December, December, Revels and Yule!

Spelling Words black and white study

December’s first Full Moon shines brightly this night. The second will be a “blue moon”, on December 31. December is all about light in the darkness. We sharpen our eyes for beauty and grace amid the shortening days. Yule is fast approaching. What is most important to you about this holy winter season, this holiday? No shopping frenzy on my list; gifts come in many forms, and can be small and silly, or just a note to an old friend saying you still remember them. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Company and celebrations, music and light abound in our hearts in this darkest time of the year, here in the northern hemisphere.

My local gallery outlet, Kaleid, will be opening their holiday shopping month with a reception and opening of the San Jose Glass Artists exhibit on Friday, December 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. Part of the First Fridays tradition in downtown San Jose, many galleries stay open late and there will be plenty happening around town. I will be at the reception on Friday, December 4 to say hello and show some new work. Unframed art, drawings and paintings, priced for bargain shopping, will be on display at my space in the gallery (detail of one piece above, a study of letterforms for the Spelling Words book series). I will also bring along a few of my limited edition book works, which I can not normally display at the gallery as they are by nature fragile. If you are in the San Jose area, come on downtown! There is free street parking in the evenings, and the gallery itself is at the ground level of a big parking garage which can be entered on Fourth Street or San Fernando Streets. I’d love to see you.

My greeting cards for winter solstice have been an ongoing project since 1990, as many of us wish to mark the season as the rebirth of the Sun. Others who mark the birth of the Son feel some off these sentiments too, as earthwise concepts make their quiet way into organized religion. I hope my readers will consider supporting my artistic efforts of making these alternative solstice greeting cards, or other gifts available on my website. The new card for this year is The Horn Dance. Artisan cards and prints make special gifts.

And finally, if you are near any of the ten cities in the U.S. that have Revels productions this month, I encourage you to go and celebrate with community. I wrote about Revels a year ago in my last December first post, Why I Revel, and my sentiments are the same. This year our local Revels will be visiting Bavaria and exploring many of the traditions which have come to be part of our Christmas celebrations here in the U.S.

{ 2 comments… add one }
  • jocelyn 12/13/2009, 3:12 am

    Cari, this new format looks promising! So glad. I really enjoy your blog, and the heartfulness expressed therein.

  • Cari 12/13/2009, 8:23 pm

    Hurray! Thank you for persevering, Jocelyn. Maybe other people were also unable to leave comments because of the format I used. And you know how we bloggers (and all writers) love response. Otherwise it feels a bit like shouting down a well!

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