Yule part 2

... I hope it is not too late for this but:

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!

I have been pretty busy, busy, busy, busy... and had to manage a lot of stuff in my head, but finally... here we go again :)

Last year I have promissed you to tell you how we celebrate Yule.

Please note, this is not a direction how to celebrate it, just the way we, my hubby and I, do.

Of course at first you need a Yule tree. I am using a fake one for years now, because I'm just too lazy to get rid of the needling...

This is how our tree looked like last year (Yule 2011)

From this view you really can see that it is a fake tree, but believe me or not. You wont recognize this, sitting next to it or simply watching the lights.

My Irminsul balls, to decorate the tree with.

As Yule is not just a holiday to meet your loved ones, but to celebrate the re-rising sun, what we do to be thankfull for the light and the fact of being together is simply reading a story out of the Edda - in the candlelight. I can not explane why, but it really is a strong, good fealing to do this.

This is how our copy of the Edda looks like. Pretty awesome, huh?

And of course... Yule is a holiday for the whole family.. As we are both grownups it should not be that kind of an event but unpacking Yuleclub is just awesome. Why? Well.. our family members are Mike, Lucie and me. Therefore, every parcel needs to be wrapped 2 times. (of course it is more fun, the more family members there are. Add one layer of wrapping for every additional family member.) But it is not to make your presents look bigger. To do this makes it possible to write something on every layer. Let me explain it using an example.

This Yuleclub is for Mike. I'm wrapping it once, writing his name on it and something special like an event we have shared in the past year or what I feel for him. Then I gonna wrap it again, going to write Lucies name on it and something special for her.. and so on. Unwrapping gives you a smile, weather the present is yours our not.

Small family, but pretty awesome gifts. :)

I have just talked about candle light, right? But we're not talking about candle light in general. We are talking about the special candle we lit.

This candle was lit by Mike and me to honour what Odin did to become as wise as he is. Google it, if you dont know it.. I am a bit too lazy to explain right now. :D

 

 

This little altar is right here at our living room the whole year. Just the wreath is added for Yule. Actually, I am sitting face to face to it right now and everytime, I am looking for the right words I am glancing at Freyja. This may sound a bit strange to those guys knowing me since I was a kid, but my faith is really helping me with everything I do. Every single day.

Anyway.. I almost forgot the one and only topic of this blog (.. so it seems.. ;) ). Yeah, you name it. Food. ;)
What I need to do at this time of year, because otherwise I wont be complete, is spending a lot of time at my kitchen. Exactly. Baking cookies. A lot of cookies. And different kinds of. Strullerhasi proudly presents... last years favourites:

vanillekipferl <3

cinnamon star cookies


multicoloured shortcrust Hagal cookies


shortcrust reindeer cookies


chocolate and hazelnut cookies


"the making of gingerbread reindeers"


finished gingerbread reindeer


collected works
- actually I recognize lemon-orange shortcrust Hagal cookies -

And finally.. in case that you are wondering what we had for dinner that night.. there you go:

soy fricassee and rice :)

I hope you kind of enjoyed this and.. well.. don't mind the mass of pictures.. ;)

Oh. By the way. I hope you're reading it... I miss you Angela. <3

xoxo Strullerhasi