Winter Solstice California Style

Last night I attended a winter solstice ritual with a friend of mine from Ocean Beach.  It was.... surreal, and I kept looking around for cameras, because I felt a bit like I was in a movie.  By movie, I'm thinking, "The Men Who Stare at Goats" (if you haven't seen it it's quite funny).

We called to Ganesha (the elephant headed god), and chanted, and sang "We wish you a Merry Yuletide",  then we wrote our blessings and wishes for the new year on scraps of paper and burned them in an urn.  Before I stepped in the circle to burn my scribbled down hopes an Asian woman, who had been very quiet all night and never removed her jacket, stepped up and gingerly placed her paper in the flames.  As I stood over the urn and dropped in my crumpled ball of wishes I saw her paper aflame with the word FREEDOM written boldly across it. I glanced up at her and her head was down carefully inspecting the carpet.  Silently I stepped back and returned to my place in the circle. The evening ended with vegan chocolate cookies and hot apple cider.

Phoebe's been running a fever the last two days and has been feeling generally crummy.  So while she was feeling cranky and out of sorts she cornered me and demanded to know if Santa was real.  I sighed and muttered and then I said "Well, you're nine years old now.... No, Mommy and Daddy buy all the presents."
"You do? You buy them all?"
"Yup! (feeling kinda proud)"
And then... She burst into tears and wouldn't stop crying.  I had to draft Chloe and make her talk to her, which seemed to help.  Then she asked me about The Tooth Fairy , which was a shocker (as I've mentioned before I'm the biggest slacker of a Tooth Fairy that ever was).  I guess believing magical creatures are coming, bringing cash and gifts is just more appealing and fun. Growing up is such downer.
Blessings to you all this Holiday Season!