There’s no one right way of celebrating midwinter, and it’s fine not to celebrate at all if it doesn’t work for you. 

It can be a good time for celebrating community, family, hearth and home. If that works for you then decorating, sharing food and exchanging gifts can be a good way of honouring the season. This of course fits in well with people from other faiths, and people who only celebrate in a secular way, so that has advantages.

We know that many of our Pagan ancestors appreciated a good party – from evidence of prehistoric feasting, stories of Celtic celebrations and what we know of Norse mead halls, and more. Feasting and making merry feature in many different Pagan traditions. There are a lot of festivals at this time of year to draw inspiration from. You don’t have to do something traditional or accurate to some specific period of history. It’s fine to just go with the spirit of the season and celebrate joyfully in whatever way best suits you.

Not everyone enjoys excess. Jollity is feasible without going in for excessive consumption.  If what really makes you happy isn’t what others are doing, that’s fine. Authentic joy is worth so much more than conformity.

For some, the right response to the season is to seek peacefulness in the dark. This can be a time for quietness and contemplation. Through the long nights and short days it’s also appropriate to be reflective and inward looking. It’s a time to pause and think about our lives, what the last year has brought and where we intend to go next. Rest, sleep, gentle comforts and tranquility can be the core of how you celebrate the turning year.

It’s also fine to do both, you don’t have to pick a single path through all of this. Make merry, and also make time for meditation if you like. Enjoy the lights and cheer, and then retreat into the peaceful darkness.

Druidry isn’t about doing things in one specific way, it’s not a path where conformity is what counts. The important thing is to proceed thoughtfully. Work out what matter to you and what you find significant. Discover what you need from this time of year and what calls to you spiritually. Choose deliberately. If you aren’t sure, take the time to experiment with different approaches and find out what this season means to you. Learning and exploring are part of this path, as is the freedom to change and express yourself differently as you learn and grow.

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