Arsenic & Old Lace
Happy December! Happy Yule!
Happy December!
Snow, chilly weather, decorations, family gatherings, good homemade food, the good witch Befana, the rebirth of the Sun King, and an all night Solstice vigil. All of those things and more are part of our family traditions during this time of year.
However you and your family celebrate the holiday(s) of this season, we would like to wish you the very best and safest of times.
"Our Christian friends are often quite surprised at how enthusiastically we Pagans celebrate the 'Christmas' season. Even though we prefer to use the word "Yule", and our celebrations may peak a few days before the twenty-fifth, we nonetheless follow many of the traditional customs of the season: decorated trees, caroling, presents, Yule logs, and mistletoe. We might even go so far as putting up a 'Nativity set', though for us the three central characters are likely to be interpreted as Mother Nature, Father Time, and the baby Sun God. None of this will come as a surprise to anyone who knows the true history of the holiday, of course."
The above paragraph comes from a great Yule article by Mike Nichols. We are lucky enough to have him permission to repost the entire article on our site: Yule/Midwinter's Eve.
Since this is such a wonderful solar-centered time of year, we'd like to offer you a special gift. For December, we're going to put all of our "sun themed items" on sale for our members!
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New & Noteworthy - New Collections, Networking Pages, & Blogging
- Our blog is going to be moving! We'll still have links to it from our site, but the new blog will have it's own special address: http://stregonemago.blogspot.com/. Because we send out a monthly newsletter, the blog will become more focused on Vinnie's personal musings rather than specifically store-centric stuff. However, it will also contain events that we are planning or attending. Over the next few months, we will also be duplicating some articles over there.
- Featured Products for December: In honor of the turning of the Wheel and the Yule rebirth of the Sun, we've gathered all of our sun-themed products in one convenient space. Members save 15%.
- For the New Witch Collection: What's a new Witch to stock their cupboards with? We know the choices can be difficult so here are our suggestions! We've picked a few items from each of our most popular categories to help the new Witch start out! You'll find all the essentials such as elemental Tools, devotional Statues, Jewelry, and more.
- Join us on Facebook at our own FanPage! Come on by and start a discussion on our Fan Page or even review a product. We also post upcoming event that we sponsor or attend.
Come by and let us know what you think!
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Upcoming Events - A Befana Yule
Join Vinnie and the Society of Elder Faiths in celebrating the Winter Solstice - Yule, the Return of the Sun! This year we will be presenting a "Befana Yule" ritual.
Date:
Friday, December 11th
Time:
Doors open at 6 PM
Orientation at 7 PM
Place:
Brigham Hill Community Farm
Befana is the Italian "good witch" who brings gifts of the season to the children. She represents the Goddess of the Hearth who gives renewal to the Sun. She is also the old crone who connects us to our Ancestors and the cycle of life, growth, and renewal.
As this a community Sabbat ritual and celebration, attendees are asked to bring a fully prepared dish to share for the feast afterwards. More information can be found:
http://www.elderfaiths.org/yule09.html.
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About Arsenic & Old Lace
Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1981 and now exclusively on the web, Arsenic & Old Lace is dedicated to providing quality products and advice to the Pagan and Wiccan communities. We have become one of the best known occult supply shops in New England and one of the most trusted places to get quality supplies and gifts. We strive to provide the best possible service for our customers.
You can choose from over 6000 products and save 5% or more off retail prices.
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