Hi Mariana,

>                I enjoyed this posting!  Thank you.  As an ex-evangelical,
I >need to claim the holidays for myself, and this is a big help!

                 You are welcome. I would be interested in hearing how this
came about, if you don't mind sharing. I hope you can come up with a
celebration/ritual/tradition that fills you need and bring you joy.  To be
honest we have a rather blended family - so we observe Holidays in accodance
with all traditions - we begin at 12/6 - which is St. Nicklaus Day - a left
over from my German beginning and Amber leaves her shoe outside the door the
night before and finds it filled in the am. On the Solistice we have a
ritual in line with our Pagan beliefs - it is also blended  becasue I am a
simply a Pagan and Amber is Wiccan. We had a lovely magical one this year.
The moon was spectcular, and there was no wind. We spread the sheet and
blanket on the patio and set up the atlar - all with no coat on - altho I
insisted we have coats on for the ritual - never-the-less we were warm in
our incense scented, candle and moonlight space. After I opened the circle
and we were gathering the things to take them back in - it uddenly seemed
very cold!! Amber and I both commented on it and she wanted to know - had I
offended anyone!! LOL  - Today we will go over to my parents house and have
a traditional European Christmas eve - fancy dinner and presents late in the
evening. And we will open one present of ours when we return home. Tomorrow,
Amber will find a present from Santa, and we will open our presents and have
a nice breakfast and then join her paternal grandparent family for a
traditional American celebration around noon. Then we come home and have
friends over that have no family!!  Even our decorations are a mix - much
green stuff festoons the house and many candles - but we also have a
navitity scene - altho it is now for Amber's Wiccan  Baby Sun God.  I tend
to keep our clebrations low key and few presents and try to kept  what the
season is all about - the celebration of life - rebirth of the Light and the
sharing of  love.

    Well, I am off to bake a pumpkin pie for my mother and a cheesecake and
green bean casserole for Dad's tomorrow!!

                                   Brightest Blesisngs
                                             Trisha