The darkest night of the year

[Sundae]

So many Christmas traditions are borrowed from pagan roots that you should find it pretty easy.

For example, bringing greenery into the house (holly, mistletoe, "Christmas" trees), the giving of gifts, coins, food. Candles and incense are a bit thing - it's a festival of light. You are encouraging the sun to come back by your example.

Get your guests to bring certain meaningful things across your threshold. Bread for life, salt for savour, candy for a sweet life, wine for celebration etc. You can also scatter meaningful herbs on your doorstep so that they are also receiving a blessing. Again - if you have the chance of an open fire you can throw in pinches of herbs and spices tht have special meaning to you.

I'd recommend Christmas Crackers just because they are brightly coloured and have their own symbolism. When you pull them, the noise they make will scare off evil spirits as well as deliver you a gift.

Singing is another great thing to get into the habit of. Might be trickier finding songs than it is carols, but if you can encourage your daughters to practice a song to sing to you, it would be a wonderful gift. If you're not a singing family perhaps you could write a special verse to recite.

Food-wise, just choose what you enjoy - but I would suggest having at least one symbolic thing. Whether that's an alcohol soaked pudding, something in a ring (for the circle of life) or an egg based dessert - you'll know what you like. You can even just bake a family favourite and call it a symbolic name.

The great thing is, you can make your own traditions. I mean, sure, you can at Christmas too, but you are probably tied to what your family did before you.

ETA - not Santa Claus, Father Christmas. He's definitely pagan.

[Scriveyn]

Connected to Christianity, but surely with "pagan" roots and symbolic of the returning light, are the Santa Lucia celebrations in Sweden. (just google Lucia sweden) to get an impression and background info.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Singing is another great thing to get into the habit of. Might be trickier finding songs than it is carols, but if you can encourage your daughters to practice a song to sing to you, it would be a wonderful gift. If you're not a singing family perhaps you could write a special verse to recite.

There are actually quite a few "Christmas" carols that have no mention of Christmas or religion in them, they are just about Winter.

Jingle Bells (Which actually originated as a song about Thanksgiving.)
Winter Wonderland
Frosty The Snowman
Let it Snow
The German "oh Tannenbaum"

(OK, so I could only think of 4 before I had to go to foreign languages, but there must be more)