MY HOLIDAY POSTS THROUGH THE YEARS

"CHRISTMAS TIME" by Susan Dwyer

I have a couple of posts left regarding Norwegian Christmas cookies, but I am going to take a break. Although I have concentrated on recipes so far this December, I have written many holiday posts since 2007. 

I have a widget called Feedjit on my sidebar that tells me which subjects people are looking for when they land on my blog. (I mean, besides those readers who are actually looking for me!) It is the most fun to check Feedjit at two times each year, the first when people are looking for information on Samhain, or Celtic Halloween, and now. I have noticed many recent visitors looking up such holiday subjects as The Legend of the Christmas Robin, the Holly and the Ivy and Lillejuleaften.

VINTAGE IMAGE

I thought I'd list the holiday posts I've written over the years - year by year - so you can easily see what I had to say about various topics. To find these posts, all you have to do is scroll down the right side of my blog until you reach "BLOG ARCHIVES". Click on the year 2007, and you will find all the December posts right at the top. (Some years I wrote so many holiday posts that you may have to click on "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page.) Do the same for 2008, 2009 and even last year, when I only wrote two posts the whole month.

I have written a Solstice or Yule post every year. (As a Celt, I must celebrate this most important holiday!)That is the one constant. Otherwise, I am all over the place - Norway, Sweden, Victorian England, Scotland, Mexico, the Holy Land, Germany, Holland, France, Poland, Czechoslovakia.

2007

Dec 21:  HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE (The Holly King, holly lore and Old English poems)

Dec 20: 12 THINGS ABOUT ME AT CHRISTMAS (Christmas memories, good and bad. This was a MeMe challenge and so fun to do.)

Dec. 16: MY OWN LIVING DOLL (Trying to get my daughter to pose for the Christmas card photo)

Dec. 13: ST. LUCIA DAY (Celebrating the Swedish holiday)



"LILLEJULEAFTEN" by Rudolf Koivu

2007 continued

Dec. 11: FATHER CHRISTMAS AND FRIENDS (Christmas Finds at the Flea Market)

Dec. 8: A VINTAGE CHRISTMAS (Vintage ornaments in my collection)

Dec. 4: SCANDINAVIAN CHRISTMAS TREATS (An overview of the treats I am featuring in depth this year)

Dec. 1: IN THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON (My favorite vintage Christmas books, plus my Christmas resolutions)

MY MANTEL AT CHRISTMAS TIME

2008

Dec. 31:  A SCOTTISH NEW YEAR (All about Hogmanay - Scottish New Year, even more important than Christmas in Scotland! Featuring Scottie, Westie and Corgi cards)

Dec. 25: "BETWEEN THE DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT" (a poem)

Dec. 23: LILLEJULEAFTEN (all about Norwegian "Little Christmas Eve", Dec. 23, and featuring my Norwegian Christmas decorations and ornaments)

Dec. 21: HAPPY SOLSTICE/YULE (featuring great artwork)



MY CHRISTMAS GIFTS, AGE 5??

2008 continued

Dec. 17: SCANDINAVIAN CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS (featuring Norwegian holiday art)

Dec. 13: MY 10 BEST CHRISTMAS BOOKS

Dec. 9: THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS (memories of my grade school Christmas pageants, featuring vintage Santa Claus/Father Christmas postcards)

Dec. 5: "I AM THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT" (my favorite Christmas poem)

SCOTTISH HOGMANAY (NEW YEAR'S) CARD

2009

Dec. 31: HAPPY BLUE MOON NEW YEAR (New Year's Eve and a blue moon on the same day, featuring vintage postcards with snowmen from around the world)

Dec. 29: SIXTY THINGS (another MeMe, this time 60 things about me in honor of my 60th year, featuring my home decorated for Christmas)

Dec. 24: NIGHT OF CANDLES (or Oidche Choinnle in Scottish Gaelic, featuring Scottish Christmas customs)

Dec. 21: YULE (Winter solstice celebrated around the world, featuring more great artwork)

"THE HOLLY KING" by Joanna Powell Colbert

2008 continued

Dec. 19: THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS ROBIN (with great paintings of Christmas robins - the English robin which is different from the American robin)

Dec. 17: THE HOLLY AND THE IVY (Holly and Ivy carol, lore and artwork)

Dec. 15: CHRISTMAS PLANT LORE (The stories behind our favorite Christmas flowers and plants, featuring beautiful paintings)

Dec. 10: THEY INVENTED CHRISTMAS (Featuring Victorian Christmas customs and paintings and yet another MeMe in which I answer 15 random holiday questions)

Dec. 5: I WANT OLD CHRISTMAS BACK (Memories of a simpler Christmas and Old-Fashioned Christmas paintings)

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS SNOWMAN CARD



2010

Dec. 20: Yuletide (Yule/Solstice poems and artwork)

Dec. 13: WINTER GIFT/CHRISTMAS SPIRIT (In which I re-print my favorite Christmas poem, and feature the art of Julia Jeffries)

I really dropped the ball last year. My excuse is that I had started a new job after being unemployed for almost a year. It involved learning a lot of information and 8 hours a day pounding away at the computer.



"HOLLY AND IVY" by Anita Stanhope

After having typed this list, I must admit that I am quite impressed with myself for all of the research I've done and artwork I've found! I also have to admit that I am running out of holiday themes to write about. If I did some research, I could write about Christmas in Ireland. But, I wouldn't need to do research to write a post about our childhood church Christmas programs, or Christmas on the Prairie.

So many people have written about their Top 10 Christmas movies. I could make a list too, but it would include quite a few movies that don't make other lists.  Do you have any other ideas for me?



"HOLIDAY MEMORIES MARIETTA, OHIO, 1959"

by Michael Dickinson

All I know for sure is that after this post, it's back to the Norwegian Christmas cookies recipes.



"CHURCH ROBIN" from Quarriers Cards