Lights for the Darkness

Lights for the Darkness

Now that Thanksgiving is past (just barely!) the lights are coming up in our neighborhood, and all over the US, and all over the Northern hemisphere!  Though many Christian cultures connect this with Christmas, and it is a wonderful part of Christmas tradition,...
Easy, beautiful watercolor lanterns for fall

Easy, beautiful watercolor lanterns for fall

These beautiful watercolor lanterns are easy to make (for anyone about 4 and up).  The are pretty on your front porch with LED tea lights next to your fall pumpkins, or on the table.  Last year I made them with a few school groups, and the little ones loved carrying...
Demeter at the End of Summer

Demeter at the End of Summer

We’ve had our first cool week in Portland in a long time.  My youngest daughter started kindergarten a couple weeks ago.  I feel like Demeter at the end of summer, and I saw that same look in other mom’s eyes too.  And we talk about it.  We wear big...
Summer Road Trips: An American Tradition

Summer Road Trips: An American Tradition

The summer road trip is an American folk tradition. My family is feeling extremely classic. We are going to Yellowstone, driving from Oregon, later in June. There are tons of folk tales about the American road trip, and of course, it’s a common trope in American...
That Bossy, Vain Rooster

That Bossy, Vain Rooster

My daughter loves Chinese Zodiac signs and when she meets a new friend, she likes to find out what animal she is – a goat, a pig, a rat? She was born in the year of the pig, which she loves, because in China, many people try to have babies that year. Pigs are often...
New Year’s Traditions: What Is Meaningful to You?

New Year’s Traditions: What Is Meaningful to You?

I have never really celebrated the new year on New Year’s Day, but instead like to do it later in January, or February, more at the time of the Chinese New Year, or Imbolc, at the first breath of spring. Also, though I do make lists of things I want to do or...
Why We Decorate with Red and Green

Why We Decorate with Red and Green

The tradition of decorating for wintertime with evergreens (that sometimes have red berries) can be found in many northern European and North American cultures. It is common in places where it gets cold and dark as we approach winter solstice, and where there are...
Mrs. Sharp and Some Autumn Traditions

Mrs. Sharp and Some Autumn Traditions

I recently came across the first book written by Sarah Ban Breathnach, who you might remember later wrote the bestseller, Simple Abundance. Her first book is quirky, but I kind of love it. It’s called Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions: Reviving Victorian Family Celebrations of...