual type of blogging content.

With those points said, please allow me to now give you a little overview of how some things have unfolded for me in recent months.

In the time since the post about the sudden breakdown of my marriage, I was very fortunate to find housing for myself and (my dog) Annie.

After a ton of searching and applying to various rental properties across much of the Okanagan and Lower Shuswap Valleys, I was extremely fortunate to ultimately sign a lease on a lovely little townhouse all to ourselves.

It is located in a larger town roughly 25 minutes away from the small, rural community of Armstrong, BC, where Tony and I had been residing since moving there together in early 2018.

Working largely at the same breakneck speed I had undertaken throughout July and early August to get our entire house packed up, spic-and-span clean, staged for viewings, listed for sale, and so forth, from mid-August to mid-September, I quickly unpacked and set up my new home.

It was – and still is – tremendously strange, sad, and foreign feeling for me to assemble the trappings of each room of a house that is simply for myself (and Annie). Every home from the second half of 2004 onward until this summer was one that Tony and I shared as husband and wife.

As the summer wore on, the initial state of mind-blowing shock, the gargantuan sudden upsets to my life, and the intense feelings of unprecedented blindsidedness began to decrease.

Naturally, though, a vast amount of internal pain, grief, longing, trauma processing, and life rebuilding remain part of my daily world and will no doubt continue to for quite some time still to come.

One does not have the proverbial rug of a marriage they cherished and believed would be eternal – coupled, moreover, with the loss of the person they love/loved, valued, cared about, respected, desired, would have done almost anything for, and trusted more than anybody else in the world – pulled out from under them and magically bounce back with the dexterity of a rubber band.

Far from it.

The thought occurred to me recently that my initial unfathomably brutal heartache and emotional/mental/physical/spiritual pain was/is akin to a very serious acute injury. And, you know, in many ways it is.

However, as time leaps ever forward and the disbelief, marathon cries that often spanned or totaled anywhere from 5 – 14+ hours per day in the initial months (I still continue to cry frequently, though especially long periods of weeping are not, at present, as common for me as they were in the summer and early fall), and the bigger picture of the reality that is my current life all came to be, that pain has gradually morphed into a state that could be looked upon more as a chronic illness of sorts.

(As someone who has been a fighter of over 15 different serious chronic illnesses for more than two decades now, I know from which I speak.)

That does not automatically mean this state of internal health and, likewise, that of my life, in general, will remain entrenched in the deepest, darkest bowels of heartache, grief, longing, and endless reflections on the past for all of time.

And yet, that said, one never fully gets over trauma of this magnitude. A loss this hard-hitting, devastating, and brutally painful.

The experience of witnessing the person I would have gladly taken a bullet for walk out of my/our life in the blink of a tear-filled eye.

The dissipation of a future I firmly believed would be shared and treasured together and the overall pain of an ordeal this earth-shattering will remain with me – at least in part – always.

As, personally, I believe these things (and many others related to this year’s events) should.

In surviving the most hellacious, stressful, hurtful, and challenging periods of our lives, we (hopefully!) learn, grow, and come to see life through wider eyes and with an even more tender heart.

In a ton of different ways, I am a radically different person today than I was before the events of this past July.

Many positive changes have happened organically, others were a conscious decision to approach things in a better, healthier/healing light. And plenty more still were a blend of both organic and conscious efforts.

For, never have I hurt more.

Never have I grown more in the span of just a few brief months.

Never have I longed for anyone (Tony) or anything (our marriage) more in my entire life. Not by the length of the universe.

Never have I so bravely taken hold of the reigns of a profoundly difficult situation and been able to re-establish my basic needs (i.e., safe housing) again as quickly.

Never have I yearned to turn back the hands of time and with the crystal-clear clarity of hindsight alter the past (for the better) more than in the wake of this summer’s crushing events.

Never have I been stronger.

Never have I wished more that an event (the – from my perspective at least – incredibly abrupt end of our beloved, sacred, one-of-kind marriage) in my/our life had not occurred (and that it would never have occurred, in an ideal world).

Never, for months on end, have I consciously had to choose quite as hard to some-inexplicable-how keep going when I was certain that death would hurt (me) infinitely less than what I was enduring in that excruciatingly difficult moment.

Never have I pined for someone even 1/1,000,000,000 as much as I do for Tony.

I wake up every day and continue to expect him to be right there beside me (or at least under the same roof). I experience something comparable to a phantom limb-like sensation of his hand in mind, feel his strong, protective arms around my body and his tender lips upon my own.

I hear his gorgeous Italian voice and his wonderfully infectious laugh. Feel the warmth of his soul reverting joyfully in synch with mine, see the wise and witty twinkle in his deep chocolate-hued eyes, listen to him pull into the driveway, snuggle together as we watch our favourite movies and TV series, face each of life’s challenges and positives alike as a mighty, love fuelled couple.

These things and countless others echo throughout my every breath and heartbeat.

With a few exceptions, though (for example, thankfully the two of us have remained on amicable terms and do interact periodically for various reasons, so I still get to see and hear Tony in person from time to time), I am phenomenally, soul-crushingly aware of the fact that they are no more.

And that, in turn, somehow I must – and already am – find(ing) the ability to exist without them. Without Tony as my darling husband, my lover, my best friend, my rock, my soulmate. Just as I must go on without our shared existence.

Both despite and, I firmly believe, because of the highly challenging difficulties of this year, I’ve actually made massive positive strides on the mental health front.

(I have experienced major depression, various types of anxiety, and some PTSD for much of my entire life. Though, mercifully, at this point in time, I’ve almost entirely healed from the latter. )

As a result, ironically, it could be said, I am currently in a healthier, more stable place on the mental health front than I have been in longer than I can precisely recall (think 10+ years – if not more like 20+ years).

From late September (2022) onward, I have begun to experience days of zero depression (often coupled with a huge reduction in anxiety as well).

Zip, zilch, nil, nada. Not a single iota.

I had all but completely forgotten what a state of being completely free of depression felt like.

It is, in some respects, akin to breathing pure air of the cleanest and freshest variety after decades of existing on bottled oxygen.

Not every day is completely depression free (yet?). However, even when that all-too-familiar state of mental being resurfaces, it almost always does so at a drastically lower level than what had become long become my norm for many years.

Whereas countless periods throughout my life were spent somewhere between 7 – 10 on the depression scale (with ten being the highest possible level), these days when it pops up here and there, it does so in the 1 – 2.5, maybe 3, max, range.  

In fact, it is so drastically reduced that I am finding these sorts of vastly lower levels of depression/melancholy have little to no impact whatsoever as far as I can perceive on my internal state, my day-to-day life, my interactions and relationships with others, and plenty of other things both big and small alike.

I routinely stop and marvel at this previously unimaginable change (sometimes it brings me to the point of shedding tears of happiness and gratitude). This current mental health miracle and the renewed zest for life (relative to everything that has been going on as of late) that it has firmly instilled in me once more.

That said, I am very aware that mental health challenges rarely follow a linear path. Be it in terms of their development or, when possible, their treatment/lessening/remission/healing.

Therefore, I fully accept that there may be (and feel that I am now considerably better prepared to face) potential future spikes in my depression, should they occur going forward from this year.

It is safe to say that there are usually myriad factors that contribute to a person experiencing serious ongoing depression (for me, most of my depression has always been situationally caused). And likely there are just as many – if not more – that must go into its reduction for those who experience this very real, very life-impacting mental health battle.

While, OF COURSE!!!, depression is obviously not something one can turn on or off like a light switch (far from it), I do think that in a fair number of instances there are steps that can be undertaken to help lessen its severity.

Personally, I knew that if I had a snowball’s chance of not only somehow surviving, but in time (I hope and pray with every ounce of my being) thriving again, it would be borderline impossible for me to do so while living on my own if my depression + anxiety were raging out of control.

Without the aid of any harmful substances, risky or self-destructive behaviours, or various other negative choices one could opt for, as I started to gradually piece my world back together again, I reexamined not only my life + myself in general but also my mental state.

In doing so, I began to realize there were quite a few mindsets, approaches to life, thought processes, elements of my daily existence, and so forth that were contributing undesirably to my mental health that I could either part ways with entirely or reduce/alter significantly enough for them to further help improve the innermost workings of my ol’ grey matter.

Recently, I wrote something to my dear sister, which I feel fits perfectly in the course of this post as well. Thus, I am going to share it essentially verbatim with all of you as well.

Every now and then, YouTube suggests a clip from the TV show Hoarders to me and I will sometimes watch it when that occurs.

In one of them I saw somewhat recently, a clinical psychologist they have featured many times over the years (Dr. Robin Zasio) said a line that resonated with me immediately: “I don’t know why people have to get so broken to heal, but that’s what happened with you.”

She spoke these words in relation to the hoarder they were trying to help, but I feel like that statement applies immensely to me as well. 

In what surely stands as the most painfully ironic series of events in my entire life, it would take being shattered into billions upon billions of infinitesimally small pieces and experiencing pain so searing it would make swimming in molten lava feel like doing a polar bear dip by comparison to start healing/improving some of the most challenging aspects of my existence. 

The past 5.5 months have been the absolute worst, most difficult, painful, stressful, and heartbreaking of my entire existence by an enormous mile. Virtually nothing of any importance about them has felt right, familiar, normal, comforting, easy, or complete. 

Sometime around late August, however, a thought occurred to me that I had never really had before. 

Just about every time prior in my entire life when something massive had come along that shattered my/our world (or a shattered a solid chunk of it at least), my gut instinct was to immediately scramble to put the pieces back together as close to the way they had been arranged before that event occurred. 

(One example of this is how in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 arson fire, without even stopping to give it conscious consideration, I instinctually thought that I needed to start building up a vintage/repro wardrobe again without pausing to ask myself if that was actually what my heart most wanted to do at that point in time.)

Objectively, I think that this reaction and approach are innate to most humans and that they are not necessarily bad/negative things in many instances.

The thought that struck me like a million tsunami waves crashing into my mind at the same time was, “What if instead of trying to piece back together everything that is shattered, you held onto the best/most important parts and strove to rearrange, remove, or replace, as applicable, the rest?”.

It was – and is – a concept both plainly simple and extraordinarily challenging. And yet, that is precisely what I have attempted – and will continue to actively do – to the best of my abilities.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I could easily fill a book the size of which would give War and Peace a run for its money discussing elements of this year’s life-altering events.

Sometimes though, it is best to know when to put the breaks on for the present moment and I feel like the above paragraphs are a solid place to do just that.

Now, those two (again) completely unintentionally published project share posts + this one itself aside, you may be wondering about my long-term plans for this blog.

I have not reached a point yet in my healing/trauma processing/life-rebuilding journey that would even begin to facilitate engaging in our wonderful blogging community + posting at my pre-July 2022 level again (which averaged 4 – 6 entries per month).

And though my new dedicated craft space has been set up since this September, I have not created a single paper crafting project since before this summer’s devastating events.

I will not make any promises at the moment regarding my blogging plans/schedule in the near to quasi-near future. That would not be fair to either of us.

However, what I will say is that, if possible, I would like to *try* to post at least one new entry here roughly every 4 – 10ish weeks throughout the initial (and possibly longer than that) months of 2023.

So whether I one day return to a similar pre-marriage-breakdown blog posting level or opt to share entries here somewhat less frequently, in the long run, I do intend to put more new content up on this site. Yay!

That is a welcome thought which makes me smile on a great many levels (as does thinking about the day when my MIA paper crafting mojo returns).

Thank you all again beyond words for your kind, extremely caring support and understanding in recent months.

I am certain that this year would have been notably more challenging for me were it not for your thoughtfulness.

Let me wrap up this post (hey, wait, wasn’t this supposed to be a small life update? Evidently, in true Autumn form, I couldn’t stop at just a tiny handful of paragraphs ) by wishing all of you the sweetest, safest, happiest, healthiest, and most magic(k)al of holiday seasons.

Whatever you celebrate, whatever you hold dear, whatever brings you inner joy this month, may these things and many other positives number more for you than all of the snowflakes that will tumble to the ground across the world this chilly season.

Merriest festive season and nothing but the best and brightest to each of you for 2023!

The post A Big Apology to All of my Readers and a Small Life Update appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire. It is time for home. – Edith Sitwell

November was but a handful of days old when the season’s first snowflakes fluttered like icy-winged butterflies to the ground.

A brief flurry, another a few days later, and then proper volumes of snow by the month’s third week.

Fall did not go gently into that good night entirely though. At least not at first.

For a brief, enchanting time there were leaves the colour of ancient clay vessels and faded Tudor tapestries alongside slender plumes of smoke rising ghost-like from neighbourhood chimneys against the unmistakable chorus of shovels being pushed with no small amount of force across snow-laden driveways.

It is said that all good things must come to an end and autumn is no exception.

Tomorrow brings with it the Winter Solstice. The shortest day, in terms of the percentage of daylight, that the entire year houses.

For myself and others – particularly witches, Wiccans, and Pagans – it is also at the heart of the Yule season.

This long night ushers in the light-filled half of the year. Though, as I am quick to note, we rarely start to see and experience a tangible sense of that for several more weeks from now.

Nevertheless, the Winter Solstice and Yule remind us of the sunlight, warmth, and seasonal joys that await us come spring and summer.

Winter, however, is not without its own bevy of charms and blessings.

While a harsh chapter in many parts of the world, the coming season of icicles and parkas is anything but dull, uninspiring, or lacking in things to do and enjoy from the very first to the absolute last moment.

Before, with sweater-clad arms, we welcome winter back into our lives again (here in the Western Hemisphere; summer is out in full force for those south of the equator), let’s take a lovely moment to reflect back on the season that is, rather aptly, presently giving up the ghost.

The Fall 2021 Edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me is a link love post featuring online content that caught my eye during the past three months, coupled with a peek into what has been transpiring in my own life lately.

I hope that you will enjoy reading it every bit as much as I took pleasure putting it together for you, sweet friends.

Magick, Witchcraft, Paganism, and Spirituality

–Create an Easy DIY Advent Calendar with Crystals Inside: While it is rather late in December to start an advent this year, this creative take on a treasured holiday season favourite was too cool looking not to share.

Whether you work with crystals in a spiritual/metaphysical context or enjoy them for other reasons, chances are you are bound to delight in this awesome advent calendar that sees each date house a tiny crystal.

This advent would make for such a fantastic and meaningful Yule gift.

And there’s nothing stopping you from using advents to count down to other special events (such as Halloween or a person’s birthday) as well, if you wanted to give making this crystal-filled calendar a go before next December arrives.

–How to Make Heat Activated Spell Sachets: Creating spell sachets is something that is familiar to many witches and Wiccans. However, generally speaking, we work with them at either room temperature or whatever the mercury is up to outdoors.

Leave it to none other than beloved Pagan blogger, Moody Moons, to take this classic spellworking technique and give it a fresh new spin via the introduction of heat.

I am smitten with this concept and plan to weave it into some of my witchy workings this winter and likely for many a chilly season to come.

–Sacred Sprays for Magickal Self-Care: As someone who adores making many of my own magickal tools and ingredients, and who is a keen proponent of self-care, I knew the moment I saw this terrific how-to post from Katrina Rasbold on Llewellyn’s blog that I would be sharing it here.

One need not be a witch/Pagan to make and use their own beneficial sprays – nor, of course, to practice self-care. That is something, ideally, we should all strive to make a perpetual priority in our lives.

–25 Forms of Banishing: No matter the season, I am a big proponent of doing banishing work. In fact, I would say it is one of the most common forms of witchery that I undertake.

