The Old Magic of Christmas

The Old Magic of Christmas PDF Author: Linda Raedisch
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 0738733342
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
'Tis the Season for Witches, Elves, and a Legion of Ghosts Not so very long ago, Yuletide was as much a chilling season of ghosts and witches as it was a festival of goodwill. In The Old Magic of Christmas, you'll rub elbows with veiled spirits, learn the true perils of elves, and discover a bestiary of enchanted creatures. Rife with the more frightful characters from folklore and the season's most petulant ghosts, this book takes you on a spooky sleigh ride from the silvered firs of a winter forest to the mirrored halls of the Snow Queen. Along the way, you'll discover how to bring the festivities into your home with cookie recipes and craft instructions, as well as tips for delving more deeply into your relationship with the unseen. Praise: "Steeped in history and adorned with a bit of enchantment, The Old Magic of Christmas is the perfect book to read by a winter's fire with a mug of mulled cider in hand."--Deborah Blake, author of The Witch's Broom "...[A] fascinating journey into the stories behind the tinsel and bows."--Doreen Shababy, author of The Wild & Weedy Apothecary "...[A]n intriguing little tome that explores the darker side of the Yuletide holiday."--Ellen Dugan, author of The Enchanted Cat

The Old Magic of Christmas

The Old Magic of Christmas PDF Author: Linda Raedisch
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 0738733342
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 314

Get Book Here

Book Description
'Tis the Season for Witches, Elves, and a Legion of Ghosts Not so very long ago, Yuletide was as much a chilling season of ghosts and witches as it was a festival of goodwill. In The Old Magic of Christmas, you'll rub elbows with veiled spirits, learn the true perils of elves, and discover a bestiary of enchanted creatures. Rife with the more frightful characters from folklore and the season's most petulant ghosts, this book takes you on a spooky sleigh ride from the silvered firs of a winter forest to the mirrored halls of the Snow Queen. Along the way, you'll discover how to bring the festivities into your home with cookie recipes and craft instructions, as well as tips for delving more deeply into your relationship with the unseen. Praise: "Steeped in history and adorned with a bit of enchantment, The Old Magic of Christmas is the perfect book to read by a winter's fire with a mug of mulled cider in hand."--Deborah Blake, author of The Witch's Broom "...[A] fascinating journey into the stories behind the tinsel and bows."--Doreen Shababy, author of The Wild & Weedy Apothecary "...[A]n intriguing little tome that explores the darker side of the Yuletide holiday."--Ellen Dugan, author of The Enchanted Cat

Pagan Christmas

Pagan Christmas PDF Author: Christian Rätsch
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1594776601
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 559

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Book Description
An examination of the sacred botany and the pagan origins and rituals of Christmas • Analyzes the symbolism of the many plants associated with Christmas • Reveals the shamanic rituals that are at the heart of the Christmas celebration The day on which many commemorate the birth of Christ has its origins in pagan rituals that center on tree worship, agriculture, magic, and social exchange. But Christmas is no ordinary folk observance. It is an evolving feast that over the centuries has absorbed elements from cultures all over the world--practices that give plants and plant spirits pride of place. In fact, the symbolic use of plants at Christmas effectively transforms the modern-day living room into a place of shamanic ritual. Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling show how the ancient meaning of the botanical elements of Christmas provides a unique view of the religion that existed in Europe before the introduction of Christianity. The fir tree was originally revered as the sacred World Tree in northern Europe. When the church was unable to drive the tree cult out of people’s consciousness, it incorporated the fir tree by dedicating it to the Christ child. Father Christmas in his red-and-white suit, who flies through the sky in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, has his mythological roots in the shamanic reindeer-herding tribes of arctic Europe and Siberia. These northern shamans used the hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom, which is red and white, to make their soul flights to the other world. Apples, which figure heavily in Christmas baking, are symbols of the sun god Apollo, so they find a natural place at winter solstice celebrations of the return of the sun. In fact, the authors contend that the emphasis of Christmas on green plants and the promise of the return of life in the dead of winter is just an adaptation of the pagan winter solstice celebration.

Christmas Treasury of Yuletide Stories and Poems

Christmas Treasury of Yuletide Stories and Poems PDF Author: James Charlton
Publisher: Galahad Books
ISBN: 9780883658017
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 420

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Book Description
A collection of stories and poems on Christmas; some well-known by famous authors, some little known.

Yuletide Homicide

Yuletide Homicide PDF Author: Jennifer David Hesse
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496704975
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
A Wiccan attorney’s latest case involves blackmail, murder, and Christmas in this cozy mystery by the author of Bell, Book & Candlemas. It’s Christmas in Edindale, Illinois, and family law attorney Keli Milanni is preparing to celebrate the Wiccan holiday Yuletide, a celebration of rebirth. But this Yuletide someone else is focused on dying . . . After years of practicing in secret, Keli has come out as a Wiccan to her boyfriend, and she feels like this Yuletide she’s the one who’s being reborn. But the Solstice is the longest night of the year, and Keli is about to stumble on a mystery so dangerous, she’ll be lucky to make it to morning. Paired with her unbearably stuffy colleague Crenshaw Davenport III, Keli goes undercover at a real estate company owned by mayoral candidate Edgar Harrison. An old friend of Keli’s boss, Harrison, is being blackmailed, and it’s up to her to find the culprit. But the morning after the company holiday party, Harrison is found dead underneath the hotel Christmas tree. The police rule the death an accident, but Keli knows better—and she’ll risk her own rebirth to nab a missing killer. Praise for Yuletide Homicide “Hesse incorporates Keli’s Wiccan practices into her story line, with prayers to the Goddess and incantations that assist her sleuth in gaining insights to solve the mystery. A perfect read for New Age devotees and those who prefer the pagan version of Yuletide.” —Library Journal “Hesse easily balances murder and romance in this holiday tale that's so cozy.” —Kirkus Reviews

