Revitalizing "Twelfth Night" while prepping for Wintertyde's start

Courtesy www.enchanted-woods.com Poor Twelfth Night! Once upon a time the blowout we celebrate on Christmas Day occurred on Twelfth Night, January 5th. "Twelfth Night" marks the 12th day of Christmas and the time that the 3 Magi were just pulling into in Bethlehem. Epiphany occurs the next day on January 6th. In any event, "Twelfth Night" has pretty much been relegated to a discussion of Shakespeare's play of the same name. Nonetheless, by celebrating Wintertyde, Twelfth Night has a chance of revival! Wintertyders usually put up their Wintertyde wreaths and set up the tree and lights on January 5th, Wintertyde Eve. Technically, Wintertyde begins on January 7th. So, The Green Man suggests combining the celebration of Twelfth Night with preparations for Wintertyde. Also, by resuscitating Twelfth Night, a diversion is created to avoid the dreaded "post-holiday let-down." The goal for Wintertyders is to achieve a seamless and emotionally smooth transition from the end of Christmas and right into Wintertyde, thus leaving no space for "holiday blues." So there you have it. Brush up on your Twelfth Night knowledge and skills here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Night_%28holiday%29 and here: http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/xmas/twelfthnight/traditions.html "The Holly Man from the Thames" To herald the celebration, the extraordinary Holly Man, the winter guise of the Green Man, (a character from pagan myths and folklore, used on many pub signs in England), decked in fantastic green garb and evergreen foliage, appears from the River Thames brought by the Thames Cutter.

Successfully dealing with "January 2nd let-down" and holiday blues

Here on the East Coast USA it's almost New Year's Eve...just a few more hours. In any event, we're jumping ahead to post-New Year's Eve and post-New Year Day to provide suggestions to avoid being blindsided by the dreaded "January 2nd let-down." To use a metaphor, the holidays have been barreling along like a locomotive, then suddenly on January 2nd, a wheel falls off, as it were. Prepare yourself and your family by structuring this interim time day by day on the calendar. Start making plans to make sure all of your Wintertyde materials are ready to go up and about on January 7th, Wintertyde's Day...wreaths, trees, lights, ornaments...all of it. Such preparation will ensure a smooth transition from the end of the holidays into Wintertyde. Suggestions are to skip a big meal on January 1st as aspirin is all anyone will want. Reschedule it for Wintertyde's Day, January 7th, when you need it most, and everyone feels well. Have ready your Wintertyde small gifts for this day, also. The highlight is preparing "Hoppin John," blackeyed peas and rice and cornbread for dinner: Use

and

Instead of staring into an endless void of Winter on January 2nd, use that day and the rest before January 6th, Wintertyde's Eve and January 7th, Wintertyde's Day planning, planning, and doing what needs to be done before Wintertyde starts. Then you will have a great time putting up all your Wintertyde decor and having a great meal on the 7th. Proactively banish any chance of "January 2nd let-down."

"Feast of Saint Stephen " Greetings!

A Saint Stephen's Day wren Many know the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas," but few know what the "Feast of Stephen" is. This is the dinner and celebration that falls on the very day after Christmas, December 26th, or "Saint Stephen's Day." Celebrating this holiday is a part of Christmastide, and Wintertyders are encouraged to add it to their calendar for many reasons. First of all, the very day after Christmas, for many, provides an entry for the dreaded "post-holiday/Winter blues." Banish this possibility by continuing your Christmas Day celebrating right into the next day! For example, make your big ho;iday dinner a genuine Feast of Stephen by scheduling Christmas dinner for December 26th. Such planning frees up Christmas Day for nothing but fun without having to worry about dinner. Also, save a gift for each guest for Saint Stephen's Day, a small wren is the perfect gift:

Find these wonderful gifts by an Internet image search using "wren ornament." Now, then why the wren on Saint Stephen's Day? Because December 26th is the day for celebrating the "hunting of the wren," which provides good luck and fertility for the coming year. In the British Isles, the young men of the villages costume themselves as "wren boys," who hunt the wren:

Wren boys parading

The Saint Stephen's Day wren is the forebear of the English Christmas robin. Read here to learn more about how to make Saint Stephen's Day a part of your Christmastide celebration: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Stephen%27s_Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_King_Wenceslas

"Good King Wenceslas"

Happy Holidays 2014

You love Christmas and New Year's....so keep on celebrating! Wintertyde 2015 begins January 7th.

Make your own authentic paper snowflakes for Wintertyde

Making your own paper snowflakes is fun and an entertaining, and it's a useful skill to acquire. Simple instructions are linked below. True snowflakes have 6 points, and recall that the snowflake is the official Wintertyde logo. Once all the Christmastide decor is packed away until next year, decorate spaces with a snowstorm of your own paper snowflakes. Also, they're fun to pop into the envelope with your 'Happy Wintertyde' holiday cards. http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-6-Pointed-Paper-Snowflakes/

Music from Windham Hill for Solsticetide 2014

http://www.amazon.com/Winters-Solstice-Windham-Hill-Artists/dp/B000000NGH Check the video here: http://thecenterforthearts.org/windham-hill-winter-solstice-celebration/ "Solsticetide" runs for 4 days from usually December 21st through Christmas Eve December 24th.

Happy Winter solstice 2014 6:03PM EST

19th century engraving of the Norse Winter god Ullr Courtesy www.accuweather.com 18 days until Wintertyde Day, January 7th, 2015 "Solsticetide" runs for 4 days from usually December 21st through Christmas Eve December 24th.