Few points in the year lend themselves quite as naturally, however, to banishing work and getting rid of elements in our lives that are no longer serving us well than that liminal period between late December and early January.

This fantastic list from Sidney Eileen rounds up an impressive 25 different ways to engage in banishing work, including banishing via manifesting, involving banishing in your shadow work, and conducting energetic self-maintenance.

–Witches Bells: Their History, Lore and How to Use Them: From Otherworldly Oracle, comes this great look at the past and present of a magickal tool and/or piece home décor that is familiar and adored by plenty of folks around the world: Witches Bells.

During the December holiday season, when bells are easily had at many craft, hobby, dollar, housewares, gift, and big box stores, now can be an excellent time to make your own set of witches bells or to create some for the fellow witchy souls in your life.

(From the same website and very much in keeping with the current festive season, this delightful look at Yule Recipes: 13 Traditional & Modern Winter Solstice Meals & Beverages is also well worth checking out.)

–Work With the Plant Allies in Your Neighborhood: Discovering, learning about, and forming a meaningful, ongoing relationship with all manner of plants, flowers, and trees in your immediate environment can be an immensely beneficial activity.

If you are looking for more information on how to connect with your local plant allies, then this lovely post from Astrea at the Pathos blog Starlight Witch is a good place to start (or way to further your existing knowledge on the subject).

–Your Magickal Name:  It does not surprise me one iota that a great overview look at the subject of magickal names comes from none other than esteemed Pagan author and blogger, Rachel Patterson (whose stellar book, Witchcraft Into the Wilds, I reviewed here last year).

As someone who uses their magickal name (or as I tend to refer to it, my Pagan name) not only virtually exclusively online at this point in my life, but in as many offline capacities as I possibly can too, it is safe to say that I’m big on magickal names and really appreciate that Rachel penned this handy guide on the subject.

Cardmaking, Scrapbooking, Paper Crafting, and Other Crafts

–DIY Fridge Magnets: 50 Projects for Home or Gifts: For a good stretch of my childhood, my mom collected fridge magnets. When the volume she had amassed exceeded the space available on our refrigerator, she started displaying them on metal baking trays.

Many years have now passed since then. Yet, as my mom’s own passion back in those days for magnets rubbed off on me when I was growing up, I couldn’t help but lap up each inspiring idea in this awesome selection of DIY fridge magnets.

If you are also stuck on magnets (pun intended ) or know someone who is, you will definitely want to give this inspiration-filled post a thorough readthrough.  

–DIY Lava Lamp Party Favours: There are no molten hot liquids involved with this super cute mid-century inspired craft project.

Instead, two sizes of barware glasses and a few basic craft supplies – plus the “lava” filing of your choice are all you need to whip up some highly memorable yesteryear inspired party favours that your guests are bound to adore.

Plus, how great would these homemade lava lamps be for an upcoming New Year’s Eve bash?

–Homemade Ramekin Dish Soy Candles For The Holidays: As you may have gathered by now, I really, really, reeeeeaaaaaly love candles.

Plain or elaborate, scented or unscented, store-bought or handmade, I’m totally there for candles.  

In the case of the latter type of candle, I fell hard for Marie’s fantastic DIY candle-making project which guides you through the steps involved with creating candles in ramekin dishes.

This easy candle-making project delivers a beautiful end result that you can keep for yourself or give as a lovely gift.

I feel that these beautiful homemade soy candles would suit special occasions including birthdays, anniversaries, Hanukkah, Yule, Christmas, Imbolc, Valentine’s Day, and Samhain especially well.

(Also on Marie’s delightful – and very inspiring – blog, this adorable Upcycled Indoor Snowball Fight Wood Crate caught my eye. I really like festive décor that can be left out all season long, not merely for a given holiday or two, and this super fun project hits that nail squarely on the wintertime head.)

–How to Make a Flower Press: People have been intentionally drying and pressing flowers for many centuries and while this charming art ebbs and flows in terms of its popularity, it remains a beloved classic that is not likely to vanish entirely anytime soon.

If you are up for a spot of DIY and in the mood to make your own flower press at home, this handy step-by-step guide from Jessica at Cutesy Crafts will have you pressing a whole garden’s worth of blooms in no time.

(As well, on the same blog, I melted faster than a marshmallow in a mug of hot chocolate for this enchantingly pretty Christmas Deer Embroidery Pattern.)

–How to Store Stickers (in Binders): Unless you’ve got a lot of space and, potentially, quite a generous budget to spend on organizational supplies, chances are you are continually looking for ways to streamline your craft supply storage needs.

Goodness knows I am – especially since my crafting space (which I am exceedingly grateful for) is definitely on the petite side of things.

As such, I instantly fell in love with this handy and, in many cases, wonderfully space-saving approach for storing your sticker collection in binders. It’s a brilliant and very implimentable idea for a lot of folks.

(You could also do the same thing with other lightweight, relatively flat crafting supplies such as rub-ons or smaller sized sheets of specialty papers.)

–Super Tiny Mini Album with Lots of Photos: I have seen some pretty small mini scrapbooking albums in my day, but this itty-bitty creation – from none other than the endlessly talented Bea Valint – must surely take top prize on that front.

Perfect for your own memory keeping or to make and give as gifts (including pint-sized stocking stuffers), these mini albums are cute, fun, and more than likely, quite addictive to make!

–Vacation Memory Sand Jars: Now, I fully realize that at present, a lot of us are not exactly jet-setting off to tropical destinations or hopping in the car for a road trip to the beach.

However, if you are able to do so, have collected and saved sand from past trips, or have access to some lovely sand closer to home, this project might just be for you.

It is such a charming, low-cost way to bring a slice of your travel adventures home with you and is one that can be repeated with different locations time and time again.

(Note: When taking sand home, always ensure that you are legally allowed to do so based on local laws and that removal of said sand does not negatively impact the ecosystem that the sand hails from.)

What’s Shaking in My Life and On My Radar

Much like the summer that proceeded it, this autumn was one that, for a multitude of reasons, I will not soon forget.

In the early days of September, the very real risk of the massive local wildfires still loomed near.

Thankfully, by the time autumn had officially begun this risk had all but vanished and we felt safe unpacking our most important documents and belongings, which we had been keeping at the ready in case the official order to evacuate did arrive.

The start of this fall was gloriously gorgeous. Picturesque weather and temperatures, leaves so incredibly vivid and breathtaking that they nearly brought us to tears.

As it tends to do around these parts, October cooled down by mid-month. Happily though, (unlike last year) nary a snowflake fell in our neighbourhood throughout the year’s 10th month.

Come the evening of my favourite day of the year, Halloween + Samhain, the temps hovered around a nippy -2C/28F. The night itself was crisp and dry with relatively little wind, to boot.

This no doubt helped to contribute to why we received the highest number of trick-or-treaters (about 118 – up from our previous, pre-pandemic record of around 113) that we’ve had since we moved into this house nearly four years ago now.

Between that point, celebrating the day with Tony and my mom, and ample time dedicated to meaningful witchy Samhain activities, I’m delighted to say that we had one of the best October 31^sts in recent memory.

November wasted no time in tilting the scales in favour of winter weather, as touched on at the start of this post.

Yet the return of snow all but took a distant backseat to some rare and, in certain cases, incredibly devastating weather conditions and natural phenomena that rocked our province of British Columbia throughout the month.

Tornados are exceedingly uncommon in BC and even less likely, if I’m not mistaken, to occur during the second half of autumn.

This made the tornado that tore a path through parts of Vancouver early on in the month a serious surprise!

Luckily, this event was not, insofar as tornados go, too severe.

In fact, this powerful storm was given an Enhanced Fujita scale rating of EF0, with EF5 being reserved for the most brutal storms/tornados and the destruction they cause.

For many BC residents, the tornado – while a fascinating event for sure – soon took a backseat to substantially bigger weather problems.

Specifically, horribly heavy rains in the province’s Lower Mainland region (a broad swath that encompasses Vancouver and most of the towns + cities that call the lowest portion of BC home) and some other parts of BC, including the Merritt area.

BC is no stranger to flooding, but it had been a fair while since anything like the scale of rainfall, ensuing flooding, and widespread damage it caused had been seen around these parts.

Atmospheric rivers – a technical term that relatively few in BC had heard before this November, but which many of us are now well acquainted with – caused widespread flooding that destroyed homes, businesses, and other structures.

It also brought about landslides and these quite literally washed away segments of some of the main highways through the region.

Highways that connect the Lower Mainland (which is also known as The Coast) to much of the rest of the province.

This meant that in November highway travel was frequently impossible to or from The Coast.

In time, some routes would open again, though ongoing closures – much like flood evacuations in various parts of the province – continued on into December.

It also meant that supply lines were temporarily disrupted, as a fair amount of the goods that are distributed to retailers around the province come from the ports of Vancouver, as well as from farms and other supply sources in the Lower Mainland.

This sudden lack of incoming goods caused some people to adopt a behaviour that is still fresh in most of our minds from the early days of the pandemic: resource hoarding.

From the smallest mom-and-pop shop to the largest grocery store outlets, it all but looked like a plague of locusts had descended on the fresh food (produce, meat and seafood, dairy, baked goods, etc) section of many stores north of The Coast.

Tony and I didn’t participate in this at all. A, because we were not worried and had enough (fresh/frozen/non-perishable) food at home already to see us through several weeks, if needed, and B, we strongly sensed that at least some fresh goods would soon find a way up to this area.

That proved to be the case exactly. And while grocery stores continue to feel the impact of receiving less perishable goods and other products, since “the big clear out” most have been able to get in a solid chunk of the merchandise that they usually sell.

While we did experience heavy rains at times throughout November and on into early December, our area – which is a few hours north of Vancouver – did not suffer the impacts of flooding this fall.

Many people on The Coast did, however, and a lot of them have had their lives absolutely turned upside by the devastating impacts of these mighty atmospheric rivers.

Rebuilding homes, lives, and sections of highway will take time and cost the province billions of dollars.

My heart aches intensely for all those whose words have been rocked by the flooding.

Having lost a home once myself (to fire, not flooding, however), I can relate at least in part to the living nightmare that is having your house (or business, etc) and belongings taken from you in the blink of an eye and the often lengthy journey to piece your world together again that ensues.

The severity of this flooding really is profound. It brought Prime Minister Justin Trudeau all the way from Ottawa to BC in November, has had the armed forces helping with the situation, and will take a long time for the province to even remotely begin to recover from.

Whereas once, decades ago, my family and many of our relatives lived on The Coast, these days far fewer do. And, thus far, thankfully, those that remain in the area have not lost their homes or had to evacuate due to rising floodwaters.

At the time that the flooding struck though, both my mom and aunt (her only sister) were actually down in the Lower Mainland, helping to nurse my 91-year-old maternal grandma who very recently underwent major surgery.

My aunt, an elementary school teacher, had to return home sooner than my mom due to her job. However, she was met, while trying to do so, with the first day of highway closures and ended up staying in the town of Hope for a few days until a route briefly opened up that she could return home via.

My mom was closer to Vancouver itself, at my grandma’s house, and ended up staying there longer than she had planned due to the road closures. Eventually, she too was able to avail of a brief road closure on one highway north.

Had the closures stretched on much longer, she was planning to drive down through the northernmost parts of Washington state and come back into BC at one of the border crossings located in the Southern Okanagan Valley.

Thankfully, things did not come to that for either my mom or my aunt.

Some folks who were stranded and needed to get home to other parts of BC (or elsewhere in the country) did so though, with others still flying, when possible, out of the impacted areas of the province.

I am both happy and very grateful to say that not only is my grandma recovering well, but also that my mom and aunt both made it home safely in the end.

This year took a massive toll on a lot of people around the world.

BC’s floods and the destruction they caused (much like that of the summer’s brutal wildfires) are incredibly tragic, but far from the only major disasters to rock the planet in 2021.

Already weary from the heartbreak and life-altering changes that filled 2020, we were a battle-hardened lot as everything from the lava spuing Cumbre Vieja volcano in Spain to poor Haiti once again being hit hard by earthquakes came at the planet throughout the past twelve months.

These hard, uncertain times – complete with a pandemic that, due in no small part to fresh new variants, shows no sign of abating in the near future – are shaping and impacting a lot of us in ways both big and small.

We are eager to put 2021 to bed, yet also, rightfully, harbour trepidations about what the coming year may hold in store.

This is true for me/us at both a global level and in terms of our day-to-day life.

The very serious, life-altering and still undiagnosed health problems that I have been battling for over a year now can scarcely be called “new” anymore. Though in relation to my other chronic medical conditions, many of which have been present for two decades now, they could still be viewed as such.

The fight for answers and treatments regarding these “new” issues continues unrelentingly around the clock on my end.

My health greatly impacted and altered this year for me.

It caused certain important plans and goals to (hopefully just temporarily) be put on hold, including my long-standing dream of launching an ASMR YouTube channel, which I am more committed than ever to making happen ASAP (as soon as doing so is physically possible for me).

These issues also saw me all but ghost my own Instagram account at times (which I am anything but happy about), took – and is still taking – a serious toll on my mental health, and continues to be a major battle around the clock.

Yet, I know that things could be worse. So much worse. Both personally and, rough as 2021 was, globally as well.

In a lot of ways, we have been profoundly fortunate this year.

Even with medical challenges (mine, Tony’s, those of some relatives), a touch-and-go wildfire season, the ongoing pandemic, and many other not-insignificant struggles that impacted mine and Tony’s life, we made it this far into 2021.

And if you are reading this, so did you.

That is no small feat. Nor is it something that any of us can take for granted.

I have my concerns about 2022. I know there will be challenges both new and ongoing, and that it will likely be another year that unfolds quite differently from how I would ideally want it to play out.

I’m not knocking it yet though, of course. I will let 2022 blossom in its own time, seeking and giving thanks in the process for the positives that come our way next year.

As have come to do each season since launching this quarterly post series, throughout the fall I tucked away an array of online posts and articles that resonated with me in one way or another.

So without further ado – but with unceasing hope that 2022 will be a kinder year to our planet and all who call it home – let’s dive into that selection of links.

–A Haunting Photo Collection of Famous People’s Death Masks, 1300-1950: Once, particularly in the era before photography came into being, a somewhat common practice in certain parts of the world (especially amongst those of the upper classes), death masks are no created with the same frequency they were in centuries past.

Though this tradition has not completed vanished, it has waned in popularity a great deal. Yet there is something absolutely incredible about death masks that, I think, makes it hard for us as a collective whole to abandon the art entirely.

These castings of a deceased person’s face often captures a greater sense in 3D form of how an individual looks/looked than most 2D art forms ever could.

If, like me, you find these types of masks fascinating, then you will likely enjoy this image filled roundup of famous people’s death masks from across the centuries.

–Beverly Cleary Wrote the Stories Kids Wanted To Read About: Relatively rare is the North American youngster who grew up at any point over the past few decades without reading – or being read – at least one of beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary’s books.

Her popularity far exceeded this continent, however, spreading globally and impacting, influencing, and entertaining countless youngsters throughout the years.

To date, more than 91 million copies of her books have been sold globally. That is a staggering number for any author, let alone (pre-Harry Potter at least) one whose work was geared at children and teens.

Sadly, the world lost Mrs. Clearly in March of this year. She passed away at the venerable age of 104 years old.

Many pieces were, understandably, written about Beverly Cleary’s work and life in the aftermath of her death.

This one, which delves into her life, career, and the inspiration behind some of her most beloved stories stood out for me in particular.

