🕯️✨ Reclaiming Peace When Traditions No Longer Align
The Dissonance of a Warm December
The sun shone brightly, and the Christmas air here in Colorado felt uncomfortably warm. Looking at the dry grass where snow "should" have fallen, I felt a profound internal shift—a sense that something was fundamentally different. This absence of a "White Christmas" highlighted the growing dissonance between my inner truth and outdated seasonal expectations.
If Christmas still feels deeply meaningful for you, I invite you to hold onto that joy. But if you felt "off" or out of place this year, this reflection is for you. This "Christmas dissonance"—the disconnect between true sacredness and the modern spectacle—can be exhausting.
Society often calls this the "post-holiday blues," but I believe many of us are actually experiencing energetic overload. Between the heavy foods, the constant noise, and the hurried schedules that push past our natural rhythm, our systems are simply signaling a need for a different kind of winter.
I hope that these words help you reclaim your space, breathe, and let go of the pressure of overconsumption. Let us consider how we can make this liminal space between Christmas and the New Year feel more sacred, intentional, and peaceful.
1. The True Spirit of Winter | Overshadowed by Consumption
The true essence of winter was originally about quietly honoring the return of light and celebrating the sun's increasing strength. It was a sacred time for reflection, resilience, and anticipating brighter, warmer days.
However, modern celebrations often focus on different values:
• Overspending as a proxy for love or to maintain appearances.
• Attending the annual church service out of obligation, rather than engaging in genuine daily devotion.
• Sugar rushes that leave us drained and bloated instead of nourished.
It is getting harder for me to ignore that this is not how I want to receive or express love during the holidays.
2. The Sacred Symbolism of the Yule Log
Long before the holiday became a spectacle, it centered on a single, massive log burned for twelve days. It provided a steady, essential light in the deepest dark.
The Yule Log mindset is focusing on what is essential, what is warm, and what provides a steady light in the dark. I prefer the warmth of sacred, intentional connection and grounding rituals that sustain the spirit.
3. Inviting in More Aligned, Soul-Fulfilling Rituals
It's natural to outgrow inherited traditions as your spirituality evolves. If outdated structures feel impersonal, it doesn't mean a loss of faith. Instead, your faith becomes more expansive, embodied, and Earth-centered. I find peace in my backyard, tending to birds, squirrels, and rabbits with water and seeds. This daily devotion is an offering to the Earth, more meaningful than rushing for gifts that might gather dust.
4. Honoring the Grief
What grief and sadness might be bubbling up to be acknowledged for you?
This year was my first Christmas since my Mother passed away. With my remaining family scattered—my Dad in New Zealand and my Sister in New York—I felt a strange sense of emptiness and abandonment. While my soul was in a necessary season of mourning, I felt internally compelled to keep up appearances with my fiancé’s family. There is a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from performing a tradition on autopilot without its original foundation.
eGrief can look like:
Watching a holiday that once felt magical become performative.
The inability to "unsee" the waste—the oversized black garbage bags of paper headed for a landfill.
Feeling out of alignment with symbols that don't honor the Earth, like the tradition of cutting down a tree.
Celebrating without family members who were once pivotal symbols of holiday joy.
A Reframe for the Astral Allure Inner Circle
As we integrate these insights, I want to leave you with a few questions:
“What kind of winter rituals would actually restore your soul?"
Personally, I prefer quiet reflection or intimate gatherings to loud, chaotic holiday parties. Meaningful giving rather than obligatory family exchanges. Sacred walks in nature. Looking at photos of past loved ones and reminiscing about happy memories.
“How could you invite more light and joy into your body?”
For me, it’s impromptu phone calls with old friends. Handwritten cards that create a creative and peaceful pause from technology. Ice skating with my fiancé and sister. A cozy, home-cooked meal by candlelight with soft jazz. Blending homemade bath salts as gifts of true intention.
