At this time of year there are a lot of celebrations going on. It’s a good time to remember what our ancestors would be going through at this time of the year. They would be taking stock of how many supplies they had and hopeing to get through the winter. They be checking their livestock to see if they were healthy and to see if they can get through the winter as well. While we can just go to the grocery store to pick up anything that we forgot or that we need, they had already gotten all their crops from the field and put their livestock in the barns.
Being on your own, that is with just yourself and your family to rely upon, could be a scary time. Some groups, like a native Americans and the Norse, would be more of a community helping each other. It is from these times that the season’s celebrations come. The livestock that looked like it was not going to make it through the winter, the grains that might spoil in the time left, would not go to waste. They would use these to celebrate the fact that longest night had passed them that the days would be getting longer heading once more toward spring. It also meant that, as a community, that you had hunters who could help replenish your stock by going out and finding wildlife.
So, at this time of celebration remember that there are others who are not as fortunate. People that could use the support of the community to help them get through this winter. So, if you see someone in need, treat them as family because, after all, we are all family.
Remember to let those that you love know that you love them. Don’t assume that they do, but tell them. Let them know that in their darkest night you will always be there as a light.