Whether you’ve read any of Cleary’s stories or not, it is a captivating, enjoyable look at an author whose work is likely to keep enriching the lives of youngsters for many more generations to come.

–Fifty Dog Quotes That Every Animal Lover Will Relate To: As both a lover of dogs and a proud dog mama to Annie, our nearly nine-year-old Bullador (half Lab, half American Bulldog), I couldn’t help but smile and experience plenty of the “feels’, as they say, while reading through this heartwarmingly lovely selection of dog quotes.

–Grandma’s Vintage Desserts: There are so many wonderful recipes – as well as plenty of fascinating culinary history – on this website that instead of singling out and featuring just one here, I’m sharing Grandma’s Vintage Desserts as a whole.

Helmed by a passionate chap named Don, this delightful website is chock-a-block with the kinds of classic, endearing, and hugely adored sweet treats that many of us grew up with.

These recipes aren’t about the latest fads or most cutting-edge cooking techniques. They are honest, downhome, salt of the earth (or would that be sugar of the earth?) culinary creations that have been made and savoured for generations.

Be it during the holiday season or at any point in the year, if you are on the hunt for an ever-expanding selection of wonderful vintage and timeless recipes “just like grandma used to make” then this site is a must-visit + bookmark (or pin).

–How The Iconic Late Night TV Personality of Elvira Came to Be: Lily Munster and Morticia Addam are indisputably two of the most famous and beloved darkly inclined ladies. However, they’re both fictional characters portrayed on screen my talented Hollywood actresses.

Another spookily souled woman who has been delighting us for decades now is Elvira – aka, The Mistress of Dark.

Unlike Morticia and Lily, Elvira, while still a persona in part, is real. If you have ever wanted to know more about her origin story, then this wonderfully engaging look at how Elvira rose to – and has long maintained her – fame is just the ticket.

–Scientists Discover an Adorable New Species of Brown Frog: Brace yourself for some serious cuteness when you click through this link, as you are about to meet the precious little Chocolate Frog (most likely) for the first time.

This darling amphibian was found in some of the roughest terrain of New Guinea, where it is believed to exist endemically.

I adore learning about newly discovered species and continually marvel at the fact that for all of our global exploration and 21^st century scientific knowledge, there are still critters out that have yet to be documented by humans.

–Some Haunted Trees in the United States: You didn’t think I would let the season that houses Halloween wrap up without at least one ghost related link appearing here, did you?

Whether you are the biggest skeptic of spectres to ever live, have your own ghost hunting gear at the ready, or fall anywhere in between, this engaging post about some of America’s most legendary haunted trees makes for a fascinating read that might just have you looking at the oldest trees in your own neck of the woods a little differently from now on.

Celebrating both the chill and warmth of wintertime

We could likely sit here until the next Fall Equinox debating which season is cozier, autumn or winter?

Honestly, it’s a two-way tie for me. As I suspect it is a good many others as well.

Fall is my favourite season. The slice of the year that delivers us from summer’s parching heat, yet keeps the wolves of winter at bay for (if we’re lucky) at least a few weeks.

Winter is wildly cozy, too, however. Its comfort stretches back into the furthest ethers of time, resides in tradition and nostalgia, and invites us to slow down and embrace the serenity that comes from tumbling snow and the stillness it imparts to the slumbering natural world.

Throughout my life, I have gone back and forth regarding what season takes home the silver medal in my books. Each has held that spot at times, though summer and winter are usually the two that vie most fiercely for second place.

This year, as has often been the case, winter wins out. I need its tranquillity, the productivity that cool days spent indoors delivers, and the merriment of Yule, Christmas, and New Year’s – to say nothing of Valentine’s Day (or as I like to celebrate it, Valoween) a few weeks later.

Winter and I jive. Even during those years when I have experienced SAD, I love winter no less.

My witchy, gothy soul embraces the year’s dark heart. Which, really, is not all that dark in many respects.

Show me another season where we light as many candles and fires or hang up as many strings of twinkling lights both indoors and out?

Humans are astonishingly resilient creatures. Both prior to, and in the years since, electric lighting came into our lives, we stood our ground against even the most powerful of arctic gales via the use of flames.

As though the warmth we generated could melt, if only symbolically, some of winter’s intense chill.

This tradition continues to the present day. It is the heat generated on stoves and in fireplaces, the joys of classic comfort food that invite us to linger in the warmth of good company and wonderful conversation around the table.

It is each simple tealight and heady seasonal candle we watch slowing burn down. Scents of everything from pine to cinnamon to cranberries gloriously filling our indoor environments.

In the glistening of a menorah’s nightly lighting, the multi-coloured bulbs nestled between the needles of Christmas trees, and even the fireworks of New Year’s Eve, we ensure that light is never far from our lives throughout the winter months.

The experiences these activities bring generates treasured memories and helps to remind us that even the chilliest January night can only last so long.

Winter is not the enemy though in my books. It is an ally to my creative process, my spiritual path, and the holidays I embrace annually. Just as it is for countless others around the globe.

Sure, by early March, I will practically be begging for summer, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be a touch blue to see winter go.

We are old friends at this point. A Canadian born and raised lass and a season that frequently consumes this nation for five, six, or even seven pages of the calendar.

Tomorrow, as winter officially returns, I will smile and give thanks for the ever-turning Wheel of the Year and for the beautiful serenity this season houses.

To say nothing of the holiday time joys that we are presently enmeshed in.

Much like its predecessor, 2021 was an intensely challenging year for many of us – be it personally, globally or both.

It is impossible to know with any certainty what this winter (or summer, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere) will bring in terms of the pandemic, climate change, and myriad other things.

But what we can, as a general rule, count on is the familiarity of winter. From its icy bite to its festive feasts, its sweatshirt grey skies and the promise of sun-kissed new life that lays beyond its snowy borders.

May this winter find and keep you well, safe, and, in all ways possible, wonderfully warm and happy.

What were some of the standout elements of this autumn for you? What aspects of winter are you most looking forward to?

The post Fall 2021 Edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Earlier in the year we took a gander at Valoween, Springoween, and Summerween.

Today, with a mere half a month of December left, it is high time we explore the subject of Spooky Christmas (aka Creepmas).

We will be doing so both through the following paragraphs on the subject and via a festively adorable ghost themed Christmas card that I recently made.

Read on to learn more about Creepmas, as well as how to replicate this charming haunted Christmas tree card yourself.

What is Creepmas?

Creepmas is taking the Christmas season and applying a dark, Halloween-inspired spin to your décor, attire, menus, gift wrapping, holiday cards – you name it!

Objectively, there need not even be a straight-up Halloween element to Creepmas. The key element is to inject spooky, scary, and/or macabre qualities into the Christmas season.

They can be gothic, Halloween related, horror/slasher genre inspired, shift the focus from Santa Claus to Krampus, or focus on any other more eerily influenced spin on Christmastime.

Creepmas is not the only name for spooky Christmas. Indeed, the term “Spooky Christmas” itself is one of Creepmas’ alternative names.

Others that I have seen over the years include Cryptmas, Dark Christmas, Spookmas, Ghoulmas, Hexmas, and Gothmas (though the latter would, objectively, apply more so to those who identify as goths or deeply appreciate and understand the gothic subculture and its aesthetic).

I am particularily fond of the name Cryptmas myself.

(It should be noted that with the meteoric rise in the popularity of cryptocurrency, I have started seeing some products on Etsy – such as this Merry Cryptmas Sweatshirt that put a cryptocurrency spin on Christmas images. So this term now means at least two different things.)

Of all the holidays and non-fall seasons that have had a spooky, Halloween-influenced twist put on them, perhaps none has yet to top Creepmas in terms of its growing popularity.

Nor, in turn, the number of spooky Christmas-themed products that are hitting the markets these days. Particularly amongst indie sellers and smaller-sized companies (though some of the bigger alternative brands are getting in on the festive fun, too).

This makes a lot of sense for multiple reasons.

First and foremost, save for American Thanksgiving in the US, many of us do not celebrate any major holidays between Halloween/Samhain and Christmas (or Yule).

For those who are card carrying members of team #MakeHalloween365, this means come Yule and/or Christmas, we are often missing our beloved Halloween/Samhain something fierce already.

So, we figure, why not carry the dark, spooky elements that we cherish about October 31^st over to our December holiday season!

(The haunted Christmas tree card featured in this post is my #MakeHalloween365 project for this month.)

Another reason is that, much like Halloween, Christmas is a very popular and commonly observed holiday – be it religiously or secularly.

Depending on the faith and/or culture we were raised in, we may have grown up celebrating December 25th. And as a result, we tend to have a bevy of memories, traditions, and festive happenings surrounding the Christmas season that we adore and would like to put a Halloweeny stamp on.

Or, in some cases, perhaps it is the very adding of darker and more macabre elements that make Christmastime considerably more appealing to us in the first place.

In addition, while the Winter Solstice does officially usher in the more light-filled half of the year, in most corners of the Northern Hemisphere, we are not going to start getting a sense of those longer hours of daylight for at least several more weeks.

Christmas, early and mid-winter (and even late winter in some respects) can be extremely dark, cold times that have a certain ingrained air of mystery and even spookiness to them.

A point which many people in generations past – and some folks to this day – embraced with the classic tradition of telling Christmas ghost stories.

I suspect the fact that many Halloween lovers adore decorating and collecting (and/or making) items pertaining to All Hallows’ Eve spills over into the other holidays that we observe.

For as far back as I can recall, I have loved decorating for and celebrating holidays, birthdays, and all manner of special events.

Once I got old enough to start putting a spooky spin on things beyond the Halloween season itself – and even more so after I learned that others were doing the same thing – there was no looking back for me.

I enjoy and appreciate a wide range of holiday decor aesthetics, including many that differ significantly from my own.

At the end of the day though, my most beloved Christmas season aesthetic is one the combines a dark Victorian look with elements of both Halloween and my passion for taphophilia (so hence, no doubt, why I’m particularly fond of the term “Cryptmas” ).

If you feel the Creepmas spirit beckoning you, I wholeheartedly encourage you to find the dark/Halloweeny December holiday season aesthetic that appeals most to you at the moment.

You are, of course, not locked into that style for life and can switch things up anytime, if you so desire.

How to achieve a spooky Christmas look

If you’re keen to get in the Creepmas spirit, there are seemingly endless ways to do so.

Select a decidedly spooky/dark/gothic colour palette (or go eclectic and use a range of colours) such as any of the following colour combinations:

-Black, white, and grey

-Black, grey (and/or white), and purple

-Black, white (and/or grey) and red or burgundy

-Dark brown, pine green, and aged gold or brass

-Lime green, white and/or grey, and black

-Cream or ivory, white, and silver (this combo tends to have an especially delightful ghostly air to it)

-Black, pine green, and burgundy

-Charcoal grey, navy blue, and silver

-White, orange, and yellow (aka, candy corn colours)

-White, black, and orange

-Black or dark grey partnered with assorted aged metals

-Cream, dark red or burgundy, and black or dark brown

-Black or dark grey, dusty rose, and burgundy

-A timeless Christmas palette of red, white and green interspersed with some hits of black

Next, decide if you want to go all out or keep your Creepmas décor to a select area or two of your house.

Naturally, if you do not have many (or any) decorations that fit the Creepmas/Gothmas aesthetic right now, you do need to break the bank and rush out to purchase a bunch.

You can start small. Look through your current winter holiday décor as well as your Halloween decorations, plus your house in general. Are there pieces that can lend a spooky/mysterious quality to your Christmas décor?

Are there any Christmas items that you could paint (acrylic, spray paint, etc), re-cover, decoupage, or otherwise give a gothy makeover to?

Doing things as simple as using a black table runner and chargers or placements and black candles on your festive table or baking some skeleton gingerbread cookies can be terrific ways to begin injecting more of the Creepmas looking into your seasonal happenings.

If you are in the market for a new artificial Christmas tree, consider picking up one in black, white, silver, orange, or red. The darkest of dark green shades can work splendidly as well.

You can then DIY Your Creepmas Tree as the wonderfully talented Amber from The Dahlia Crypt has done.

And transform some run-of-the-mill dollar store Christmas decorations into gloriously spooky Creepmas versions care of this terrific video from The Gothic Homemaker (aka, Aurelio Voltaire – whose music, YouTube channel, and myriad other contributions to the goth community I have been an ardent fan of for many years).

You could also make some cheesecloth ghosts to tuck between garland, tinsel, or other festive décor around your house.

Hang black or grey stockings, read A Christmas Carol in front of the fire, cut snowflakes out of black cardstock or tissue paper and hang them around your home, or decorate, paint, or carve faux pumpkins with Christmas images such as bells, a Christmas tree, snowmen, candy canes, or Santa Claus.

Why not pick up a Creepmas sweater/sweatshirt/t-shirt or two (Etsy has an ever-growing selection of such garments and the offerings over on Dolls Kill are awesome, too), watch scary Christmas movies, deep dive into Spooky Little Halloween’s fantastic array of Spooky Christmas posts, top your tree with a black bat decoration, visit r/Creepmas over on Reddit, or put black Santa hats on some of your favourite Halloween décor?

Have fun with Creepmas/Cryptmas/Gothmas. Let your imagination run wild, build up your spooky festive décor collection a little more each year, make or purchase some Creepmas holiday greeting cards, and revel in the enjoyment that comes from merging elements of Halloween with December 25^th.

And if you are looking for even more Creepmas ideas and inspiration, pop on over to my Creepmas / Cryptmas Pinterest board.

Seasonal sentiments to use on spooky Christmas cards, other crafts, home décor projects, etc

The following is a selection of Creepmas, Cryptmas, Gothmas, and Spooky Christmas sentiments that I have compiled. They work splendidly for all manner of festive cards crafts, home decr projects and so forth.

-‘Tis the season to be spooky

-Scary Christmas / Creepmas / Gothmas / etc

-It’s beginning to look a lot like Cryptmas / Creepmas / Gothmas / etc

-All is merry and fright

-Merry or Happy Creepmas / Happy Cryptmas / Happy Gothmas / Happy Spooky Christmas

-Season’s creepings

-Happy skulladays

-We witch you a merry Christmas / Happy Holidays / Creepmas / Gothmas / etc and a Happy New Year

-I’m dying to spend the holidays with you (you could partner this sentiment with an image of a ghost, the Addams Family, the grim reaper, tombstones, or your favourite horror movie character, for example)

-All I want for Christmas (or Creepmas, etc) is you

-Have a creepy Gothmas / Cryptmas / etc

-Have a spooky Gothmas / Cryptmas / etc

-It’s batty how much I love Christmas / Cryptmas / Creepmas / Gothmas / etc

-Hail Santa

-Boo and happy holidays!

-I’m screaming of a white Christmas

-Here comes Santa Claws (you could partner it with an image of a cat or Krampus, for example)

-Slay bells ring

-Happy ten months and five (or six, depending on if you count down from December 25^th or 26^th) days until Halloween

-He knows when you are sleeping (from the Christmas song Santa Claus is Coming to Town – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus_Is_Comin%27_to_Town)

-Have yourself a spooky little Christmas / Cryptmas / Creepmas / etc

-On the thirteenth day of Creepmas / Cryptmas / Gothmas / etc

-Happy holidays from our crypt to yours!

-Time spread the holiday spirit (combined with an image of one or more ghosts)

Naturally, there are others that could easily fit the bill as well. Turning to lyrics from classic Christmas songs and poetry, as some of the examples above have done, can be a great place to find lines that could easily be made festively spooky by changing some of their words.

Note: Should you wish to use a Creepmas (etc) sentiments that pertain directly to death, please be mindful of any losses the receiptent may have experienced this year. As well as how people are presently doing in the face of the ongoing global pandemic that we are all collectively battling.

