Tale Weaver 44: Tradition!

Emma Florence Harrison (Winter 1910)

I grew up with quirky December/January holiday traditions. I assumed just part of the dichotomy of my family background: sea and soil. Seems some are so unique that Google and Bing have no suggestions, and Wikipedia wants me to start an entry.

I wondered what traditions other folks held to their souls, their hearts for the spiritual, cultural and ethnic nature of December and January. Waning of one year; waxing of another. A solstice. A period of rebirth in snow not spring. Important dates on religious and cultural calendars. Meanings. Believings.

Tradition as a warm hug and mug of cocoa after a shivering day in the cold unfamiliar. Tradition creating a feeling of community, of bonding, of remembrance and celebrance.

So, weave a tale with traditional threads. Weave it on a family loom. Stitch it on a quilt frame; a shared cultural/communal activity. Form a diverse story circle, excited by an interactive exchange. Traditions exist outside the realm of our “everyday:” fairies; ogres; Alpha Centurions; the Old Ones; questers; mages; wiccans; saga-nites perhaps have ones that fall within the human construct/context of December and January.

As a gift to others, tag your post Tale Weaver and Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie. Drop back here and add your tale via the MLMM linky button. Place the url in a comment (if ping-backs are ponging).

I wish all the best to those who have celebrated/are celebrating/will be celebrating the special traditions of this time of the year. Your tales will be my Christmas bedtime stories. I look forward to that.

Ralph Kirchner (Christmas pictures signed with Paris)