Winter Solsticetide greetings

Courtesy NASA http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/20/winter-solstice-2014_n_6336518.html "Solsticetide" runs for 4 days from usually December 21st through Christmas Eve December 24th.

Contending with holiday "blues": Embrace Christmas and embrace Wintertyde

Here's a great article on pre-Wintertyde or "Christmas blues." We find embracing both Christmas and Wintertyde as if your life depended on it works wonders. Force yourself to get out of the house and go to Christmas events, shopping, concerts, movies, anything seasonal and embrace it. The more you fill your life with the spirit of the holidays, the less room for predatory "winter blues" to get you. Crank up the Christmas music 24/7, get a cat or pet to celebrate with and upon which to share the holiday gifts, watch a heartwarming film such as "Christmas in Connecticut," go to Christmas Eve church services, give a gift to the down and out and homeless. Even the small gesture multiplies love. Buy new ornaments for the tree, go ice-skating, bake Christmas cookies. Think "I can do this." We have stocking up for the cat and stuff it with cat food, toys, and treats! http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/19/health/surviving-holiday-blues/index.html?hpt=he_c1

The Wintertyde chickadee Recall that Christmas is a 12-day-long season, and Wintertyde starts January 7th. Stay busy with all the preparations! "You can do this."

Bathroom rework and something to care for

Christmastide 2014 is upon us. It seems to fly by as we're all having a good time. Hence, tempus fugit In any event, be wary of that "post-holiday blues" void just waiting after January 1st for most. A good solution is to follow Wintertyde, designed to move you through Winter via a structured format with certain protocols to be observed. The ideas is that by structuring the calendar, Wintertyde moves you through Winter to early Spring. After that, you're on your own. However, the good news is that January and February are over.

We recommend redoing your bathrooms with new towels, shower curtain, accessories for the new year 2015. Bathrooms are often a repository of strong feeling, so move them out of your 2014 Christmas mode and into the Wintertyde 2015 mode. You know what to do make make them "shiny and new."

www.duncraft.com Secondly, we recommend you install a bird feeder right outside your kitchen window or near a window you often look through. The location ought to be fairly close to a door as you will be adding food to the feeder....and, with a tiny bit of patience, feeding the Wintertyde mascot, the chickadee, from your hand. In Winter, they welcome the food and company, and they are endlessly entertaining and plucky companions to get tou through Wintertyde. If squirrels are an issue, use a squirrel-resistant style feeder. OK, there you have two projects to take up January before it's time to celebrate Saint Brigits Day on February 1st, a happy time. Check information on the black-capped chickadee here: http://blog.duncraft.com/2011/03/23/attracting-chickadees-2/ Search for chickadee-themed bathroom accessories on line by using the search term and "images."

It's celebrating Wintertyde to end post-holiday blues

Here's how celebrating Wintertyde helps banish post-holiday blues.... OK, the general excitement level increases each year in Autumn as we make our ways through the holidays: Halloween, then Thanksgiving, Christmas, and capping off with fireworks and champagne, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. January 2nd an emotional chasm opens as the full holiday season come to a skidding halt. Suddenly, there's nothing to look forward to except a seemingly-endless, 3-month long bloc of cold, gray, dreary Winter... Winteryde provides an alternative to the psychic abyss. Wintertyde has its own protocol of ways to celebrate old and new holidays, one small segment of time. Thus, a Wintertyder makes it through the Winter without noticing how long it is. For example, we are looking forward to putting up our Wintertyde tree and lights on January 6th, the evening of Epiphany. The next day is Wintertyde Day, so we'll put up our exterior and interior Wintertyde wreaths and then have a Wintertyde feast of hoppin' John, cornbread, and other treats. Next, we'll use the first 2 weeks of January to take care of business and mundane tasks...all the while preparing for February 1st and 2nd: Saint Brigit's Day, Groundhog Day, Candlemas, and even Superbowl Sunday... Look at the calendar, and January 2015 is already gone, and no one noticed. "We can do this." Become a Wintertyder now. Just follow the steps outlined in the Wintertyde blog!

Snowflake ornaments for your Wintertyde tree

The Green Man is always thinking ahead....especially for the immediate post-Christmas period. Recall that your tabletop Wintertyde tree should be ready to be set up either on Wintertyde's Eve January 6th or Wintertyde Day. Consider a dozen snowflakes as your "background" items and add single snowflakes, perhaps one or two per season to your tree. Your tabletop tree's base should be covered with a silver or white tree skirt with absolutely no Christmas ornamentation. Wintertyde is an independent season.

Kurt Adler 2" Glass Iridescent Snowflake Ornaments, 12-Piece Set www.amazon.com

Avoid "post-holiday blues" prepare for Wintertyde now

All minds are on Christmastide as it comes hurtling across the calendar. Nonetheless, make sure to devote some time to having all your Wintertyde ducks in a row for January 6th, Wintertyde's Eve. Here's a basic list: Exterior Wintertyde wreath ready to take the place of the Christmas wreath at the entry. Interior wreath ready to display Clear or white lights at the entry, if desired. Clear or white lights on window candles with silver accents. Snowflake ornaments ready to hang on your lighted tabletop Wintertyde tree. With these elements ready to go on January 6th, you can take a bit of a breather to get ready for Saint Brigit's Day

on February 1st.

Get your Wintertyde supplies as you Christmas shop

December is off to a quick start, so waste no time prepping for Wintertyde. Look for an LED light table top tree for your Wintertyde snowflake and holiday ornaments. Get silver and white picks for your Wintertyde wreaths, one inside and one exterior for the entry. Order your Saint Brigit's Day cross for your tree and wreaths, which go up on January 18th, 2015 (her day is February 1st.)