If you think that someone might be offended, saddened, or otherwise hurt by death-related wording, be considerate of this point and refrain from using such language.

Gothic haunted Christmas Tree Card

While there are Tim Burton-esque elements to this card – chiefly the black and white striped paper (very Jack Skellington!) and overall spooky theme – I wasn’t per se channelling this source of inspiration.

Not, mind you, that I take any issue with it being there. Far from it! Like many a Halloween fan, I have a great fondness for Mr. Burton and his work – very much including the Nightmare Before Christmas.

This was one of those card designs that just popped into my head as I sat down to craft recently and I knew that I had to bring it to reality immediately.

I had picked up a roll of white “fall snow” design tulle at Dollar Tree back around the start of October and was itching to craft with it.

(You can purchase a very similar looking white snowflake tulle on Amazon. The quanitiy provided there is a fair bit bigger than my roll from the dollar store.)

That tulle appears twice on this card, along with some festive shimmer via the red glitter cardstock, silver metallic cardstock, glossy black cardstock, and the silver tinsel trim on the Christmas tree.

Not to mention the hits of sparkle coming from the fun shaker mix that I composed out of red and black sequins, clear sequins/gems, white and black ghost-shaped sequins, and red and white polymer clay peppermint candy shapes.

The only patterned paper here is a black and white striped piece behind the shaker window, as I wanted to keep the emphasis more on the colour palette and haunted Christmas theme than on multiple different patterns of paper.

If you do not have, or as an alternative to, black and white striped paper, a black or grey snowflake print paper would likely look marvellous here as well.

I have been champing at the bit to share a Creepmas card with all of you and am delighted that I got a chance to do just that here this month.

Should you wish to replicate my sweetly spooky Christmas card, be sure to check out the list of materials used and the detailed step-by-step instructions that follow below.

Products used to make this elegant red and black gothic Christmas card

-Black cardstock

-Glossy black cardstock – Glossy Black Mirror Card from Tonic Studios

-Silver foil or metallic cardstock – Silver Foil Cardstock from Recollections

-Red glitter cardstock – Premium Glittersilk Cardstock from Darice

-Black and white striped paper – Halloween Party Bone Chilling paper from Echo Park

-Clear acetate

-Christmas tree die set with tree, tree stand, bow, and star dies (or assorted dies to create a similar-looking Christmas tree)

-Holly leaf/winter greenery oval frame die (I have had this one in my stash for a few years. You can currently get a similar looking holly oval frame die from Simon Says Stamp)

-Elegant decorative edge scissors – Victorian Paper Edgers from Fiskars

-Black pigment ink pad (or really, just about any black ink pad that works well for inking paper edges)

-Small clear sequins or gems – 3mm Sparkling Clear Sequins from Pretty Pink Posh

-Red sequins

-Black shimmery sequins

-White and black ghost-shaped sequins (check sites such as eBay, Etsy, and AliExpress for ghost sequins)

-Red and white polymer clay peppermint candy shaped pieces (available from various sellers on the aforementioned websites, including Etsy seller Diystencilca)

-White “falling snow” tulle (Crafter’s Square brand from Dollar Tree)

-Red and white micro pompom trim – Handmade Floral Embellishments #500153 Ribbons from Prima Marketing

-Silver tinsel trim – Designer Tinsel Trim from Webster’s Pages

-Black seam binding

-Black pleated ribbon trim

-Glue gun and glue sticks (optional, but especially handy for gluing the seam binding bow in place)

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make a gothic haunted Christmas tree card

Begin by making a card base from plain black (or charcoal grey) cardstock.

Cut a piece of white falling snowflake print tulle slightly smaller than your card base. Adhere.

Use decorative edge scissors to cut out a piece of red glitter card that is slightly smaller than the piece of white tulle. Adhere.

Cut a piece of black and white striped paper a little smaller than the piece of red glitter cardstock. Ink all four edges lightly with black ink.

Next, die cut a festive holly greenery oval frame in the center of the striped paper.

Die cut the same frame itself from red cardstock. Gingerly align the red frame so that it sits flush in the frame aperture that you die cut from striped paper.

Die cut two equal-sized ovals of clear acetate (or another suitable lightweight, flexible clear plastic material).

Create a festively spooky shaker mix using a blend of red, black, and clear (or white) sequins and/or small gems, white and/or black ghost-shaped sequins (bats would also be fantastic here!), as well as some polymer clay red and white peppermint candies and/or candy canes.

Sandwich the sequins mix between the two pieces of clear acetate and adhere their edges together.

Place this oval sandwich of shaker card goodness into the oval aperture of the holly greenery frame. You may want to use foam dots, pop dots, or a similar raised adhesive to give your shaker card an even greater sense of depth (that’s what I did here).

Back the aperture (open area of the frame design) with a piece of the same white falling snowflake tulle. Adhere.

Then adhere the frame layers, with the shaker portion, to the base layers of the card, making sure that the last layer behind the clear oval is the white snowflake tulle.

Next, die cut a Christmas tree shape from glossy black cardstock (you could also use black glitter cardstock or plain black cardstock instead). Die cut a small star and the Christmas tree stand both from silver metallic cardstock (or grey cardstock).

Assemble the tree, top it with the star and put the tree trunk in the tree stand.

Die cut three small red glitter cardstock bows (or use small bow-shaped cabochons or tiny bows made from real ribbon) and pick out five white ghost sequin pieces. Adhere the red bows and white sequin ghosts to the Christmas tree as shown.

Wrap a small length of silver tinsel trim around the tree, adhere it on the backside of the tree.

Adhere the fully decorated tree to in the center of the clear shaker window oval.

Make a multi-layer bow out of either plain or pre-scrunched (used here) black seam binding. Adhere above the shaker window.

Lastly, cut a piece of red and white micro pompom trim and a piece of pleated black ribbon and adhere them below the shaker window, as shown.

And there you have it, boos and ghouls, one delightfully cute + spooky haunted Christmas tree card that you can either keep and use as Creepmas décor yourself or give to a fellow Cryptmas/Gothmas adoring friend or relative.

All is merry and fright (for some of us at least )

Often, we have our sights firmly planted on the fresh new year that lies tantalizingly close to us throughout December and, as a result, all but forget that the present year will soon pass away.

Into the ethers of time and history it will slip, never to be repeated, unlikely to soon be forgotten.

Acknowledging and even celebrating the life and death of a given year is another component that one can readily tie into a Creepmas celebration.

The handoff between one year and the next is a powerfully liminal time.

As December winds down, I embrace Yule, and celebrate Christmas with loved ones. I lean into that liminal aspect of early winter both in my witchcraft and in terms of how I process, make peace with, and choose to honour the outgoing year.

As the only year-round spooky soul in my family, I am especially grateful for the community of Halloween lovers around the world who join me in embracing a dark, gothy Christmas time aesthetic.

Even if you do not feel pulled towards this style yourself, I hope that you enjoyed learning more about it here.

After all, it can be a lot of fun to see and be inspired by a wide range of different Christmas décor styles.

Year after year, I most certainly am and I delight in finding ways to interpret them in a fa-boo-lously festive Cryptmas manner.

Do you enjoy the Creepmas/Gothmas look? What is your current favourite type of holiday season aesthetic?

The post Gothic Haunted Christmas Tree Shaker Card + What is Creepmas/Cryptmas? appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

A dusting of snow, like the most ethereal of glitter, elegantly wafted to the ground. It did not stick around for long, but its presence let all and sundry know that fall’s death knell had rung out across the land.

By mid-November, multiple inches were accumulating. For a while a few gentle reminders of autumn managed to hang on a wee bit longer. True to form for this area (and much of the country, for that matter) though, winter had in fact arrived more than a month before its official start date.

In the Western Hemisphere, that date (the Winter Solstice) falls on Wednesday December 21^st this year.

The Winter Solstice houses the shortest day and longest night of the entire year (these two appear in the reverse order on the Summer Solstice).

For many who opt to follow the Wheel of the Year, the Winter Solstice ushers in not only the beginning of winter itself, but also the Pagan sabbat of Yule.

I would venture to say that, particularly in contemporary times, no other sabbat is more familiar to the broader public sphere than that of Yule.

The words “Yule” and “Yuletide” are to this day still often used somewhat interchangeably with “the holiday season” and “Christmas” – as well as being another name for the Winter Solstice itself.

Case in point, we hear Yule sung about in numerous Christmas songs.

For example, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, in which appears the line, “We wish you the merriest, the merriest, the merriest Yule cheer.”

There is also “Cool Yule” (Louis Armstrong’s version is my personal fave), Deck the Halls (with its classic line, “troll the ancient yuletide carol”), and Cool Yule, to name but three more.

Last year we got in the festive Yule spirit – and put our craft rooms to especially good use – with a roundup of 50 Awesome DIY Yule Decorations and Craft Ideas You Can Make For the Winter Solstice.

This time around, I thought it would be a great idea to help celebrate Yule by putting it at the heart of the latest edition in Witchcrafted Life’s Free and Low-Cost Ways to Celebrate the Pagan sabbats series.

If you are new to this series or haven’t had a chance to check out the other entries that have appeared as part of it so far, you can do so via the following three links.

–10 Free and Low-Cost Ways to Celebrate Imbolc (post written for the site The Witch of Lupine Hollow, when I was a content contributor there)

–10 Free and Low-Cost Ways to Celebrate Ostara

–15 Free and Low-Cost Ways to Celebrate Mabon

Before we hop straight into our meaningful selection of 12 Free and Low-Cost Ways to Celebrate Yule and the Winter Holiday Season, let’s take a moment to explore the history and significance of Yule itself.

A brief history of Yule

There is something cozy and beautifully timeless about the word Yule. Just as there is regarding the thoughts, memories, and imagery that Yule conjures up for many of people.

Yule does not have as many alternative names as some of the other Pagan sabbats that comprise The Wheel of the Year. That said, it is also known in English by such titles as Yulefest, Yuletide, Yule Time, and Yule Season.

The word Yule itself is a modern take on a handful of similar Old English words, including ġēol (which covered the traditional 12-day festival of Yule) and ġēoli, which indicated the month of Yule.

These words are thought to have even older etymological roots that stretch back to languages such as Old German, Old Norse, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Faroese, as well, possibly, as Old French.

Interestingly, the pedigree of the word Yule is not completely agreed upon and remains a point of interest and friendly debate amongst scholars and linguists alike.

The festival of Yule or the broader season of Yuletide is one that was historically observed by the Germanic peoples, including the Norse.

Yule is thought to trace its roots back to the concept of The Wild Hunt and to the powerful Norse god named Odin.

This god was, and still is for some, known by many different names, including Jólnir. This name translates to “the Yule one” in English.

As well, some of Yule’s roots are most likely planted in the Anglo-Saxon Pagan celebration known as Modranicht (an Old English word that translates to “Night of the Mother’s or “Mother’s Night”). This annual December event was held on or around December 24^th, the day we now assign to Christmas Eve.

Traditionally, Yule was an indigenous winter festival that was observed by a wide range of Germanic peoples. Early Yule celebrations transpired between mid-November and early January.

Even though Yule was subjected to Christianization, which attempted to sway it away from its Pagan roots, many older traditions refused to die out.

Some were revamped, but others appear to have remained fairly true to their pre-Christian origins. For example, the burning of Yule logs, as well as classic Yule goats and Yule boars, plus Yuletime singing.

Written records pertaining to Yule are known to exist dating back to at least the 4^th century CE.

Yule is also discussed in some of the classic Norse Sagas, including the Saga of Hakon the Good (in which is it stated that Yule was traditionally celebrated for three nights from Midwinter – aka, the Winter Solstice – onward).

As with a great deal of the past, the precise origins and elements that comprised early Yule celebrations may never be known in their entirety these days.

What is broadly accepted, however, is that Yule celebrations likely centered on the general time period of Midwinter (again, the Winter Solstice), included feasting and drinking, marked the return of days that would once again start to grow longer, and may have involved various forms of religious activities, such as sacrifice and ancestor veneration – plus that ongoingly popular and beloved classic, the Yule log.

As with the Summer Solstice and both the Spring and Fall Equinoxes, Winter Solstice celebrations were by no means confined to those of Central and Northern Europe.

Early peoples from around the world had long celebrated, honoured, and rejoiced in the shifting of the seasons, as well as the tilting of the earth’s axis that brings about the return of (literal) brighter days.

For example, the ancient Egyptians honoured the return of their sun god, Ra, in December and the same month would play host to the ancient Roman’s well-known celebration of Saturnalia. This revelry and merriment-filled event, which began around December 17^th, lasted for a week and honoured the god Saturn.

The name Midwinter itself is quite interesting, as – just as with Litha/the Summer Solstice’s alternative name, Midsummer – it speaks of a calendar and rhythm to the seasons that is not per se in direct keeping with our current mainstream versions.

Instead, the word Midwinter tells us at that for certain earlier communities, the third week of December (or the general Yule period itself) was not seen as the start of winter, but rather its midway point.

Some people still strive to live in step with these earlier seasonal lines, which add more weight to Imbolc (at the start of February) being viewed as the unofficial start of spring.

This short overview of the history of Yule barely scratches the holly and ivy-covered surface of this ancient wintertime festival. I hope, however, that you found it informative and interesting all the same.

If you are keen to learn more about the history, customs, folklore, and traditions of Yule, I highly suggest checking out the entries listed in my post Your Ultimate Guide to Books About the Pagan Sabbats. This roundup includes numerous titles that either focus solely on Yule or contain a wealth of knowledge about Midwinter.

Some themes and meanings of Yule

For both the ancients and many individuals to this day, Yule is a time to celebrate light and life.

The second half of December might not win any awards for the sunniest or warmest half of the year (north of the equator), but the Winter Solstice does mark the return of longer minutes of precious daily sunlight and that is well worth celebrating.

Hearty, resilient plants such as evergreens, birch, yew, oak, holly, ivy, and mistletoe (many of which have strong connections to the Celts of yore) help us to feel all the more connected to Mother Nature as darkness and frigid temperatures envelop our world.

These plants are amongst those that often manage to hold on and keep growing – or at least not wither and die off for the season entirely – during late fall and early winter. The depth of their verdant hues coupled with their festive connotations make them beloved classics for Pagans/witches and non-Pagans/witches alike.

Honouring light and welcoming longer days (even if we have to wait several more weeks still to really get a sense of this shift towards lengthier periods of daily sunlight) is an integral part of many peoples’ Yule celebration.

Candles, artificial light sources, and warming fires can all help to honour the sun and the invaluable role it has in sustaining life on this planet.

In much the same vein, we warm our bellies and spirits alike by turning to comforting, hearty foods during Yuletide.

Beloved favourites such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, cardamon, citrus fruits, baked goods of all kinds, root vegetables, a wide array of roasted dishes, sweets, punches, wine, ale, and eggnog are just some of the classic foods that are frequently enjoyed during Yule.

Just as they are for many during the Christmas and New Year season.

For those who follow certain Neopaganism traditions/paths, the archetypical legend of the age-old battle between the Oak King and the Holly King (each of whom is viewed in some traditions as being duel aspects of the male Horned God) is another cornerstone of Yule time celebrations.

Come Midwinter, the Oak King once again bests the Holly King and takes his rightful place on the throne from Yule until Litha/Midsummer. When, at that time, the two duke it out once more. Only that time around, it is the Holly King that comes out victorious for the summer and autumn-filled half of the year.

However, some belief systems see the two winners reversed, thus the Holly King rule supreme from the Winter Solstice onward to Litha.

