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Writer's pictureJennifer Hartman

Now Live: The 3rd Annual Yuletide Special

Updated: Dec 23, 2022

Today is the day! After fighting with YouTube for three hours to get it uploaded, the 3rd Annual Pagan Kids Yuletide Special is now LIVE! Enjoy these four pagan holiday stories for a limited time with your family, and read-along with the authors in this gift of magical story time. Only available until February 1, 2023 you can watch it now below:

This year, I am pleased to announce four readings of all sorts of pagan paths, followed by bonus material found at the back of each story. They include:

Old Mother Frost by Jennifer Hartman


Old Mother Frost is a Yuletide story of an ancient Norse goddess who sleeps all year long, waking only to make sure children are happy, healthy and festive during the longest and coldest nights of the year.



Fun Facts From This Book:

  • Yule is a holiday. In modern times, the main celebration happens on December 24th every year.

  • Yuletide is celebrated by decorating an evergreen tree, lighting a Yule log, enjoying a meal with family and sharing thanks.

  • Old Mother Frost and Mother Hulda are English names for a German deity known as Frau Holle

  • Frau Holle, the goddess of the home, is a spinner and weaver. She cares about the well-being of children.

  • Legends of Frau Holle are older than those of Odin, Thor, Freya and Loki. Her stories are even older than the early tales of Santa Claus.

  • Ford hundreds of years, there were not any books on Frau Holle. Her legends were only passed on through storytelling.

  • The Brothers Grimm are famous writers who popularized many folk and fairy tales in the 1800s. They created their own version of Frau Holle where they taught that hard work is rewarded.


Luke & The Longest Night by Kathleen Converse


Luke loves the winter solstice, a celebration filled with songs, treats, and, best of all, gifts. But when a thunderstorm turns out the lights on his Yule party, Luke will remember what really matters most—the joy of being with those we love.


Fun Facts From This Book:

  • Each time the seasons change, we have a chance to pause, reflect, and connect more deeply with the world around us. One way to mark these seasonal shifts is by following The Wheel of the Year. This is a series of eight seasonal holidays, or sabbats, celebrated by Wiccans, pagans, witches, and anyone who feels a spiritual connection to nature and the seasons.

  • The winter solstice occurs between December 20-22 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 20-22 in the Southern Hemisphere. Pagans and Wiccans call this day Yule.

  • The solstices are the shortest and longest days of each year, marking the beginning of winter and summer on the modern calendar. The winter solstice is the shortest day with the longest night, while the summer solstice is the longest day with the shortest night.

  • Throughout history, people have come up with rituals, celebrations, and traditions to get through the darkest days of winter. Common themes for this sabbat include acts of kindness, community connection, and service.

  • Evergreen trees serve as a symbol of hope because they keep their leaves throughout the winter. Decorating trees, burning a Yule log, baking sun bread, and lighting candles are all symbolic acts to help welcome the return of the sun.

  • Often holidays focus on consumerism and what we receive or accumulate. The winter solstice can ground us in the greatest gifts of all–our relationships with others and connection with nature.


The Holly King & The Oak King


On a magickal mountain with the power to change the weather, twin stars fall into the forest, and two kings are born. The Holly King and the Oak King live on the magickal mountain until a tremor leads them down the slope and into the human lands below. They discover a world in trouble without the right balance of sunlight. But the kings cannot agree on the best course, and a battle is sure to ensue. jcartemisiabooks.wordpress.com



La Befana - The Christmas Witch


In Italian tradition, La Befana is the Christmas witch who brings gifts to good children and coal to the bad ones (just like Santa Claus) on the night before the Christian Festival called Epiphany on January 6th, but La Befana has much deeper roots. She is said to be a modern version of the ancient Roman goddess, Strenua, whose festival occurred in the new year and took place on January 1st. Strenua is, of course, much older than Christianity.


Note: Once Around the Sun holds a collection of stories, recipes and crafts for the entire year! La Befana is only one of many beautiful stories. Learn how to make a La Befana cake by visiting the author's website (I'll try to figure out how to attach it to a link here soon!)


Fun Facts From This Book:

  • In Italian tradition La Befana (Lah BEHfanah) is the Christmas Witch who brings gifts to children. In ancient Rome, her festival on January 1st originally honored the New Year and the Goddess Strenua, but the Christian church later moved it to January 6, the day of Epiphany. Strenua is older than Christianity.

  • Winter Solstice is the time of the longest night of the year and the shortest day. After Solstice, the sunlight grows gradually stronger.

  • “Strenua” gave us the word “Strenuous,” an activity that is hard and takes a lot of force to accomplish. That tells you how powerful a Goddess she was!

  • “Via” (Vee-ah) “Sacra” (Sahk-rah) or Sacred Way

  • “Grappa” (Grah-pah) is a grape skin, stem, seed, and pulp brandy made from the leavings of the wine-making operation.

  • The Bay Laurel is the Goddess Strenua’s sacred tree.

  • Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) was used by Priestesses of the temple of Apollo, the God of music, poetry, sunlight, prophecy, and medicine, at Delphi in Greece. In those days, Bay Laurel was thought of as a magical plant that could enhance prophetic powers and protect a person from both diseases and sorcery. The ancient Greeks and Romans crowned victorious athletes with wreaths of Bay Laurel, as a sign of divine favor.

  • In the Middle Ages, Bay Laurel was taken as a medicine for stomach issues and for colic and kidney diseases.

  • Modern Herbalists use it for digestive problems, flu, bronchitis, anxiety, sleeplessness and migraine. It is used externally to poultice bruises and sprains and as a hair wash for dandruff.

BONUS: This Le Bafana recipe is found in this book. Once Around the Sun is full of recipes and crafts you can share with your family all year round!

 
 

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