Y is for Yuledtide and YAY! – Pagan Blog Project 2014

Hey, folks.
So a week ago, I started writing (thousands of words in) a post about the Year Ahead spread I did, months ago now, for my 35th birthday.
I am opting, instead, to write a celebratory (and short) piece on the impending Winter Solstice because: Happier Thoughts and Less Stress.
It’s been kind of a rough week. In-so-far as I have those these days, I mean. But I’m feeling a lot less despairing today than I was on Monday, so I think things are looking up. Right now, I’m listening to various wintery tunes (instrumental, for the most part) while waiting for my third-last Yuletide Cooking Thing to get finished (It’s chocolate-covered peanut-butter candy, and it’s chilling/solidifying in the freezer right now, so there’s no work involved at the moment). (The remaining items are a pan of caramelized onions for having with cheese and similar plus another batch of my chocolate-pumkin brownies that are gluten-free, paleo, vegan, and also amazingly delicious).
Tomorrow’s going to involve a flurry of tidying and the usual flailing around “do I have enough XYZ” for the hord that I’m hoping will descend on our home starting at around 7pm. I suspect we’ll be fine, but we shall see. I swear, I’ve got more Fancy Cheese in this year than ever before PLUS I splurged on fancy-schmancy local-ethical animal products (smoked duck breast + something kind of salami-esque) to put out, as well. The spread is going to include the following made-by-me items:
Tomato-peach salsa
Apple-red-wine jelly
Garlic-dill cucumber pickles
Roasted garlic (because that’s so difficult to make…)
The above-mentioned candy, brownies, and caramelized onions
Shortbread
Vegan ginger snaps (I’ll post the recipe – they’re amazing and exactly the right kind of crispy)
 
There will also be boxed chocolates, dips-from-the-store (two kinds of hummus – even though it’s really easy to make at home), baguette rounds, various chips, the above-mentioned mountain of fancy cheese & spiffy meat products, a lot of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (including mulled sweet cider and – our Quebecoise version of Joie – Sortilege), plus whatever people bring to share.
This should be gooooooooooooood.
 
The presents are, for the most part, sorted out – even though, for the most part, they don’t need to be dealt with until jut about New Year’s Eve and, basically, I’m writing this post from a position of relief that I wasn’t sure I’d have the luxury of feeling. Thense the YAY attached to the Yuletide. Now I get to relax, light my candles, pour my libations, and enjoy things!