Either way, these legends/beliefs help to remind us of the cyclical and ever-repeating nature of the seasons. They speak of ancient times when deities were often nature-based and the shifting of the seasons held a powerful magick to it that had not yet been demystified by a greater scientific understanding of the natural world.

In addition to representing the light and dark halves of the year, as well as that of the universe itself – to say nothing of things such as human nature and magickal workings.

It is not uncommon to see representations of either the Oak King or the Holly King appear in winter holiday season art and décor.

When we encounter depictions of the Holly King, he is often portrayed as proto-Santa Claus of sorts. A jolly, bearded fellow who may be wearing flowing robes and earthy, woodland-worthy hues. At times, he is also pictured with a group of eight stags – not unlike St. Nick and his famous team of reindeer.

His sparring partner, the Oak King is more apt to be pictured as the classic Green Man figure, though it is not unheard of for the Oak King to resemble an old-fashion style Kris Kringle as well.

Yule is also when some believe that the Goddess gives birth to the Sun and/or the Sun God. This birth materializes via the end of the darkening half of the year and the start of the lighter, sunnier half.

Midwinter is a time of opposites uniting. We acknowledge and honour both death and life, light and darkness. The past year and the present twelve months that lay beyond the threshold of January 1^st.

Colours associated with Yule overlap, not surprisingly, a good deal with those that have long been linked with Christmastime.

In the colours of Yule, one is greeted with a palette of green, red, burgundy, white, yellow, gold and silver, as well as grey and black.

These represent such things as wintertime itself, snow and ice, the battle between the Holly and Oak Kings, the rebirth of the sun, and the start of the lighter half of the year.

Much as it is for all eight sabbats that comprise The Wheel of the Year, feasting is strongly connected to Yule.

Some Pagans and witches create a Yule meal that shares much in common with a classic Christmas Day feast.

Others may opt for foods that represent their ancestry, their homeland, their particular branch of Paganism/Wicca, or ingredients that pertain to kitchen witchery that they are currently engaged in.

Gathering with loved ones, coziness (not to mention hygge), sharing folklore stories, singing holiday songs, burning Yule logs (or making the edible version of this classic Midwinter tradition), looking ahead to the return of spring, leaving offerings (be it for house spirits, the fae, deities, ancestors, or others), setting up and working with Yule altars, all things candle related, and finding ways to stay warm and well during the winter months are amongst the many different activities that can be enacted at Yule.

I am an ardent believer that you need not break the bank to celebrate Yule – or any holiday, festival, or sabbat or that matter.

After two years of living in a pandemic-filled world – which has also been rocked by countless other tragic events events as well throughout that time – many of us have tightened our purse strings more than ever.

Splashing out for Yule, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, New Year’s, or any other wintertime celebration may not be feasible. (And that is 110% okay!)

Even if we are blessed to have more wiggle room in our budget, we are under no obligation to allocate for the holidays.

The following list of ways to celebrate the Yule season has been handpicked with affordability, spiritual meaning, and enjoyment alike in mind.

12 Free and Low-Cost Ways to Celebrate Yule and the Winter Holiday Season

1. Collect and record your favourite Yule/holiday season recipes: In this day and age, when it often seems like fifteen versions of every recipe under the sun are at our beck and call 24/7 thanks to the internet, it can be easy to accidentally forget just how wonderful it is to collect + use treasured recipes of our own or those belonging to loved ones.

If you are not already doing so, consider using this Yule season as a great opportunity to start recording your favourite and most important holiday recipes (whether they are used as part of your kitchen witchery or not).

You can do so either in analog (handwritten) or digital form. Passionate writer + paper crafter alike that I am, I favour analog recipe record keeping, but readily see the ease and appeal of doing so on the commuter or a phone/tablet app, too.

If you do not currently have many of your family favourites on hand, contact loved ones to ask for recipes that you believe they may have and will be willing to share with you.

Slipping a simple note into your holiday season greeting cards that is tailored to each person you’re requesting recipes from, such as “Growing up, your gingerbread cookies were one of my favourite elements of the holidays. Would it please be possible for you to share the recipe for them with me?” is often all it takes to receive the recipe in question.

In my experience, relatives will frequently include other favourites, too, and/or pass along memories associated with their recipes or of the holiday season in general.

If you have loved ones who might appreciate a copy of this family holiday recipe book, consider making additional copies to give as future Yule/Hanukkah/Christmas/etc presents.  

2. Decorate a Yule tree: Christmas trees are familiar to many people the world over and are a long-standing, beloved December tradition.

This year, why not decorate a Yule tree instead of, or in tandem with, a Christmas tree?

You can adorn your Yule tree however you please, though you may find it especially fitting to work with themes that relate directly to Yule itself.

This includes such things as candles (never have open flames on a tree; keep candles unlit or opt for LED-powered ones instead), suns, moons, stars, snowflakes, cinnamon sticks, dried citrus fruit, cranberries garlands, popcorn garlands, figures that represent the Oak and/or Holly King(s), poinsettias (always be careful when using real poinsettias, however, as they are very poisonous for cats, dogs, and many other animals), pinecones, Yule goat decorations, religious/spiritual symbols, ornaments with runes on them, crystals, and various animal ornaments such as deer, bears, and wintertime birds.

You could also place a miniature Yule tree on your altar or even turn a larger tree into a seasonal altar of its own – after all, there is nothing that says an altar has to be on a flat surface.

3. Go Wassailing at Yule: Wassailing is the precursor to the act of Christmas carolling, with roots stretching back to pre-Christmas times when some early Europen people would walk through their communities and fields around Midwinter singing, chanting, and hollering as a means to chase away any unwanted spirits that might be lurking there.

Over time, wassailing and the later act of carolling both came to involve going door-to-door singing festive songs.

Traditionally, wassailers and carolers would often be invited in to peoples’ homes or otherwise handed a hot beverage to help keep them warm and buoy their energy levels during a busy night of singing around the town or village.

If doing so under these ongoing pandemic times is something you and your fellow singers feel comfortable with, consider gathering a group of friends, coworkers, relatives, coven mates, etc together to go wassailing around a safe, well-lit part of your own town.

Agree upon a selection of anywhere from around forteen to twenty songs beforehand that you will sing during your wassailing session.

For a multitude of reasons, you may wish to stick with nonsecular holiday songs. However, if everyone involved is genuinely comfortable with it, religious entries are certainly okay as well.

You could also consider picking a selection of holiday/Christmas songs that are now in the public domain (and thus free of possible copywrite issues) and altering the words to create more Pagan/witchy/Yule-focused lyrics instead.

And the especially musically or writerly inclined can also create their own original Yuletide songs as well and share those with the group.

I would suggest a dry run or two at home in the days before your designated night of wassailing, to get a sense of how long your list of songs takes to complete, how everyone feels about it, and to make sure your voices will not run hoarse by the end.

Come the big night, go out early enough that most people are still awake (say, between 6 and 8 pm, for example).

Stroll through the neighbourhood close to homes (it is up to you and your group as to if you are comfortable knocking on doors, especially if you are not looking to receive anything in return for your singing) and let your festive notes dot the chilly winter air like musical snowflakes.

And, naturally, you and your group may want to cap off your evening of lyrical merriment by returning home to a warm mug of the drink (also called) wassail, which was traditionally given to wassailers in the UK.

The wonderful cooking blog Yummy Healthy Easy has an alcohol-free wassail recipe that looks thoroughly delicious.

4. Work with stones and crystals for Yule: Many of us work with stones and crystals the whole year through. I am convinced, however, that crystals are sometimes reached for more often during the sunny months.

This winter, celebrate Yule all the more by integrating crystals that are well-suited to the snowy season into your spiritual/magickal practices.

The following is a selection of crystals and stones that are a good fit for Yule:

-Morganite

-Garnet

-Ruby (small, raw ruby pieces and chips are often considerably easier on the wallet than their polished jewelry industry peers)

-Red tiger eye

-Bloodstone

-Dragonstone

-Citrine

-Goldstone (including green goldstone)

-Pyrite

-Emerald

-Aventurine

-Malachite

-Galena

-Snowflake obsidian

-Black onyx

-Obsidian

-Diamond

-Selenite

-White howlite

-Moonstone

-White chalcedony

-Snow quartz

-White calcite

-Clear quartz

Some ways of working with crystals – be they the ones listed above or otherwise – during the Winter Solstice include placing crystals and stones around your Yule altar, peppering them throughout your festive décor, wearing them or carrying them (in a pocket or in a small pouch around your neck, for example) on you during the holidays, creating a Yule crystal grid, charging your crystals in the light of the Yule night moon, presenting gifts of your favourite Yule crystals and stones to fellow crystal fans, working with Yule crystals in some of your spells, and meditating with your Yule crystals during the holiday season.

5. Create your own Yule wrapping paper, gift tags, and/or greeting cards: While it is possible to buy Yule cards from various sources, including Etsy, if you are so inclined, it can be both wonderfully fun and especially meaningful to create your own Yule gift wrap and cards.

I would suggest starting with a versatile material such as brown mailing paper, butcher’s paper, or rolls of blank newsprint for the wrapping paper.

Stamp, hand draw, or paint desired Yule-themed imagery, such as candles, pentacles, pine boughs, holly leaves and berries, poinsettias, suns and moons, Yule logs, yule goats, or snowflakes. Allow images to dry completely before wrapping gifts.

Carry the same types of themes over to things like gift tags and greeting cards as well. In these two cases, you may have the abilitiy to computer generate and print out Yule sentiments and/or images as well, if that option appeals to you.

Consider using an extra special product or two, such as handmade paper, mulberry paper, metallic cardstock, glitter cardstock, velvet ribbon, festively hued baker’s twine, or winter/Yule themed charms to give your handmade paper crafts even more festive season loveliness.

6. Incorporate a Yule log as part of your Midwinter celebration: If you are fortunate to have a wood-burning fireplace, you can likely opt for the real deal.

If that isn’t the case – or in addition to an actual Yule log – consider making or purchasing a Yule log candle holder.

Here is a handy tutorial on How to Make a Yule Log Candle Holder.

If you are more in the mood for some festive sweet treats, then you may want to give Yule Log Cookies, Yule Log Cupcakes, Ice Cream Yule Log, or a classic Yule Log Cake – also known as a Bûche de Noël – a spin.

For those, like me, who cannot have or do not wish to eat gluten for any reason, here is a scrumptious looking Gluten Free Yule Log Cake recipe.

And, if like me as well, you also need to eat Low FODMAP, allow me to present this stellar Low FODMAP Yule Log Cake.

Those who partake in the Paleo diet are apt to swoon up a storm over this beautiful Paleo Yule Log Cake.

For low carb eaters who partake in dessert, this Keto Yule Log Cake is likely to be a big hit.

For those who do not, or cannot, eat animal products, this Vegan Yule Log Cake looks terrific.

And this recipe for Gluten-Free Vegan Yule Log Cake is just the ticket if animal products and gluten are both no-goes in your kitchen.

7. Reflect on what you are grateful for this year: It is safe to say that 2021 has not been a particularly easy or low stress year for a lot of folks (myself included).

We would be here until at least next Yule if I listed all of the global events that made this such a challenging year.

Instead of doing that, let’s take a few heartfelt, peaceful minutes this festive season to stop and give thanks for those positives, whatever their size or scope, that we were fortunate to encounter in 2021.

Find the good that shines like starlight in dark times, count blessings both known and unknown, and make a point of telling those you appreciate just how truly grateful you are for their presence in your life.

8. Get your home ready for the coming year: Either before, during, or just after the Yule season, if possible, take some time to assess your home and what you could do here and now to spruce it up, declutter, or otherwise improve your living space.

Yule, situated as it is on the precipice of a fresh new year is a superb time to tackle organizational, home repair, cleaning, and, weather permitting, yard work jobs.

Give yourself and, if applicable, those who live with you the gift of a cleaner, more organized home as you head into 2022.

I have been doing this for many years now and find that my autumn/early winter cleaning is generally more important (and larger) than my spring one, as I am especially eager to get our nest in the nicest shape possible as we hunker down inside for the new few snow covered months.

9. Make a Yule (or Christmas) kissing ball: While many of us are familiar with holiday season wreaths and springs of mistletoe suspended from ceilings and doorways, the classic Yule or Christmas kissing ball is less well known.

This centuries old tradition involves making a ball shaped decoration from wintertime greenery (real or artificial) and hanging it up in your home or workplace as a symbol of friendship, peace, respect, love, and blessings to all who encounter it.

You can jazz up your Yule kissing ball with other accoutrements, such as ribbons, tiny ornaments, pinecones, nuts in their shells, dried fruit slices, wintertime berries, cinnamon sticks, whole star anises, or candles (keep candles unlit for safety’s sake or use LED candles if you wish to light them).

Check out this great post on the blog A Pumpkin and a Princess for details on how to make your own DIY Christmas Kissing Ball.

And if making a kissing ball from scratch isn’t in the cards, but you are keen to decorate with one this year, check out Christmas tree farms and lots, nurseries, and florist shops for pre-made versions. Or, skip the real greenery and opt for a lovely little ornament, such as this gorgeous Mistletoe Kissing Ball Ornament by Ganz, instead.

10. Do as little work as possible: Tradition holds in some European cultures (particularly amongst the older Germanic and Icelandic peoples) that one is to undertake as little work as possible during Yule.

Instead, the emphasis is to be on family/friends, celebrating the holiday, and the meanings + messages that Yule holds for each of us personally.

If you are a in position to take things easy and not work (be it for a few hours, a day, or longer), give yourself that gift this festive season.

Consider taking a social media or full-on internet break, only responding to the most urgent or important of phone calls and text messages, and unwinding alongside the serenity of winter.

If you cannot step away from your work entirely, is it possible to carve out a couple of quiet hours one day to engage in peaceful activities that bring tranquility and happiness to your heart?

This can be something as low-key as taking a quiet nature walk through a snowy wood, curling up with a warm blanket and watching your favourite holiday season films, or ordering in dinner to spare yourself the work of cooking that evening.

11. Put together a Yule season playlist: Use your favourite music app or create a YouTube playlist of videos featuring songs that hold particular meaning and/or enjoyment for you during the holiday season.

Or write out your selection and use analog forms of music such as records, cassette tapes, and/or CDs to put together a list that you can assemble and play througout Yuletide.

You could opt for all instrumental and/or soft music or chanting songs. This can be especially lovely to listen to while meditating, engaging in ritual or spell work, as a way to help you unwind during the hectic holiday season, or even as a sleep aid when it is time for bed.

Revisit your festive song selection each December, adding or subtracting from it as desired so that you always have a meaningful Yuletide playlist that you adore at the ready.

12. Give freely in the ways that you can this Yule season: So often we associate the words “giving” and “holiday season” with presents that deliver a one-two punch to our bank accounts.

I am not opposed to giving gifts that you pay for, but I also believe that there is a good deal that some of us can give that costs little to nothing in terms of money.

For example, you can offer someone with young kids two evenings (or weekends, if you’re up for it!) of babysitting. You can make and take homemade treats (preserves, jams, breads, muffins, cookies, dried soup mixes, spice blends, pickles, salsas, etc) to neighbours and loved ones – always checking for food allergies, intolerances, dietary requirements and so forth first.

