Yuletide Eve

As many of you may know, I had been struggling for a few years to decide what I should refer to December 25th, and the madness surrounding it, as. Since I'm no longer a Christian, I didn't want to refer to it as "Christmas," even though I had used that word for most of my life, because not only does it imply some sort of allegiance to Christ (not that I have anything against him - mainly just against Christianity itself) but it also misrepresents the entire holiday. As a society, we have progressed and become more aware of each others differing viewpoints, beliefs, and cultures - yet in the US many people still refer to the holidays as "Christmas," despite the fact that many groups of people - such as Jewish people, atheists, etc., do not actually celebrate Christmas or recognize that as the reason for their winter celebrations. Having done quite a bit of research, I discovered that Yuletide had been celebrated by pagans throughout history long before Jesus Christ was ever born (arguably in the summertime, not in the winter or specifically December 25th). The customs and meaning behind Yuletide resonated more with me, and it's a word that Christians are familiar with so I can usually slip it by without anyone noticing - and if they do ask, I'm fully prepared to explain myself. I have had a few people unleash on me, and people are free to feel however they want about the holidays, but for me personally I have made a conscious decision to celebrate Yuletide and incorporate some aspects of Christmas and Hanukkah.
Anyway, today I did a lot of preparations for the holidays baking more food and treats to give as gifts. Dylan went and got Robbie while I was cooking away and when they got there she was very happy to receive some freshly made cookies and flavored mixed nuts. I had also made my first homemade Fruitcake which turned out really good!
Dylan and I went over to his cousin Shannon and her partner Susanne's house for a formal dinner and several of his other cousins and relatives were there so it was a lot of fun. We didn't do a gift exchange or anything but we did bring them a bottle of Bubble Vodka and some of the homemade snacks I had made.
The dinner was delicious and we had a great time eating and talking around the table.
When we got home, Robbie was still up so we hung out with her for a bit before we went to bed.
It was the first Yuletide Eve in a long time that I didn't have the Strecker's traditional Oyster Stew, but since I was the only Strecker around (and Dylan hates oysters) it just wasn't in the cards. It was sad, but I think it would have been even more sad if I had just made it to eat myself.