Witchvox Article

Author: Aelwyndaeira
Posted: November 29th. 2003
Times Viewed: 11,144

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? Blah blah blah, snow is glistening....

The Christmas carols are being played, the mall is decorated with boughs and red bows and evergreen trees. There's snow softly falling....

Hang on a second - where's the snow? For Christmas in Canada, there's not much snow.

Oh, that's right! It's only November first.

The day after Hallowe'en (Samhain, to us Pagans), is the day that the malls in my area begin their Holiday rush. Decorations, sales, carols and Santa get people in the shopping mood earlier and earlier every year. Luckily, I have the majority of my Holiday shopping and gift making already done. Every year I seem to spend less and less. Why is that? No - I don't keep marking people off my Holiday gift-giving list. I just get more and more creative every year.

Last year I made all my "Witchy" friends a decoupaged box filled with incense, crystals and a chant on a small card that matched the décor of the box. This year, I'm making mobiles out of various wires, charms, beads and dental floss, as well as some chalices and altar patens, theme gifts, gift baskets, and other hand-made and well thought out gifts.

The Holiday season is always a busy and expensive one for me. I have Yule with my Witchy friends, Christmas with my family, and my twin sister and I celebrate our birthday on December twentieth. It seems that I spend all my money on Yule decorations, baking, gift-giving, new outfits for Holiday parties (as well as my birthday party) and replacing the gloves and scarves that I lose on a weekly basis.

I have gift giving down to an art, and also very much down on the cost, and I thought that I might share some secrets:

1) Buy gifts before the Holiday season begins. I always start in at least September or October. You will often find great deals on housewares, décor, and giftware in September, as retail stores are getting in their fall stock. People spend less on these items in the summer, as they generally vacation then, so there is a large surplus of quality items on sale in the fall.

2) Use your talents and creativity. If you have a specific talent, use it! I'm not overly talented, but I AM creative. If you're proficient at art or computer art, create pictures for friends and frame them with frames from Wal-Mart or Zellers to make a beautiful, personal, but cheap gift. I'm currently making mobiles out of copper wire my ex-fiancé found at a job site he used to work at. I'm just adding beads and charms, and they're costing me only about two dollars for each mobile. For friends who are not computer literate, and who don't have money for all the books they want, print out e-books and bind them with a nice title page. There are many ideas out there for handmade gifts; just surf the web, or check out items at a craft fair to get ideas.

3) Create a theme gift. Currently I'm working on my friend's Yule gift. She really likes dragons, so I have a medium sized tote bag that I'm going to decorate with a dragon picture, and I will add any small dragon items I can find. So far, there will be a dragon pendant necklace, a T-shirt that says "Dragon" in katakana on it, and a small dragon statue. All together, the gift will cost me about twenty-five dollars. My sister created a theme gift for me last year. In a nice gift bag she had a binder with Faery lore in it, a Faery candle holder, some crystals and Faery bath salts that she made. Theme gifts are very personal, and often cost very little if you can find just the right thing to add to it. Always start searching for pieces of these gifts a few months before the Holiday season.

4) Ritual tools, accessories and items. Pagans who use ritual tools, or any other items for ritual, often appreciate a nice gift basket of items they can use for ritual. A box of long matches, some charcoal, home blended incense and a smudge stick make a great gift. Again, get creative and know what someone can use. I also keep people in mind when I'm out thrift shopping. Most of my tools, dishes and accessories for ritual come from second hand stores - and if I see a great cauldron or candle holder that I know someone would like, I pick it up for them and hold onto it for the Holidays. I also use glass paint and make personalized chalices out of wine glasses, and altar patens from glass pillar candle plates. Making wands, invocation rings, candle holders, candles, smudge sticks, incense and boxes are also great, personalized ritual tools.

5) Books. Many times you can find great books on sale at Coles, Chapters and Indigo. I've found books on crystals, runes, tarot cards, herbs, mythology and other "Witchy" topics for anywhere between $4.99 and $14.99. Books are always appreciated by the Pagan gift receiver, and can also be fit into any theme gift, or be the basis for one.

With these tips, I hope some Pagans can avoid the stress of mall shopping for their holiday gifts. The Holidays have become so commercialized, that we need to get back to basics, and realize that it's not how much we spent, but how much thought we put into the gift. I appreciate a hand made gift far more than any CD or electronics someone buys me.