Some other ideas include:

-Walking someone’s dog for a few days

-Offering to housesit for a long weekend

-Teaching someone the basics of a skill you have mastered

-Hosting a clothing and/or home goods swap party

-Doing a holiday baking exchange with a few people

-Volunteering to foster a shelter/rescue pet

-Inquiring at your local community centre or place of worship if there are any jobs they need done during the winter months

-Shovelling snow for your neighbours (especially if they have medical challenges, are elderly, or otherwise unable to do so themselves)

-Making a quilt or blanket to donate to a local homeless shelter or mission

-Creating wintertime birdseed bells for a gardening or birding enthusiast in your life

-Offering to help someone declutter or do simple DIY jobs around their house

-Scanning and digitalizing a loved one’s printed photos

Or simply ask someone you care about what you could do for them that wouldn’t cost much (or anything), but would be a tremendous help.

Trust me, this gesture often means the world to people and can be every bit as helpful and appreciated – if not more so – than the majority of things you could purchase online or in a shop.

And while you’re at it, strive to get children, grandkids, or other little ones in your life involved with the concept of giving gifts that go beyond store-bought items and instead focus more on their own time and abilities.

I wish you the merriest, the merriest, the merriest Yule cheer!

Like many of us, I have quite the mixed bag of December and early January memories. Some great, some awful, some funny, some sad, some joyful, and plenty that are, well, simply what they are!

Along with a fair number – but certainly not all – of my fellow witches and Pagans, I opt to celebrate both Yule and, in a secular sense, Christmas.

Not unlike Samhain and Halloween, I see them as being akin to two sides of the same (icy cold) coin.

One is intimately woven into the fabric of my spiritual path, the other is laced with a lifetime of memories, traditions, cultural references, treasured activities, festive recipes, and delightful holiday season songs.

Okay, come to think of it, my Yule celebration includes all of those things at this point, too.

However, as a solitary witch, I observe Yule solo, whereas Christmas is shared with my (non-Pagan/witchy) husband and other loved ones.

When possible, I strive to celebrate Yule for at least twelve days. Finding meaningful ways to honour, celebrate, and rejoice in the magick and ancient energy of this potent chapter of the year.

Some traditions, particularly amongst the Norse/Heathens, have long viewed the twelve days of Yule as being mini representations for the twelve months of the year.

I adore this concept and find that it resonates deeply with my own Wheel of The Year focused path.

It was the concept of the twelve days/nights of Yule along with the classic twelve days of Christmas that determined the number of entries included in this very blog post.

I know that this time of the year is not everyone’s cup of wassail. I respect this fact and wholeheartedly understand how and why December can be a highly difficult month for some people.

Just as I do the fact that not everyone wants to be – or can be – as jolly as Santa come the dark, challenging days of December.

However the year’s last month unfolds for you and whatever you choose to celebrate (or not), know that it is my heartfelt wish that you have a safe, meaningful, and, hopefully, positive December.

May the ideas in this post help to inspire your own Yule and winter holiday season happenings, and may you have the very merriest of Yuletide seasons, dear friends!

Which of the twelve budget-friendly Yule ideas above appeals to you the most? What are some of your favourite ways to celebrate the Winter Solstice?

The post 12 Free and Low-Cost Ways to Celebrate Yule and the Winter Holiday Season appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

I was not raised in a house with Paganism or witchery, and neither my parents nor anyone else in my family took much note of the Winter Solstice. Nor – especially beyond the very earliest grades – do I remember it being focused on in a classroom setting.

Yet, I knew that in the Western Hemisphere Yule meant the very gradual return of precious minutes of daylight each day. And that, as snow-heavy as this chapter of the year is, at its heart, one of the key elements of the Winter Solstice is the sun.

Then, as now, it was not that I disliked winter. Quite the opposite! As challenging a season as winter can be for many of us at times, I experience a powerful kinship to the darkest, coldest chapter of the year.

Winter feels in a sense like the oldest of the seasons. Its existence helps to bring the other three segments of the annual calendar into being. For, as in so much in the universe, light and life can only exist when they do in tandem with darkness and death.

Growing up in Canada, I can well recall days in which we both entered and existed school in the inky, not-quite-black, not-quite-grey sky of winter. Our only glimpses of daylight visible during recess and the lunch hour.

Later, as is the case for many people the world over, the first working years of my life saw me indoors for even longer hours. In those instances, I often went for months at time with my only daytime exposure to the sun being on the weekends or other days that I had off from my job.

These days, I am fortunate to be able to spend considerably more time outdoors during the winter and to lap up what little light manages to squeeze its way in between the snowflakes.

I still look forward to Yule’s return with the same gusto though. Indeed, even more so, because as a Pagan witch who embraces the Wheel of the Yule, I delight greatly in the traditions, meanings, lessons, joys, and blessings of the Winter Solstice.

And while I do celebrate Christmas as well in a secular sense, Yule (which I observe both on the Winter Solstice – as many Pagans/witches do – and throughout the days surrounding it) is the main holiday in December for me personally.

Just as it is for many a fellow Pagan, witch, and Wiccan around the world. Yet one need not adhere to any of these paths to enjoy and honour the Winter Solstice.

As with the Summer Solstice and both the Fall and Spring Equinoxes, these seasonal shifts occur regardless of one’s beliefs or spirituality.

Much like the rising and the setting of the sun, the ebb and flow of the tides, and the natural cycle of life and death inherent to all living things, the changing of one season to the next was here long before we arrived on the scene. And, chances are, it will most likely be here for eons after we’re gone.

At Yule, we celebrate the fact that, little by little, the days will grow longer and that, in a few weeks or months’ time (depending on where you live in the world) the earliest signs and stirrings of spring will grace our world again.

In the dark heart of the year, it is natural that we want to adorn our homes festively. Winter’s landscape is not without its charms – and a vista blanketed in pristine snow can be nothing short of gorgeous – but it is almost as though many of us crave and need reminders that greenery and warmth will return once again.

We bring heavenly scented evergreen trees and boughs into our homes, hang mistletoe, adorn doors with leave and pine cone filled wreaths, sing songs that venerate such wintertime plants and holly and ivy, and create foods in the shapes of various plants and trees (i.e., Yule log cakes and holly shaped sugar cookies).

For even in the high tech, mile a minute world of the 21^st century, we are still made of ancient star stuff and it is hardwired in us to seek out nature.

This year, the winter holiday season – whatever that entails for you personally – is apt to be different in at least some respects. The collective soul of the world has taken one mighty blow after another and we have all endured a great deal to make it this far into 2020.

Assuming that doing so is realistically feasible and you feel in the mood to do celebrate, I see the challenges of this year not as a reason to shy away from being festive this December, but embrace the joys, traditions, and meanings of this season all the more.

One of the loveliest ways to connect with the winter holidays is to create some of our own decorations or to make festive crafts that we can either keep for our own joys or bestow on others in the hopes of elevating theirs.

Many of us are watching our pocketbooks more than ever due to the impact of the pandemic on our lives. We may be forgoing giving presents or scaling back if we do opt to give out presents this year.

The virtues and heart-touching importance of handmade presents cannot be overstated. Nor, if you ask me, can the benefits of decking one’s halls – boughs of holly optional.

With each passing year, I strive for a simpler and less commercial Yuletide season.

The sights of a family of deer traversing the new-fallen snow in our backyard, the intoxicating aroma of warm winter spices, and the blessing of knowing my loved ones are well each matter a great deal more to me than anything that could ever fit into a stocking or be bought at the mall.

We don’t have, nor to we need, throngs of decorations. Those that we call our own are treasured though, and I greatly enjoy creating handmade Yule and Christmas ornaments and decorations to help inject even more festive cheer into our December.

I know that many of you feel much the same way, too, and with that in mind, I wanted to share with you 50 winter holiday season craft projects created by talented, resourceful individuals around the world.

Each of these DIY projects includes instructions, meaning that if you want to give any of them a go, doing so should be a lot easier than trying to reverse engineer how something was made from a photograph alone.

Most of these Yule craft projects can easily be used for Christmastime as well – just as a lot of them can be enjoyed all winter long.

The majority are relatively low cost or perhaps even free, depending on what supplies you have on hand or can easily source from nature.

I should note that while not every one of these craft projects was shared by their original creators as being intended for Yule specifically (many are geared towards Christmas), they all share in common the fact that they are wonderfully suited to the Winter Solstice.

Indeed, the fact that these lovely, resourceful projects work so well for Yule is what landed them on this list in the first place.

And so, with that said, let’s jump with both (winter boot clad) feet forward into exploring…

50 Awesome Yule Decorations and Craft Ideas

You Can Make for the Winter Solstice

1. Clear Quartz Winter Solstice Ornaments: Stunning to look at and packed with the energy of both clear quartz and the Yule season itself, these beautiful decorations are equally at home on a tree, hanging from a mantle, or dangling from various doorknobs around your home.

2. Embroidered Felt Holiday Trees: The winter holiday season and needlework are natural partners in my mind, and I’ve long enjoyed creating both handmade stitched presents for others as well as some of our own décor over the years.

Few things symbolize the Yuletide period quite like pine trees. If you’d like to whip up a forest (or just a single tree) of your own that is apt to last even longer than real evergreens, than this splendid embroidered felt project has you covered. 

3. DIY Clay Moon Ornaments: Understatedly gorgeous and easier than sugar cookies to whip up, these charming DIY clay moon ornaments can be left au naturel, painted, dipped in glitter – whatever your creative heart desires. And, either during or after the December holiday season, they would be fantastic as part of an altar or other sacred space setting.

4. Scrap Ribbon Christmas Tree Ornaments: If you are a fellow crafter, fan of decorative gift wrapping, or simply enjoy a good sewing notion, chances are you have some ribbon scraps on hand. If so, why not put them to good use in this sweet, wonderfully easy to make Christmas tree decoration that is bursting with timeless appeal?

And, should you want to make this project but not have any suitable ribbon to hand, thankfully, ribbon can often be purchased very inexpensively from places such dollar stores and thrift/second hand/charity shops – or simply ask a crafty friend for some, it’s quite likely that they have plenty to spare and share.

(Melissa also has a similar project post that will help you make beautiful Primitive Scrap Fabric Tree Ornaments, too or instead of the ribbon iteration above. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention her cute meets timelessly classic Beaded Candy Cane Ornaments as well.)

5. Painted or Burned Wooden Round Yule Ornaments: Endlessly versatile, this lovely Yule ornament idea can be customized to your heart’s content.

Why not try painting to burning a set of ornaments with the witches runes on them? Or what about a handful showing some of the local flora and fauna that are common in your area during the winter months?

Celestial bodies such as the (very apt) sun, moon, stars, and planets would be fabulous as well.

6. Spun Cotton Mushroom Ornaments: A little more advanced in terms of the technique involved than some of the other entries on this list, but not necessarily difficult, the end results of this spun cotton craft is nothing short of breathtaking.

The humblest of materials are transformed into a fairyland-worthy sea of sweet, shimmery toadstools that can be used on the tree, mantle, in centrepieces, as part of your holiday season gift wrapping, gathering into a decorative bowl – the ideas go on and go.

7. Salt Dough Spiral Countdown Calendar for Yule: Growing up as a child, my family used the same adorable Avon Christmas mouse Advent calendar each year (see an example of this darling 1980s fabric advent calendar here).

All throughout the lead up to December 25^th, my two siblings and I would take turns moving the wee little grey mouse from one date to the next. This tradition was amongst my favourite of the festive season and it helped to spark a lifelong love of calendars – be they advents or otherwise – in me at an early age.

Advent or countdown calendars, as they are also known, can be used to mark the progress of days leading up to any event you desire. They have a natural affinity with December, and while many are associated with Christmas, they are just as open to Yule as well.

If you’re looking for a wonderfully easy to make, visually and spiritually impactful Winter Solstice countdown calendar, this charming Salt Dough Spiral may be just the ticket.

8. DIY Mini Cranberry Wreath Place Cards: For centuries now, people have decorated for December by stringing various natural or manmade edibles (popcorn, nuts, candy, etc) into lengths both short and long.

This particular project is equally parts darling and elegant, and sees plump garnet red cranberries strung together to create simple wreaths that can be used for place card holders, as well as dangled from the branches of your Yule or Christmas tree, if you should fancy.

9. Adorable 3D Painted Woodland Ornaments: Whether you’re wild about all things forest-inspired, swoon over darling décor, or have a wildlife lover in your life who would enjoy these super cute ornaments, chances are, you’re going to want to make a whole forest’s worth of them!

10. DIY Pinecone Kissing Ball: Mistletoe is a perennial favourite. However, if you’re looking for a fun and festive alternative to adorn your ceiling with come December, may I suggest this thoroughly beautiful DIY Pinecone Kissing Ball instead?

11. Felt Poinsettia Decorations: Whether you favour red, pink, or white (or, in craft form, any other colour your heart desires), one thing is for certain, poinsettias are widely adored mainstay of the winter holiday season.

If you’re keen to create some of your own this year from commonplace crafting supplies, this wonderful tutorial from Katie at Made to Be a Momma will have you churning out a hothouse’s worth of felt poinsettias in no time. (And while there, check out Katie’s super cute DIY Pinecone Christmas Trees post as well.)

12. Rustic Twig Star Ornaments: As timeless as the stars in the night sky themselves, this beautiful project celebrates the earthy blessings of nature and is a cinch to put together.

And, for those of a Pagan/witchy persuasion, the finished projects have a distinctly pentagram look to them that is right at home in the spiritual paths many of us follow.

13. Mason Jar Oil Candle Lamps: The flickering of a candle flame, soft, comforting, and familiar is one of the most endearing elements of the holiday season.

This year, why not branch out and try your hand at creating a classic oil lamp candle in a mason jar? Not only can these festive candles help illuminate your own holiday season, but they make for absolutely wonderful gifts, too.

14. Let It Snow Scrabble Tile Ornaments: Whereas once, pretty much the only way to acquire Scrabble tiles was to buy a complete Scrabble game, these days various sources for Scrabble letter tiles abound online, as well as at many craft and dollar stores. Plus, bags of second hand Scrabble tiles can sometimes be found at sources such as thrift/secondhand/charity shops and yard sales.

This clever and wonderfully festive DIY Scrabble tile ornament spells out a popular Christmas song line and is all kinds of adorable!

You can easily take this idea and run with it if you’d like. Instead of “Let It Snow”, why not spell out words such as “Yule”, “Winter Solstice”, “Blessed Be”, or any other message(s) that resonate with you?

15. Double-Sided Winter Solstice Wooden Tree Ornament: With a glowing yellow sun on one side and a frosty blue snowflake on the other, this festive handmade wooden tree ornament is a meaningful way to honour the returning sunlight that the Winter Solstice ushers back into our lives. As well as the abundance of snow that calls this chapter of the year home in many corners of the world.

16. Embroidery Hoop Buffalo Plaid Mini Wreath: As this recent Christmas card project share post of mine discussed, I’m head-over-heels for black, red and green as a holiday season palette.

If you’re feeling it too, then this terrific little buffalo plaid + embroidery hoop wreath might beckon to you every bit as much as it called my own name.

17. Cinnamon Stick Tree Ornaments: Crafters – paper and otherwise – rejoice! Here is a fun and festive way to put some of our abundant button stashes to good use.

Cinnamon sticks and some faux greenery, partnered with those aforementioned buttons, are at the heart of this cute, cheery, and wonderfully scented holiday season decoration.

18. Glittered Clothespin Snowflakes: It never ceases to delight and inspire me when I see the humblest of everyday items turned into a gorgeous piece of holiday season décor.

These glistening snowflakes are made with nothing more than two different sizes of clothespins (aka, clothes pegs), white paint, two types of glue, and coarse crystal glitter.

The end result is enchanting, and would be stunning on any festive season tree, hanging in a window, or on a Yule altar.

