The Haven

Do you have your 7-day candle ?  How about your list of things to bring into the new year?  I did a post on resolutions last year so I won't bore you with a repeat post. I hope you all have at least one thing you want to carry over into 2012.  I know it was a rough year for a lot of us, but tomorrow is a brand new day! So, remember the lessons learned along the way and make some happy plans for a good year to come.  Happy New Year my friends! ~Heathen

The best, most exciting part of the Holiday season is here...Christmas Eve is tomorrow!  It's time for last minute wrapping and baking, organizing the gifts under the tree just so, tucking away the unused decorations and settling in with some yummy cocoa and holiday movies.  It's time for visiting with friends and family, enjoying all the decorations and hard work that was put into this Holiday.  The anticipation and good cheer abound!  Take a little pride in all you've accomplished and don't worry about the things that didn't get done.  Be merry and enjoy the Holiday in whatever way you choose to celebrate! ~Heathen

Yule, also known as the Winter Solstice, is the longest night of the year.  After the Solstice, the days begin to grow longer again as the Sun begins its return.  Yule is a time for introspection and planning of the future as well as a celebration of the rebirth of the Sun. Customs and Activities: caroling burning the Yule log (or candle) kissing under the mistletoe baking sweets Colors: red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow, orange Decorations: Yule log (or candle) evergreen boughs or wreaths holly & mistletoe candles clove studded fruit poinsettias stars stags Foods: pork or poultry dishes fruits & nuts ginger tea cookies eggnog cider Scents of the season: pine cedar rosemary sage peppermint cinnamon

Join me for a moment in a wonderful fairy tale land. A magical place where it only snows from December to January. The holidays are frosted in white sparkling snow and the air itself glitters with tiny falling snowflakes.  The scents of pine, rosemary, and peppermint linger everywhere in the cold, crisp air.  Everything is decorated and twinkles both day and night.  Happy people bustle about preparing for the celebrations ahead.  It's a place for scarves and mittens, thick sweaters and knit caps, hot chocolate and spiced cider. The various holidays are celebrated with joy and the new year begins. And just like that...the snow is gone.  Leaving everything clean and refreshed, ready to embrace the quiet time and patiently await the return of the Sun. May your days be merry and bright! ~Heathen

The decorations are up, the gifts are bought, wrapped and under the tree.  All that's left to do is plan the meal and clean.  I can't believe I'm almost done!  This time last week, the tree wasn't even decorated yet.  Well, I have had help from the family so I can't take the credit.  Every day when I got home from work more decorating had been done, what a nice surprise! We are fast approaching crunch time, only 9 days left!  Less than that if you have company coming to stay!!  You can find my original crunch time post  here , but if you've got company staying with you, there are a few extra things to be done. Sleeping Arrangements - Where are you going to put those guests?  If you happen to have a guest room, this step is already done!  If not, you can always make a place in any extra room you may have (think den, office, craft room, etc.).  If at all possible, provide a bit of privacy for your guests, then just clear some spac...

As I'm sure you've noticed by now, I've added a twinkly version of Carol of the Bells to my site for this festive season.  Since not everyone enjoys music on the blogs they visit, the player is at the very bottom of the page and can be paused so the music doesn't play. Photo found  on Tumblr here. This, I think, begs the question...do you prefer music, sound effects, or nothing at all when you visit a blog?  While on my visits around blog land, I've heard seasonal songs, favorite songs, wind chimes, and crackling fires. I like the idea of the ambient sounds vs. songs you hear on the radio, but that's just me.  I chose this version of the popular carol because there are no lyrics and it's more of a background sound. So, tell me what you prefer!  Music, sounds, or nothing at all? ~Heathen

Better Homes and Gardens Happy December and welcome to the Holiday Season! I don't know about you, but I just love this big fat Christmas tree.  I tried to put my artificial tree in my big cauldron as a "container", but the tree stand is just too big.  So, for this year at least, the stand is once again covered by a tree skirt. I've seen, and implemented a lot of great decorating ideas this year.  The tree isn't decorated yet, but should be by the end of this weekend.  I honestly haven't decided if I'm going to get new ornaments or not this year.  Do you ever get tired of your ornaments too? If all goes well I'll have some decorating photos for you next week.  But for now it's time to start getting some gifts to put under the tree! ~ Heathen