On the way home we stopped by an antique shop my antiquing parents used to take me to when I was a kid. Antique shops are amazing for Pagan and witchy finds. I found many things from Cornwall and Wales - blackthorn canes, lucky Cornish pixie souvenirs, protective horse brasses abound with Pagan symbols, an ancient stoneware mead jug (which I couldn't resist bringing home). I found some Yule presents and I also found old christmas tree candle holders. They are metal clips with small metal candle holders. The clips are pine cones and the holder rotates so you can always point the candle upwards to prevent setting the tree on fire. I've never had real candles on my Yule tree before and I love it. The last time I saw it was when I spent Christmas as a child in the hand-built home of German family living in Northern Canada. They didn't have electricity and so they had candle holders from the old country - it was a beautiful sight - a large fragrant balsam covered in starlike candles in a home lit only by lanterns.
The tree we brought home is a Blue Spruce. I bedecked it with rowan berries, sun and heart corn dollies, tokens from sabbats past, candles, homemade spell candles for love, health, and happiness, and of course it's topped off with a fairy. Once it was decorated I cut a spirit apple from Samhain sideways so the seeds form pentagrams and offered it to the tree - the funny thing is the apple never turned brown it still looks like when I first cut it! Tonight I went to a nearby ritual with friends and sweetie went to his tradition's Yule ritual. It was good to see so many friends and share a drink and a laugh with them. I brought cookies for the potluck, I've been baking all week; pecan-strawberry linzer cookies, sour cherry chocolate krinkles, ginger snaps, Mexican jalapeno and cinnamon truffles, and vanilla truffles dipped in white chocolate. It's been really hard not to eat it all. I admit the first batch of ginger snaps didn't make it out to friends and family, I had to make another. More shopping and wrapping presents tomorrow and then my love and I are having our own private Yule on Monday.