19. Cinnamon Stick Candles: Candles and Yule (much like Candles and Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanza, respectively) have been BFFs for ages at this point time, their flickering flames a comforting and poignant reminder that the Winter Solstice marks the beginning of longer periods of daylight between now and the Summer Solstice/Litha.

Likewise, cinnamon and the winter holidays go waaayyyy back as well. Pair these two beloved elements of the festive season together in this easy, elegant, and scrumptiously scented DIY cinnamon stick candle holder from none other than well-known fashion blogger Louise Roe.

20. Yule Season Witch Balls: Much beloved the whole year through by many a magickally inclined soul, witch balls – which can be created for many purposes, protection being one of the most common – can easily double as (or be made specifically for the purpose of) Yule tree ornaments or Winter Solstice season décor elsewhere in your house.

21. DIY Rustic Acorn Marble Ornaments: If, like me, you adore it when some of your fall time home décor items can easily transition into ones that suit winter every bit as nicely, then you may be a big fan of this sweet, beautiful way to craft colourful acorns that might just prove so popular, you’ll leave them out all year round!

22. Winter Cardinal Shadow Box: For those who enjoy making 3D crafts, this darling winter cardinal shadow box is a beautiful way to celebrate one of winter’s most iconic and beloved birds, while also adding additional festive cheer to your home décor.

Cardinals have long been linked to winter. Their fiery hues a welcome splash of colour in an often pale and snow-covered landscape.

These gorgeous birds are associated with serenity, passion, creativity, balance, commitment, prosperity, goodness, hope, strength, and happiness – all themes that most of us gladly welcome into our lives with open arms at the Winter Solstice. 

23. Cute Pinecone Winter Gnome Ornaments: Gnomes are anything but new on the winter décor scene. It’s fair to say however that they’ve been having a rightly deserved moment in the spotlight in recent years.

If you’re keen to add a few felt versions of these mythological beings to your festive décor, then this handy DIY tutorial from Better Homes and has you covered

24. DIY Paper Bag Stars: If you enjoy the art of cutting out snowflakes from folded paper, then this beautiful spin on that classic practice is likely to appeal to you as well.

These stars are chic and charming, festive and fun – and can definitely do double duty as part of both your New Year’s and Imbolc décor, too.

(Plus, I was instantly struck by the thought that stars cut from yellow paper would look a good deal like the sun, and thus be an especially apt version of this project for Yule/the Winter Solstice).

25. Pipe Cleaner Pentacle Wreath Ornaments: Witchy meets mid-century kitschy in this super easy, wallet-friend decoration that is big on both Pagan symbolism and festive cheer. (Be sure to check out the other terrific Pagan Yule decoration ideas on this page as well.)

26. Mason Jar Lid Mini Christmas Wreaths: This is another awesome example of a few everyday items combining to create one seriously eye-catching and fabulously fun holiday season decoration.

Mason jar lids, twine, and a smattering of festive embellishments are all it takes to make these adorable little decorations, which can just as easily be made into Yule wreaths, Hanukkah wreaths, or simply all-season wintertime wreaths, if you prefer.

27. Simple Bell Noisemakers for New Year’s Eve: But wait, Autumn, I hear you saying, isn’t this a post about Yule appropriate decorations and crafts?

That it, is my dear reader, but allow me to put forth the suggestion that this cute meets chic holiday season noisemaker could easily be incorporated into one’s Yule celebrations and magickal workings as well.

How about ringing/shaking it rhythmically while chanting, in prayer, or as soft background noise at a coven ritual? Simply letting its bells ring loud and clear as way of proclaiming the rebirth of the sun, the return of the Oak King (who triumphs over the Holly King, until they swap places again come the Summer Solstice)?

Or why not use it as a means to set the energy tone before beginning your Yuletide workings?

28. Farmhouse White Berry Felt Ornaments: Classic and sweet, these pretty felt decorations have a timeless appeal that lends them staying power not only at Yule, but straight onto the final days of winter.

Indeed, I cannot help thinking how beautiful they would be as part of one’s Imbolc décor or altar.

29. DIY Mini Wreath Garland: Glitz and glamour undoubtedly have their rightful place in the canon of holiday décor, but sometimes you just want simple, understated, rustic, and sweet. This elegant mini wreath garland delivers big time on all those fronts and is perfect to leave up well into the coming winter months.

30. Wishing Ornament or Mini Yule Log: That beloved winter jack-of-all-trades, the humble pinecone stars in this festive craft which can be used as both a wish/intention spell and/or a mini yule log. (Amanda also shares five other wonderful DIY Yule projects in this same post, which you’ll certainly want to check out as well.)

31. Rustic Twine Wrapped Candy Cane Ornaments: Much as with Christmas, those who celebrate Yule usually have certain décor and/or altar item styles that we’re particularly drawn to.

Personally, I tend to favour those of either a woodland, vintage/antique/Victorian, primitive, or rustic nature. So when I recently spied this dreamy rustic take on candy canes, it was love at first sight.

If you’re a fan as well or know someone who is and might enjoy a set of these easy to make twine wrapped candy canes as a gift, hop on over to Natasha’s photo rich post for all crafty details.

(Candy canes themselves are not generally thought to have distinctly Pagan roots, though their sweetness can represent the hopes, dreams, goals, and positive things we hope for at Yule and in the coming year, while their colours can easily be a part of seasonal colour magick.)

32. Simple Greenery Filled Ornaments: This is perfect Yule season ornament project for anyone who enjoys incorporating nature-based/woodland elements into their seasonal décor.

These timelessly pretty decorations can be customized to your heart’s content and left out, if you wish, all winter long (you can place them in a bowl or vase after the tree comes down).

33. DIY Forged Triangle Christmas Tree Wreath: Round wreaths are a beloved favourite the world over, but sometimes one wants to shake things up and go beyond the traditional Christmas (or Yule, etc) wreath shape.

If you’re in the mood for a chic, modern and very attractive holiday season wreath, this forged triangle-shaped version is a fantastic option.

34. Victorian Gilded Walnuts: A once highly popular Christmas season decoration that has largely fallen out of fashion over the past several decades, gold-hued gilded walnuts were quite the in-thing during the Victorian era.

Aside from their historical connections and inherent beauty, I adore how the gleaming gold hue is a wonderful representation of both the sun’s gradual return and of the warmth of spirit we strive for during the Yule season.

This splendid tutorial – complete with numerous historical quotes that reference gilded walnuts – from Lina at Sew Historically will have your Yule or Christmas tree (or a bowl on your favourite table) filled gilded walnuts in no time. 

(Her recent post on how to make gilded leaves is another fab project to check out if you enjoy using metallics in your holiday décor.)

35. 12 Nights of Yule Salt Dough Ornaments: This is a deeply meaningful winter craft project that is great to involve little ones with, if applicable.

It entails creating a set of twelve different salt dough ornaments to honour the Twelve Nights of Yule, and is bound to become a treasured part of your annual Winter Solstice season celebration.

Note: If, like myself, you have Celiac disease, a gluten allergy, gluten intolerance, or otherwise need to avoid gluten, you can easily make gluten-free salt dough ornaments instead.

36. DIY (Faux) Deer Antler Wreath: If ever there was a Yule season wreath that is apt to appeal to may a nature adoring/worshiping Pagan and witch, this awesome DIY project might just be it!

Starring pinecones, feathers, and resin faux deer antlers, this eye-catching wreath is so stunning you’ll want to leave it out all year round.

37. Sweet Little Almond Bird Ornaments: It’s hard to look at these precious little felt birdies in their cozy winter toques and not say “aww” out loud – especially since their bodies are based on unshelled almonds.

Why not create a few for your own winter décor? They’re apt to have all those who see them chirping with festive cheer.

38. Felt Yule Goat Ornament Tutorial: The Yule Goat has been a part of various Northern European and Scandinavian traditions since early Pagan times, later being adopted as part of Christmas celebrations as well.

Traditionally, Yule Goats were often made from the last sheafs of wheat that were harvested during the fall and saved specifically for various Yule season purposes including this one.

The connection between Yule and goats may stem from the Norse god named Thor, who traversed the sky in a chariot pulled by two goats named Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr.

Those who are of Scandinavian, Germanic, or Northern European ancestry and/or who follow a Heathenistic spiritual path, may find that the inclusion of a Yule Goat in their Winter Solstice décor is an especially apt one.

This festive barnyard friend can be a part of anyone’s holiday celebration though, and remains as one of the most popular Christmas decorations in various Central and Northern European countries to this day.

Modern Yule Goats are often made of straw. This adorable DIY iteration sees them spring to life via felt and thread, and makes for both a terrific holiday season ornament and handmade present.

39. Easy DIY Finger Crochet Garland: Love the look of chunky knits? Adore crocheted crafted, but have never given crocheting a go yourself?

If you answered yes to either of those questions, then this fun, beginner-friendly tutorial is here to help guide you through making a beautiful finger crochet garland of your own this holiday season.

40. Fragrant Herb Chairback Decorations: Aromatically and visually pleasing in equal measures, these elegant bundles of fresh herbs can just as easily adorn chairs as they can the mantle, tied to open railings on stairways, or as part of your festive Yule season altar/sacred space.

(Warning: Please ensure that any herbs you use are safe and non-toxic for children and/or pets, if you will be placing these bundles anywhere where either could potentially reach, and potentially injest, them.)

41. Handmade Family Tree Ornaments: Decorate a tree, line a mantle, or place a few of these heartwarmingly beautiful photograph-filled decorations down a runner on your dining room table.

They are a sweet, meaningful way to honour both your ancestors and living loved ones throughout the winter holiday season.

42. Pine Needles Keepsake Ornaments: Preserve some of the needles from your holiday tree, gathered from a wintertime woodland walk, or collected from your own backyard, team them with air dry clay + Mod Podge and you’ve got these gorgeous handmade keepsake ornaments.

(I also really like Tara’s tutorial post on how to make Pinecone Nature Confetti Shakers for New Year’s Eve.)

43. Rustic Cinnamon Stick Ornaments: Cinnamon sticks are truly one of the multi-purpose wunderkinds of the winter holidays.

From jazzing up delicious beverages to appearing in seasonal potpourri blends, and being a popular mainstay in many a festive craft, there’s seemingly no limit to what this wonderful spice can do!

Case in point, these darling glitter adorned cinnamon stick ornaments which can easily work on trees, mantles, hang in various spots around the house, or used as embellishments of holiday season gifts.

44. DIY Glitter Dipped Deer Silhouette Decorations: Whether of the more everyday kind or those who call the North Pole home, deer are amongst the animals most closely associated in many parts of the world with wintertime, Yule, and the Christmas season.

This timelessly pretty craft project requires but a few products to whip up a glitter-adorned deer (or two… or ten!) that is thoroughly festive now, but not so on-the-nose wintry that it couldn’t easily be left out all year through.

45. Holiday Magick Yule Pomander: At Three Pagans and Cat, Pathos blogger Gwen has put together a meaningful and endearingly lovely witchy iteration of the classic holiday season Pomander which is the kind of spellwork that’s perfect for the often all-too-busy days of December. These sophisticated pomanders also have the added bonus of smelling sublime!

46. Rosemary Mini Wreaths: Quick and clever, this fun holiday project sees a beloved herb turned into beautifully scented little wreaths that you can hang on the tree, use as napkin rings or placeholders, or tuck atop of a prettily wrapped gift for someone special.

47. Winter Solstice Outdoor Ice Ornaments: While lights are strung, wreaths hung, and various lawn decorations are placed outside come December, we don’t generally think to decorate our properties with ice itself during the chilliest season of the year.

As this creative and rather delightful project demonstrates, it’s high time we gave doing just that a spin – especially if you live in a climate where the temperature will ensure your handmade ice ornament creations are not apt to melt anytime soon.

48. Barnwood Ribbon Star Wall Hanging: Sometimes simple really is best and this strikingly pretty winter home décor project drives that point home in spades.

Ribbon, screws, and a suitable wooden backdrop (though, you could use small finishing nails or sewing/craft pins and an artist’s canvas instead) are all it takes to whip up your own eye-catching beautiful ribbon star wall hanging.

49. Yule Countdown Log: Another deeply lovely Pagan take on a Yule season countdown calendar, this 21-day long version includes the use of a handmade candle (though a store-bought one could just as easily be utilized as well), plenty of tea lights, and a suitable surface to place them on.

50. Cinnamon Dough Ornaments: Way back in time when I was just a few years old, my mom, siblings and I made a slew of cinnamon dough ornaments shaped like gingerbread people one Christmas season.

Each was decorated with glitter glue and included a narrow strip of ribbon tied to its top so that it could be hung from the tree. Incredibly, after more than twenty-five years, not only do some of these darling handmade Christmas ornaments still exist, but they have retained their beautiful cinnamon scent to this day. #truestory

Cinnamon dough ornaments are a beloved holiday season craft and one that is every bit as open to Pagans as it is to non-Pagans.

Indeed, for my fellow witchy and Pagan folks, culinary magick can be imbued via the ingredients used in this ornament dough recipe. As can things such as etching/shaping your ornaments into spiritually meaningful shapes, involving sigils, press leaves/branches/flower petals into them (as in this specific project), or creating a set of cinnamon dough runes.

This lovely blog post from (fellow British Columbia blogger) Stephanie Rose gives you all the dets to make your own cinnamon dough ornaments, which, with any luck, will also last – and retain their enchanting aroma – for decades to come.

(Note: All 50 images used above are copyright of their respective creators. Please follow the coordinating link in each list entry to be taken to the craft project shown and described therein.)

The importance of creating our own light

One of the most important things that Yule reminds of us of is that even the darkest chapters end at some point. Light will return one more. It may be gradual and hard to see at first, but over time things will get brighter, life will spring anew.

As we lean into another lengthy stretch of ice and snow, chattering teeth, and warm woollen mittens, it can be beneficial to remember that we often have within us the ability to brighten our own lives and days in a myriad of ways.

Gratitude and kindness are two of the greatest means by which to do just that, but they are from the only ones.

By making our homes cozy and festive, ensuring our spiritual journey is an ongoing focal point of our lives, doing our best to support and help one another, and holding tight to the hope of a pandemic-free future, the winter days are apt to feel considerably easier to get through.

It has been many a year since I was last a little girl, yet my heart gets no less giddy as Yule returns.

I welcome the light, while also embracing the darkness of winter. Both provide stability and comfort, and each is vital to life on this planet.

The craft projects highlighted above are wonderful ways to help make your home and your holiday season a little brighter and, hopefully, all the merrier as well.

Plus, amidst the hustle and bustle of December, sometimes a few quite minutes or hours of peaceful time spent focused on creating something – whether it is a Yule decoration, Christmas wreath, batch of delicious Hanukkah sufganiyot, or festive centrepiece for New Year’s – can often be a meaningful and comforting gift unto itself.

Do you enjoy creating your own winter holiday decorations or gifts? Which of these Yule craft projects appeals to you the most?

PS: Be sure to follow me on Pinterest, where I frequently pin a wide range of witchy and Pagan crafts, as well as tons of posts pertaining to each of the eight sabbats – including Yule. Along with many other interesting Pagan and witchcraft related topics.

The post 50 Awesome DIY Yule Decorations and Craft Ideas You Can Make for the Winter Solstice appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Now, I am by no means the first person to create lists akin to this one, but just because something has been done before, doesn’t mean that one can’t create their own iteration of it as well.

I’ve always loved greeting cards. As a child, I went through a period of collecting inexpensive greeting cards from local shops. I was especially drawn to those with heartfelt, witty, or otherwise interesting sentiments and beautiful images (florals were a particular fave).

