a wassail toast to merry olde christmas

December 1, 2020.Reading time 17 minutes.

Many of us who love the Renaissance Festival and the history that it’s loosely planted in observe traditions that trace back to the early days of Christian European and English rituals. We may have trees strung with ornaments of the Twelve Days, or perhaps we indulge in a baked Yule Log. Mercifully, the tradition […]

A Cozy WInter: Comfort and Joy in Old rituals and New traditions, A note from the editor

December 1, 2020.Reading time 5 minutes.

I had my first cup of hot chocolate last night after a brisk walk with my mini schnauzer, Molly. Our neighborhood, the residents of which are very competitive in the township’s Holiday Decorating Contest, is in the midst of transformation, professional light installers were still on tall ladders, tucking white C9 bulbs along roof lines […]