This has been the most wonderful season of love and progress for me! I truly hope that everyone is experiencing blessings and joy this holiday season. Last night, while I was sitting and reading, for the first time in the 4 years since I adopted my little black cat, he walked over and sat on my lap for over an hour and a half.
This may not seem like a big deal for some, but Constantine is an ex street cat who wound up in a shelter before I adopted him. He is my most skittish cat and is the first to leave a room and the last to enter a room. When new people come, he is hidden away until after a few visits when he gets used to them. When you pet him, he wants it on his terms and often comes behind you so that you have to akwardly reach around to pet him. Picking him up is a huge no no because he tenses and then runs off. During this last week, not only has he started laying on his back, he is also letting me pet his belly! Although he does make awkward eye contact when I do…. I think it still leaves him nervous to do it but he is still willing.
So I will credit this season of growth for 2 priceless presents. My little baby boy now allows for belly rubs AND he willingly sat in my lap, not once, but twice in one night! All of my friends and everyone who knows him is so proud and happy for his progress!
Now! On to the 4th day of Yule! Honestly, I wanted to take time for myself again. I had a physical therapy appointment yesterday and it left me very sore. Crazy enough there was an appointment on Christmas Eve. I was just as surprised by the opening in their schedule as you probably are. I stayed up late following the Santa Tracker offered by NORAD.
For all of you who do not know the story behind NORAD, in 1955, at the height of Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union, U.S. Air Force General Harry Shoup at the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD)in Colorado received a call on a top-secret hotline. Bracing himself for news of a missile attack, the general instead heard the shaky voice of a young boy asking, “Are you really Santa Claus?” The number had been mistakenly published in the newspaper as a Sears Santa hotline.
Instead of reaching the Santa standing by at the Sears Toyland, the children of Colorado Springs had instead connected with one of America’s most sensitive military installations. Shoup called AT&T and said to give Sears that phone number and get them a new one, but in the meantime they had to have servicemen answer the calls.
When Shoup visited his troops on Christmas Eve to distribute cookies, he looked up at the three-story-tall map of the North American continent that dominated the operations center to see that someone had sketched Santa’s sleigh descending from the North Pole alongside the unidentified objects detected in American airspace. The idea for the Santa Tracker was born, on December 24, 1955. Shoup became known as the “Santa colonel,” a nickname he embraced with pride. Today, 1,500 NORAD troops and volunteers answer phone lines on Christmas Eve.
In the digital age, St. Nick’s real-time progress can be monitored on social media, on smartphones and tablets through the official app, and on the NORAD Tracks Santa website, which is available in eight languages. As of 2017, Amazon Echo users can ask Alexa for Santa’s whereabouts.
No matter what your religion, or even if you have kids, watching Santa traverse the globe and waiting for him to come to your city is a lot of fun! Santa visited my city at 12:41 in the morning my time! I even left him a plate of cookies and some booze! 😉 If you didn’t know about it for this year, this could be a super fun activity to do next year on Christmas Eve with friends and family!
So I slept in a bit, called my family, and spent much of the day reading and doing research throughout my herbal books for my cloves post. I burned more sandalwood incense (it’s one of my favorites!) and watched a new movie because I have been feeling like such a lazy witch as of late! I always watch witchy movies to help me get back in the swing! Today’s movie was Mary and the Witch’s Flower. I highly recommend for any witch out there. It is by Studio Ghibli so if you enjoyed Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, or Spirited Away, then you will enjoy this movie!
Partway through my magical movie, I received a visit from a little kitty cat outside! The sweet baby took the time to stare at me for a bit before moving on with his lovely night.
I had made a post earlier about cloves and their uses, including around this time of year. It inspired me to try my hand at the clove citrus decoration and I think it came out rather nice. Super simple and easy to do. My hands smelled so nice afterwards! I made the pattern simple and next year I might get a little more fancy. In the meantime, it is now an offering to Hekate for her Yule enjoyment!
And finally, I lit the 4th candle in my beautiful wreath to say goodnight to another day of growth, rest, and slowly but surely, additional sunlight!
From our altar to yours, with love from the sea,