In time, I gave away most of those cards to friends and relatives. Yet my love of cards and both the literal messages they house and the messages we can convey by bestowing a card on someone else never left me.

In the ten years and counting now since I began paper crafting, I’ve created many cards, tags, scrapbook pages, and other projects that I’ve given away as gifts.

A good many of them contained some form of greeting or sentiment. From the ultra simple (i.e., “Happy Birthday” or “Congratulations”) to pieces of original poetry and everything in between.

As a writer and a logophile (aka, a lover of words), I enjoy putting thought into the messages and sentiments in my cards – be they handmade or store-bought greetings.

I began mailing out my own Christmas cards in my teens and have done so almost every year since.

I often custom tailor the sentiment in my cards to their respective recipients, but for things like Christmas, Yule, and New Year’s cards, it’s not uncommon for me to write a special greeting each holiday season that I use on a number of peoples’ cards.

Plenty of us do the same thing. It’s fun, speeds up the card writing process, and can be a lovely way to share our heartfelt wishes to multiple people we care about.

Sometimes there’s no beating a true classic. For those who observe such holidays, being wished a hearty “Merry Christmas”, “Blessed Yule,  or “Happy Hanukkah”, for example, in the context of a festive greeting can often say everything we wish to convey.

At other times though, you may want to expand on these timeless classics, put your own original spin on things, or express a message that holds particular meaning for you and your recipient.

In this post, you will find 101 different sentiments, messages, sayings, and wishes to use in your holiday season cards.

With the exception of the quotes included in this list, all of the entries here are ringal ones that I’ve written myself.

It’s virtually a given though that some of them will have been said verbatim or nearly so by other people throughout the course of history.

That is totally okay! You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when penning your holiday card sentiments.

Whether you are a fellow card maker or not, this list is equally open and accessible to anyone who gives or mails out holiday season cards.

(Note: In the phrasing below, I have primarily used plural pronouns such as “our”. By all means, use singular pronouns if they apply to you instead.)

General holiday season greetings

1. From our hearts and home to yours, may your holiday season abound with wellness, joy and good cheer.

2. Love and warmth, peace and happiness to you and yours during the holiday season.

3. You make the holidays extra merry and bright!

4. Hope that your Christmas/Yule/holidays/etc is marvellous in every way!

5. Peace and warmth, happiness, and festive cheer to you all through the holidays.

6. Blessings of the holiday season to you and yours.

7. Wishing you all the cheer and happiness of this wonderful time of the year.

8. Warmest greetings and happiest wishes for a fantastic festive season.

9. Though far away in distance, you are always close to our hearts and wished the very merriest of Christmases/holidays.

10. Wishing you a bright, beautiful, and thoroughly enjoyable festive season.

11. Know that you are in our thoughts and heart, and wished every joy imaginable this holiday season.

12. May the spirit of the season touch your heart, brighten your days, and bring you abundant happiness.

13. Love and the merriest of wishes coming your way!

14. The holiday season is sweeter, happier and more meaningful because you’re in our lives.

15. Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a truly wonderful New Year.

16. May your holidays twinkle and shine.

17. Here’s to a very merry Christmas, a fabulous New Year, and the prospect of a great 2021 (or whatever year will be the next) ahead.

18. Wishing you a holiday season that overflows with sweetness, serenity, and reasons to smile.

19. Love, peace, and joy to you all holiday season long.

20. No matter the miles between us, you are always close in our hearts and wished a joyful holiday season.

21. Wishing you a safe, peaceful, happy, and blessed holiday season.

22. You are loved beyond measure and wished a holiday season that makes your heart overflow with festive happiness.

23. Love and thanks, cheer and joy to you this holiday season.

24. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one of the best people/families I’ve ever known.

25. More love than there are snowflakes, cheer than there are candy canes, and blessings than there are pine trees the world over coming your way this festive season.

26. Happiness to you and yours during this blessed and beautiful time of the year.

27. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and prayers/blessings for a safe, healthy, prosperous, and joy-filled 2021!  

28. Hope your holidays are chocked full of reasons to smile (thinking of you is definitely one of mine!).

29. May the magic of the holiday season fill your heart and home with oodles of cheer.

30. The holidays simply would not be the same without you! Thank you for being in my/our lives the whole year through. Merry Christmas and much love.

Holiday season greetings from, and inspired by, Christmas song lyrics

31. Have a holly, jolly Christmas. It’s the best time of the year!

32. All is calm, all is bright. Merry Christmas/happy holidays and a joyful New Year.

33. I’ll be home for Christmas. You can plan on me. Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents by the tree. Can’t wait to spend the holidays with you this year!

34. May your holiday days be merry and bright.

35. I’m dreaming of a white Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know. Here’s wishing you a white Christmas and all the joys of this beautiful time of the year.

36. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! May the joy and spirit of the holidays ring out for you all season long.

37. Santa Claus is coming to town and I hope he brings someone as nice as you everything your heart desires this holiday season.

38. You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen, but did you know that I’m thinking of you and wishing you a holiday season that shines with more happiness than Rudolph’s nose?

39. Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your heart be light. From now on (let’s hope that in 2021/next year) our troubles will be out of sight.

40. And so I’m offering this simple phrase to kids from one to ninety-two, although it’s been said many times, many ways… Merry Christmas to you!

Holiday season messages for family members

41. No matter how old I get, you’ll always be Santa Claus in my eyes. Merry Christmas, Dad/grandpa.

42. Thank you for all the ways in which you have helped to make the holidays extra special throughout my life. Merry Christmas/happy holidays and all my love.

43. Having a mom/dad/sister/brother/daughter/son/etc like you is the best Christmas/holiday present I could ever ask for.

44. Thank you for always making the holiday season extra wonderful. May yours be every bit as fabulous!

45. No matter how old I get, I never stop feeling like a kid at heart because of how wonderful you always made the holidays. I love you very much and hope you have an awesome festive season.

46. Christmas is what it is to me today because of you. Thank you, much love, and happiest of festive wishes.

47. You are so important to me/us. May you stay safe, well, and happy this holiday season and always.

48. Thank you for the traditions and the memories, the smiles, the laughs, the delicious cookies, and for every meaningful way you’ve always made the holiday season so special. Love and best wishes to you, mom/dad/grandma/grandpa/etc. 

49. The holidays are all about celebrating those we hold most dear. No one means more to me than you do, and I am sending you my very happiest wishes for an incredible festive season.

50. I am very thankful to have an amazing [type of relative] like you. Thank you for bringing cheer and joy my way not only during the holiday season, but all year through.

51. My heart overflows with gratitude because you’re in my life. Thank you today, tomorrow and always for being the awesome person that you are. Happy holidays and tons of love!

52. You are a blessing beyond measure. Thank you for all that you are and do, and for making my life better because you are in it.

53. So grateful for you, that we are a family, and that we have each other. Happiest holiday wishes!

54. Happiest holiday season wishes to the world’s best mom/dad/grandma/son/niece/etc!

55. Missing and loving you very much. Here’s to hoping we’ll be able to see each other again in the coming year.

Romantic holiday season messages

56. There’s snow-one for me but you. Happiest holiday season wishes, my love.

57. The holiday season would not be the same without your love and presence in my life. Thank you, darling, for all that we share and all that we are together. I love you beyond measure.

58. Santa brought me exactly what I wanted this year: getting to spend Christmas/the holidays with you, sweetheart.

59. I love you more than Santa loves milk and cookies. (Trust me, that’s a lot!)

60. Thank you for spending not only Christmas Day, but every day with me. I’m truly blessed to share my life with you.

61. You are my reason for the season.

62. Christmas is merrier and brighter because we’re together.

63. You light up my life, make me merry everyday, and are such a joy to be with. Thank you and happiest holiday season wishes!

64. You’re all I want at Christmas – and the whole year through.

65. My love, my life, my everything, merriest Christmas wishes!

Holiday season sentiments for pet owners

66. Santa Paws is coming to town. Hope he brings you everything you heart desires this Christmas.

67. Purry Christmas and a very meow-y New Year!

68. Happy howl-iday wishes from our dog house to yours!

69. May your holidays be as joyful as a dog with a bone/cat with a ball of yarn.

70. Nothing warms the heart quite like the love of a treasured pet. May you and yours have a blessed and beautiful festive season.

Holiday season messages across the miles

71. No matter the distance, no matter the years, at Christmas, we are together in spirit and heart.

72. Though we cannot celebrate together this year, please know that you are thought of and missed dearly, and wished a safe, wonderful holiday season.

73. Love, joy, serenity, wellness, and the very sweetest of holiday season wishes coming your way.

74. As you look at the twinkling lights of the season, know that I am doing the same, and thinking of all the ways you brighten and enrich my life the whole year through.

75. It has been too long. Let’s make sure the New Year is extra happy by getting together soon.

76. Near or far, you are always in our hearts and wished the very happiest, loveliest and sweetest of festive seasons.

77. There is no distance so far as to keep you from my heart. Happiest holidays to a truly wonderful friend/person.

78. Until I hitch a ride with Santa, know that I’ll be missing you something fierce and wishing you an awesome holiday season from start to finish.

79. Tree? Check! Lights? Check? Candy canes? Check? You? Missing! Oh no!!! The holidays just aren’t the same when we’re apart, but I hope they are still fantastic for you this year.

80. My Christmas wish, sent out across the miles, this year is that you have a safe, peaceful, and very merry holiday season.

Holiday season sentiments for difficult times

81. Sharing in your hope, praying in unison with you, and holding strong to the belief that better days will soon return.

82. My thoughts and heart, support and understanding are with you this holiday season.

83. Please know that you are thought of often and wished the best and merriest Christmas possible during these challenging times.

84. This Christmas/holiday season is not easy or low stress for you. I see and understand that, and want you to know that I am always here for you in any way I possibly can be.

85. Amongst the challenges and sorrow, may serenity and warmth be yours this holiday season.

Christmas and holiday season quotes to use on greeting cards

86. “Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

87. “Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling.” ~ Edna Ferber

88. “I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.” ~ Harlan Miller

89. “Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand.” ~ Dr. Suess

90. “The best of all gifts around my Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” ~ Burton Hills

91. “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it there all the year.” ~ Charles Dickens

92. “Christmas waves a magic wand over the world, and behold everything is softer and more beautiful.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

93. “From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to each other.” ~ Emily Matthews

94. “Christmas is like candy; it slowly melts into your mouth, sweetening very taste bud, making you wish it could last forever.” ~ Richelle E. Goodrich

95. “It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” ~ W.T. Ellis

96. “Christmas is not a day. It is a state of mind”. ~ Mary Ellen Chase

97. “Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance – a day in which we think of everything we have ever lover.” ~ Augusta E. Randel

98. “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie

99. “Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.” ~ Margaret Thatcher

100. “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

101. “What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.” ~ Agnes M. Pahro

Naturally, you can reword or otherwise tweak the holiday greeting card sentiments in this post to suit your own desired messages.

Whether you use them as is or give them your own unique spin, these greetings are here to help ensure that year after year, you’re able to find just the right message of festive cheer to send out in your holiday cards.

Which reminds me, be sure to pin this post to Pinterest or otherwise bookmark it, share it on social media, or print if off so that you can refer to it again in subsequent winter holiday seasons.

What else can you include in your holiday season cards?

Factoring in things like weight and envelope dimensions, there are various lightweight items that one can include with their Christmas or other holiday season cards.

These include, but are not limited to, the following:

-Letters

-Photos

-Recipes (handwritten or printed)

-Original pieces of art or prints

-Artwork drawn by your child(ren)

-Stickers, stamps, or seals

-Lyrics to a Christmas song you and your recipient both enjoy

-Tasteful holiday season jokes, puns, comics, or other humorous anecdotes

-A written holiday season song or movie playlist

-Your own creative take on the lyrics to an existing holiday season song

-Anything from a few lines to multiple pages recounting some of your favourite holiday season memories and/or traditions

-Flat (or at least relatively thin) holiday decorations or ornaments that are apt to hold up well in the mail without protective padding. Those made from paper, cardstock, very thin wood, and metal often do best in this regard

Tips for writing Christmas cards and other holiday season cards

-Set aside a solid chunk of time or allocate a bit of time over multiple days (for example, an hour per evening) to focus solely on writing out and addressing your holiday cards. Naturally, the more cards you’re mailing or otherwise giving, the more time stands to be needed.

-If there are others, including kids, in the house who would be able to lend a hand, feel free to recruit them. I grew up helping my mom stamp and address our family’s Christmas cards and look back on those memories with great fondness.

-I personally prefer to stamp all my envelops and mail them off myself at home instead of getting postage for each card at the post office during the busiest mail time of the year.

You’re the same way, consider buying enough stamps (national and international alike, if applicable) for all of your cards, plus a few extra – you just never know when the need for mailing out additional cards may arise.

-Use a good quality pen or very fine tipped marker (felt pen) with exceedingly little bleed. Classic colours like black and blue never go out of style, but for extra festive fun ink colours such as green, red, gold or silver can be very charming, too. Just insure that your ink doesn’t smudge (test in out before writing your card sentiments) and that the ink colour is easily legible.

-If writing is physically challenging for you, consider employing the help of a friend or family member, printing personalized sentiments off the computer and pasting them in your cards, or opting from store-bought cards with a beautiful, funny or otherwise meaningful sentiment inside of them already.

-Make sure that before you start the card writing process that you have current mailing addresses for everyone on your holiday card list.

-You may find it easier to write out the sentiments in all your cards, then address and apply postage to each after you’re penned your greetings. Or you may prefer to write out, address, seal, and stamp each card on a card by card basis.

I personally veer towards the later, even though it can sometimes take a smidge more time. I tend to favour this approach as it really helps to cut down on the risk of accidentally misaddressing a given card and having the one I intended, say, for my family physician go to my ninety year old grandma.

-Many postal systems around the world have cut off dates that holiday mail needs to be sent by in order to arrive before Christmas.

If such is applicable to you, check with your local post office in November or early December and try to get all of your holiday season cards in the mail prior to this cut off date (ideally, I try to create a buffer zone of at least a week or more before the cut off date just to be extra safe).

-Before you seal the envelope, have you included any extras such as a family Christmas letter, photos, or a small ornament inside?

-Enjoy the holiday card filling out process. Put on festive tunes or a Christmas movie you enjoy, light a lovely candle in a wintry scent (say, pine, cinnamon spice, or cranberry), and make a generous mug of your favourite tummy warming cold weather drink, then settle in and start the fun of this classic holiday season tradition.

Tidings of comfort and joy

These days it is not uncommon for holiday greetings to be exchanged via email, text message, WhatsApp, DMs or similar digital avenues.

Almost all of the 101 holiday season sentiments and messages in this post can be put to good use in those capacities as well.

However, if you have the time, resources and ability to do so, there is much to be said in favour of sending (or hand-delivering) paper Christmas or other holiday season cards.

With more and more mail going digital these days and far fewer people writing letters than even just a few short decades ago, receiving a handwritten holiday greeting in the mail (or in-person) holds more meaning than ever for some of us.

In the wake of a year that has been extraordinarily challenging for many and different in myriad ways for most of us, the time-honoured act of sending and receiving holiday season cards becomes all the more meaningful.

A festive greeting, written by hand, stamped and sent across the miles lets others knows we’re thinking of them, conveys the spirit of the season, and is a way of bestowing joy on those we hold dear.

Happy holiday season wishes, one and all!  

The post 101 Messages, Sentiments, and Wishes to Include in Your Christmas and Holiday Season Cards appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.