Krampus and Other Yuletide Tales

Krampus and Other Yuletide Tales PDF Author: Faina Lorah
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781733629171
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 90

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Book Description
Some traditions should never be lost, like scaring your children into behaving well and teaching them to trick demons during the cold winter. Introducing Krampus and Other Yuletide Tales, a collection of wonderful macabre folk tales that have been nearly lost forever...until now. Featuring thirteen wintery stories and over sixty hauntingly beautiful illustrations, this book contains the kind of thrilling tales that will bring the family together and keep them up at night. So snuggle up with Snegurochka, the snow maiden who melts away as soon as she finds real love. Cozy up around the fire and read the story of Frau Perchta, a witch who happily slices open the bodies of misbehaving children. Watch your kids' eyes light up as they hear about Father Frost, the original present-giving bearded man who would rather freeze them to death than wastefully put a lump of coal in their stockings for being rude. Krampus is coming to town and everybody is on his naughty list. This is not your grandmother's collection of stories. These belong to her grandmother, the babushka, who knew how to celebrate Yule right: a bountiful feast paired with a little tale of murder.

Sleigh Rides, Jingle Bells, and Silent Nights

Sleigh Rides, Jingle Bells, and Silent Nights PDF Author: Ronald D. Lankford
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 081304782X
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
When Bing Crosby’s "White Christmas" debuted in 1942, no one imagined that a holiday song would top the charts year after year. One of the best-selling singles ever released, it remains on rotation at tree lighting ceremonies across the country, in crowded shopping malls on Black Friday, and at warm diners on lonely Christmas Eve nights. Over the years, other favorites have been added to America’s annual playlist, including Elvis Presley’s "Blue Christmas," the King Cole Trio’s "The Christmas Song," Gene Autry’s "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," Willie Nelson’s "Pretty Paper," and, of course, Elmo & Patsy’s "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Viewing American holiday values through the filter of familiar Christmas songs, Ronald Lankford examines popular culture, consumerism, and the dynamics of the traditional American family. He surveys more than seventy-five years of songs and reveals that the “modern American Christmas” has carried a complex and sometimes contradictory set of meanings. Interpreting tunes against the backdrop of the eras in which they were first released, he identifies the repeated themes of nostalgia, commerce, holiday blues, carnival, and travesty that underscore so much beloved music. This first full-length analysis of the lyrics, images, and commercial forces inextricably linked to Yuletide music hits the heart of what many Americans think Christmas is--or should be.

Creatively Christmas

Creatively Christmas PDF Author: Jennifer Rizzo
Publisher: Plain Sight Publishing
ISBN: 9781462114245
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Make your Christmas merry and bright! Follow popular designer and lifestyle blogger Jennifer Rizzo on a journey through the yuletide season--and learn how to make your own beautiful decorations, such as the Sparkly Doily Banner, Snowball Jingle Bells, Reindeer Tea Towel, and more. So grab a hot glue gun and pom-poms and enjoy page after page of glittery and festive projects.

The Christmas Troll and Other Yuletide Stories

The Christmas Troll and Other Yuletide Stories PDF Author: Clement A. Miles
Publisher: Weiser Books
ISBN: 1619400146
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 38

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Book Description
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post’s Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla’s affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Beware the Scandinavian Christmas Troll! They love to dance and drink through the night on Christmas Eve. If you are in Bavaria, take heed of the Berchte--a wretched bogey who cuts the stomachs open of naughty children. In this wonderful collection of folkloric traditions from early 20th century author Clement A. Miles you will find werewolves, devils, goblins, curses, hexes, and rituals of the dead, all as they relate to Yuletide celebrations around the world.

The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas

The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas PDF Author: Al Ridenour
Publisher: Feral House
ISBN: 162731041X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
The Krampus, a folkloric devil associated with St. Nicholas in Alpine Austria and Germany, has been embraced by the American counterculture and is lately skewing mainstream. The new Christmas he seems to embody is ironically closer to an ancient understanding of the holiday as a perilous, haunted season. In the Krampus' world, witches rule Christmas, and saints can sometimes kill.

Yule

Yule PDF Author: Dorothy Morrison
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 9781567184969
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
Jam-packed with more than 60 spells, invocations, and rituals, "Yule" guides readers through the magic of the season, as they discover the origin of the eight tiny reindeer, brew up some Yuletide coffee, and learn ways to create their own holiday traditions and crafts based on celebrations from a variety of countries and beliefs.