Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth
In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.
The Way of the Wise
Ugh, putting the lights on the tree: my most unfavorite holiday task.
Well, Yule is coming, and there's much to be done. So: would I rather light the tree or make the date paste?
(It wouldn't be Yule without date bars.)
I make the date paste.
OK: would I rather light the tree or vacuum the house?
I vacuum.
OK: would I rather light the tree or mop the kitchen floor?
I mop.
OK: would I rather light the tree or write out the cards?
I write out the cards.
So it goes. By not lighting the tree, I manage to get an entire day's worth of work out of myself.
In the end, having done everything else that needs to be done—it's too soon to start the baking—I put the lights on the bloody tree, just to get it over with.
Gnôthi sautón, says Apollo: Know yourself.
This is the Way of the Wise.
Comments
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Sunday, 08 December 2024
When Leto gave birth to Apollo (and his twin Artemis) on the island of Delos, she did so bracing against the trunk of a date palm.
That's why we eat date bars at Yule.
;-) -
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Last year I made Pfeffernusse cookies instead of date bars. They were good, but I really missed the date bars. I placed one in the crotch of the persimmon tree before I offered some apple cider in wassail. I got more persimmons this year than I could eat.
This year I'm making date bars. I think they go better with egg nog.