A Multitude of Traditions
I come from an interfaith family and thus December is a time of multiple celebrations - the flow is usually Hanukkah, Solstice, and Christmas although sometimes Hanukkah and Christmas overlap.
For us, the celebrations all center around the nurturing darkness of the longest nights and the return of the light. We come together to light candles, tell stories of rededication and miracles and eat latkes (potato pancakes) during Hanukkah.
At Solstice, we welcome the return of the light by gathering to sing around the fire and sharing food and drink. Christmas eve is a family gathering of food and games with extended chosen family and blood family, and on Christmas morning we always opened presents around the tree with the kids and my mom.
In 2020, after the passing of my mother, we left town in an RV for the holidays and celebrated out west in the beauty of Monument Valley. We set a branch in a bottle and hung a few of my mom's ornaments on the RV table and breathed in the radiant stillness of the snow-covered red natural "monuments."
Our spirituality is Earth-based and we honor the Great Mystery that surrounds us all.
Kedoshah kedoshah kedoshah shaddai tzevaot melo chol ha'eretz kevodah Holy, holy, holy is the One of Multitudes: the whole Earth is full of Their Presence.
------ McKenzie Wren, HTI Catalyst
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