The other day I was thinking about concerns and stresses around the holidays. I now know that I  don’t have any. In contrast to the world at large I have nothing of importance in my little life to make me anxious. How lucky I am.

I didn’t feel that way a few weeks ago. Prior even  to the attacks in Paris I was feeling some discouragement about the increasing violence in our world, the materialism, the economy and the challenges facing our succeeding generations that were not a part of our world at younger ages.

To get off this depressing train of thought I decided to banish some of the inner and outer darkness by putting up some outside lights. Never before have I cared about outside decorations or even many indoor ones.  Now these lights feel to me to be vigilant, kind of like prayer flags, sending light out and up.  They give me comfort. They are at the back of our house so only briefly seen from the road. They are for us to see.

My only self imposed- I don’t even know what to call it because it doesn’t rank as a concern in the larger scheme of things-deadline maybe? this season has been to get presents ready to mail off to family and friends. Just creating them also gives me comfort. Today most went. To get ready I have been:

Making mint scented soap:

Yarn ready for the church fair:

Fleece I washed, dyed and spun for the yarn from Lenox the alpaca and Lucinda the Bluefaced Leicester sheep.

A scarf in progress. Will it be done in time or given on the needles with a promise to finish? 🙂

Here is the remaining yarn being made into a skein on the wool winder.

Polwarth/silk yarn

Batts for spinner friends:

One project that isn’t even on the radar for this year but will be for next:

Cotton dishtowels

See the threads that look different from the other weaving? That’s not a mistake, oh no, it is a design element.

Anyone who has the money for these materials, a healthy family and a peaceful home in which to make the projects has no personal concerns this holiday season.