Now that nearly all my Holiday shopping is done, I can concentrate on the Yule ritual with my group, relaxing with friends over hot apple cider or hot chocolate, going to the Santa Claus parades, attending Christmas parties and Yule parties, and just enjoying the wonders of the season.

Above all, Pagans need to remember that the Holiday season is not merely about gift giving. It is about the rebirth of the Sun, being with friends and family, and helping others who have less than us. Remember that, and you will have the Merriest Yule of all!

Blessed Yule, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joyous Hanukkah and happy everything else to everybody!

Calliope Hellice

Bio: Calliope is a 23-year-old solitary semi-Traditional Wiccan Witch. She has helped out with the organization of Pagan Pride Day in Hamilton, founded the Hamilton Pagan Meet and Greet, and also organizes group rituals for solitaries in the Hamilton area. Calliope believes that we have to bring the "community" back into "Pagan community." She lives at home with her parents, who support her faith, her eclectic Pagan twin sister, and has a wonderful agnostic boyfriend who is the unofficial photographer of their group rituals.

ABOUT...

Aelwyndaeira

Location: Hamilton, Ontario

Author's Profile: To learn more about Aelwyndaeira - Click HERE

Other Articles: Aelwyndaeira has posted 1 additional articles- View them?

Other Listings: To view ALL of my listings: Click HERE

Email Aelwyndaeira... (Yes! I have opted to receive invites to Pagan events, groups, and commercial sales)

Home - TWV Logos - Email US - Privacy

News and Information

Chapters: Pagan/Heathen Basics - Pagan BOOKS - Traditions, Paths & Religions - Popular Pagan Holidays - TV & Movies - Cats of the Craft - Festival Reviews - Festival Tips - White Pages (Resources) - Issues/Concerns - West Memphis 3 - Witch Hunts - Pagan Protection Tips - Healing Planet Earth

Your Voices: Adult Essays - Young Pagan Essays - Pagan Perspectives (On Hold) - WitchWars: Fire in the Craft - Gay Pagan - Pagan Parenting - Military - Pagan Passages

Pagan Music: Pagan Musicians - Bardic Circle at WitchVox - Free Music from TWV

Vox Central: About TWV - Wren: Words, Wrants and Wramblings - Guest Rants - Past Surveys - A Quest for Unity

Weekly Updates: Click HERE for an index of our weekly updates for the past 6 years

W.O.T.W. - World-Wide Networking

Your Town: A Link to YOUR Area Page (The largest listing of Witches, Pagans, Heathens and Wiccans on the Planet)

VoxLinks: The Pagan Web: 8,000 Listings

Your Witchvox Account: Log in Now - Create New Account - Request New Password - Log in Problems

Personal Listings: Pagan Clergy in Your Town - Adult Pagans - Young Pagans - Military Pagans

Events: Circles, Gatherings, Workshops & Festivals

Covens/Groups/Orgs: Local Groups Main Page

Other LOCAL Resources: Local Shops - Regional Sites - Local Notices - Global/National Notices - Local Skills & Services - Local Egroups - Political Freedom Fighters

Pagan Shopping: Online Shops Index - Original Crafters Sites - Auction Sites - Pagan Wholesalers - Pagan Local Shops

Web Site Content (including: text - graphics - html - look & feel)
Copyright 1997-2009 The Witches' Voice Inc. All rights reserved
Note: Authors & Artists retain the copyright for their work(s) on this website.
Unauthorized reproduction without prior permission is a violation of copyright laws.

Website structure, evolution and php coding by Fritz Jung on a Macintosh G5.

Any and all personal political opinions expressed in the public listing sections (including, but not restricted to, personals, events, groups, shops, Wrenâ€™s Nest, etc.) are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinion of The Witchesâ€™ Voice, Inc. TWV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization.

Sponsorship: Visit the Witches' Voice Sponsor Page for info on how you
can help support this Community Resource. Donations ARE Tax Deductible.
The Witches' Voice carries a 501(c)(3) certificate and a Federal Tax ID.

Mail Us: The Witches' Voice Inc., P.O. Box 341018, Tampa, Florida 33694-1018 U.S.A.

Witches, Pagans
of The World

Current Topic
Editorial Guide

NOTE: The essay on this page contains the writings and opinions of the listed author(s) and is not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Witches' Voice inc.

The Witches' Voice does not verify or attest to the historical accuracy contained in the content of this essay.

All WitchVox essays contain a valid email address, feel free to send your comments, thoughts or concerns directly to the listed author(s).