Las Posadas

Tonight is the start of Las Posadas, a nine-day Mexican celebration that begins on December 16 each year. Posadas is Spanish for "lodging", and the nine days represent the nine months of Mary's pregnancy. In Mexico, people gather tonight and carry candles and clay figures of Mary and Joseph from house to house, reenacting Mary and Joseph’s search for a room at an inn. They are turned away again and again with a rude “No!” Finally, one house allows them to enter, and everyone celebrates with food and a piñata. The procession is repeated each night through Christmas Eve, ending with a party at a different house.

Tonight is also the start of the Christmas Novena in Italy. A Novena is a Catholic ritual, a prayer repeated daily for nine days. It can take place at any time of the year, but one of the most observed is the Christmas Novena, recited or sung during the nine days leading up to Christmas day. Las Posadas comes from that same tradition.

Agenda:

1. Read a novena

2. Read "Present Moment Awareness"

3. Set out our crèche

4. Plan a piñata party!

Hanukkah

Hanukkah 2021

Tonight is the first night of the eight day Jewish holiday known as the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is observed beginning 3 days before the new moon closest to the winter solstice, at the darkest part of the moon phase and the darkest part of the sun phase.

At the new moon I will move to a new theme focus - from grace to stillness, a perfect theme for this next phase of my life. 

Monday is my day to reset for the week and get my ducks in a row - make some plans for health, home, holiday, and prepare for Grandson fun. Today I'm also making a few transition-to-stillness plans for the week:

• Clear in-basket and one box of stuff in the office
• A big end-of-year journal brainstorm
• Finish some books (Sweet Spot? Present Moment?) so I can start new books

Agenda:

1. Read "The Sweet Spot"

2. Advent school plans

3. Fall Order and Home projects

4. Prepare for Hanukkah

5. Make potato latkes

6. Hanukia Ceremony