Reclaimed Christmas Carols

Last night, my Women's Drumming and Goddess Chanting Circle met for our annual Winter Solstice celebration. (The Circle meets on the first Wednesday evening of every month, which is why our festive partying seems so early!) Anyway, we had our usual singalong of Solstice songs and chants, including several "reclaimed" Christmas carols. Lyrics for such reclaimed carols are widely available on the Internet.

I thought I'd share one with you today which is a particular Circle favourite:

God Rest Ye Merry, Pagan Folk

God rest ye merry, pagan folk,

Let nothing you dismay.

Remember that the sun returns

Upon this Solstice day.

The growing dark is ending now

And Spring is on its way!

Chorus

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy!

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy!

The Goddess rest ye merry, too,

And keep you safe from harm.

Remember that we live within

The circle of Her arms.

And may Her love give years to come

A very special charm!

Chorus

Happy Hanukkah!

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah and the lighting of the first candle. I've always loved the beautiful symbolism of the Festival of Lights. The sacred eternal flame of the Temple in Jerusalem did not flicker out, as it should have done for lack of oil, but miraculously burned for eight days until more consecrated oil could be prepared.

Similarly, the sacred flame within ourselves is not easily extinguished. May everyone's special inner light burn brightly and help illuminate the world!

Grey Cup Heartache

There is no joy in Gopherville. The mighty Riders have crapped out.

Montreal 21, Saskatchewan 18. We Westerners must now slink away, bind up our wounds and bide our time . . . .

Next year! *shakes fist* The Cup, it will be ours.

It's Grey Cup Weekend!

The Canadian Football League championship game is being played this Sunday in Edmonton and apparently we're all Hot to Huddle! Because that's the only way to keep warm at the outdoor game . . . well, apart from lots of booze and 10 layers of winter clothing. In 2002, the last time Edmonton hosted the Grey Cup, the slogan was Party in Your Parka! Heh heh heh.

Actually, the weather forecast for Sunday afternoon's game is a balmy -5°C, which is pretty darn good considering that it was -28°C just a couple of nights ago.

This year the Big Game is between the Montreal Alouettes (Eastern Canada Champions) and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (Western Canada Champions) -- the same teams as last year. And it'll be a real grudge match too. Being a Westerner, I must (of course) cheer for Saskatchewan. Go Riders Go!

The Lion Tamer

Does this guy have the best job in the world or what?



And a tip o' my hat to A Rose Is A Rose at ravings of a semi-sane madwoman where I first saw this video (together with the Cuteness Overload Kitty on Monday)! She always posts interesting stuff, so be sure to go check out her blog!

License Plate Hijinks

Last week, Brahm at alfred lives here had a funny post about vanity plates, including a link to photos of some "best" and "worst" ones. His post reminded me of an infamous license plate that was issued in Winnipeg about 30 years ago when I was in university, so I thought I would share that story today.

Here in Canada, all license plates (regular and vanity) are pre-screened by the province to ensure that they do not contain swear words, sexual imagery, discriminatory insults or prejudicial slurs. But one such license plate slipped by Manitoba officials. And it wasn't even a vanity plate -- it was just a regular alphanumeric licence plate. It read: 69 AAH

Everyone heard of and laughed about that plate. I thought it was just an urban legend until one day when I actually saw it for myself! The plate was on a car driven by an older, sweet-looking, white-haired couple who probably had no idea of their license plate's double entendre. Or maybe they knew exactly what it meant and thought it was hilarious!

Never underestimate the elderly.

Monday Morning Overdose of CUTE!

Start your week off right by watching this!

Oh, those big black eyes and that crazy tail! Who knew a McDonald's bag could be so much fun?