Call it a Circle of Life Celebration and decorate with symbols of each family member's beliefs.

We've always used cranberries, paper chains, clip-on craft birds, cardboard stars covered in tinfoil, ribbons and bows, glass icicles, bells, and other non-religious stuff to decorate our tree, plus stars, moons, suns, and music symbols. I use a lot of purple and green to get away from the usuall red and green.

One thing no one has mentioned is what I see as a distinction between "religion" and "spiritualty." Mostly we celebrate in a spiritual way, much as others have noted, reminding ourselves first and foremost that it is a time for family to get together and express their gratitude and love for one another and to have fun together.

BTW, there is an old folk story in the same book from which I got Golden Cobwebs, which you may have heard on Ron's Christmas show. It is Why The Evergreens Keep Their Leaves in Winter. I will post it, sometime, but the gist is a small bird was injured and couldn't fly south for the winter, so it went from tree to tree asking for shelter. The evergreens were the only ones to respond with kindness, sheltering and feeding the little bird throughout the winter. At that point, they were deemed worthy of keeping their leaves year round.

In the old days out West, at least in Wyoming, Thanksgiving was the biggest holiday for get-togethers. The weather was generally still somewhat safe for travel then, so people would come in from the ranches or over to someone else's ranch and have a big whoop-ti-do. By Christmas-time, they were all snowed in and kept home tending livestock, etc. until the Big Thaw in late Spring. Winter lasts a long time in Wyoming.:-)

Conversely, when we moved east and I got to know my in-laws better, their big tradition was to all get together on New Year's day at Roger's mom's house. As they were all grown and married, she felt they should all spend Christmas with their own families and never expected them to come over then. On NYD, she cooked up a storm and everyone had a blast.

Mark Clark, thanks for the wonderful link. That reminds me, I usually use a lot of incense and candles, too, plus I always have a few crystals hanging around, they pick up the lights so beautifully.

Mrrzy...it will be interesting to hear how this goes for you. Thanks for an itneresting *read.* Oh, btw, everyone, I remember Mrzzy's gender!!**BG**

katlaughing