I get more and more shameless every year in my open
adoration of this holiday. Yes, the commercialization
and wasteful glut disgust me – but it means so much more
to me than that. Even in Texas, (where we can often be found
in short-sleeves around this time of year) I can completely
grasp the need for a winter festival. It makes perfect sense
to make merry, cover everything in sparkly lights, eat delicious
things and be close to loved ones at a time that might otherwise
be just depressingly cold. Any matters of the spirit notwithstanding,
it just seems right to celebrate at this time of year. My own beliefs
lean more towards honoring ancient traditions, and reveling in the
cult of coziness! I am happy to report that our holiday was mighty
blissful, despite the disasters that preceded it! (More on that below..)
Miniature mincemeat tarts + marzipan stollen + pfeffernüsse are
making our bellies full of jelly, and we’ve had a pot of hot spiced
cider going continually. It smells very delicious in our kitchen!

These carved wooden hands are from the collection of my friend and
employer, Mr. Steve Wiman. We look forward to the Uncommon Objects
Christmas party all year long – it’s always so much fun, and there are so
many gorgeous things (and people) to peer at! We have been
attending lots of fun holiday parties – some tranquil, and some raucous,
but all full of convivial camaraderie and good cheer. We had an orphan
hexmas eve gathering for our friends Faith Delphi and Lex Land, who very
nearly share a birthday (the 24th and the 25th, respectively! So many hexmas
babies! Why, Chadling of Mon Petit Fantome has one today!
Capricorns, unite! All of these are musicians, as well!
Oh yes, and there’s also Patience Meliora, Hollybella and probably
a lot of others I’m forgetting right now. So many of my favorite people
are Capricorns, or earth-signs. Is that vain, or just a case of like attracting like?
Regardless, all hexmas-birthday darlings deserve extra special love
on their whelping day since they can get kind of shafted as far as celebrating
sans immediate family goes – so if you know one, give them lots of kisses!

Is this not the creepiest Santa ever? Well, maybe not if you go peruse
Santa, NO! (The Tumblr Experience), but beware – don’t get lost in the evil santa vortex!

(Photographer unknown to me – if it’s yours, or you know who took this one, do let me know! )

I’ve adopted the fly-agaric, or Amanita muscaria mushroom
as my official hexmas motif, and I’ve gone a bit crazy finding
wee amanita decorations to festoon my world. I also got my
sweetheart a copy of Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic
Mushroom, by Andy Letcher, which I can’t wait to swipe from him and read!
It apparently disputes the treatise of John M. Allegro’s
The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross, which I nabbed
from my papa’s bookshelf when I was 14 (sorry Dad!)

The evidence. This year we got a real live tree – a potted
perfume cedar. Very exciting! I wonder if we ought to plant it
or leave it in the pot for next year? Anyone had experience with these?

I really wanted a Bûche de Noël covered in mushrooms this year,
but I arrived at the bakery too late! All gone to early birds, alas.

We made it through the holiday with only one major mishap, but it was
a pretty awful one. We came home the night of the 23rd, after a very long
day to discover that the evil kitties had knocked down our lovely tree,
and smashed many of my mama’s beloved spun glass ornaments.
I totally flipped out. Worst hexmas nightmare ever! Those delicate
things so precious, and to see them shattered on the ground was
so painful. I miss my mom a lot at this time of year, and enacting
wee tannenbaum rituals is a way for me to connect with her memory.
Luckily, my love is a hero. He swept up all the pieces, and put them
in a jar for me to keep, and re-instated the tree – securing it to the wall
and ceiling with twine! He really saved the day. I love him so!

Speaking of ornaments, every year at the Uncommon Objects
Christmas party, it’s a tradition to create an ornament on a theme:
this year’s was recovery – very apt for me! Mine is the gold
thread- wrapped sweetgum seed with the poppy pod sprout.

Here are the perpetrators of the tree debacle. Bad brothers.
Anyone want a couple of very ill-behaved felines?

Clearly, they need to start livin’ by this edict.
This is one of my favorite things at the Wiman’s house -
and I think it’s very good advice indeed.
DO RIGHT AND FEAR NOT, y’all!

One day, when I have a functioning oven, I’m going to be a holiday cookie
makin’ demon! It’s one of my favorite things to do! Mostly the decorating
part! How do you like my blue stars and uterus lady? Red hots for ovaries!

Oh and also, just so you know – the holidays are a time to dress your
animal friends up in your clothes. I think Grrizelda looks pretty perfect
in my sweater, don’t you? I would give it to her, but she keeps trying to eat it.

A very Siouxsie Christmas to you! I love it when she says her favorite
things about this season are the colors and the fairy-lights.
She’s so elegant, even when being pelted by plastic snow
and harangued by morons. I really wish she would adopt me.

I hope your holiday was very merry, warm + bright!
Mine was really perfect – golden and filled with good company,
songs around bonfires and pianos and a wealth of delicious
delectables (tamales, tortilla soup and queso! Hell yes, Texas Hexmas!)
I am feeling super content at the moment, and I am sending sincere
wishes that you and yours are as well – if you have some time to relax
here are some tidbits for you to peruse:
♥ More photos from this year’s Hexmas
♥ Tinsel Tales: NPR Christmas Stories
♥ Verhext’s Tinsel & Diamonds
♥ Gala’s current bevy of links + delight + magic will keep you busy
and amused even through the thickest blizzard, go peek!

& from days of yore:
♥ Happy Hexmas!
♥ Imps of Winter
♥ The Last of Winter
♥ send me your flowers of your december