Update #3

We celebrated Yule Monday night/Tuesday day. It was awesome. I was asked how many people were there, and I stopped counting at 40. Even though there were that many people there, it still felt small, intimate, and cozy. The way a holiday is supposed to feel.
We started out with a feast. And I mean a FEAST!!! It was potluck, so everybody brought/cooked something. Lots and lots of food.
Monday night (the longest night of the year) we turned out all lights, reflected on the past year, and welcomed light back in for the year to come (by lighting the hearth fire in the fireplace). Doing stuff like that really gives a holiday meaning.
What followed was quite natural. Drinking, socializing, generally spreading the love around... People brought in presents all night and the next morning.
And there were crazy people sledding...
Not just sledding either. Sledding down an icy (not snow-covered) driveway hoping they didn't hit any trees. At Midnight, no less. I just stood at the bottom with my new camera blinding people with the flash. Okay, not really. I mean, I stood there, with the camera. The flash was going off. But it didn't blind anyone surprisingly.
After sledding, we headed off to bed.
Tuesday morning meant champagne and gifts!!! Everyone got a stocking (even if they didn't bring one). It was very festive!! First breakfast, then gifts. Champagne started right away of course! And some mixed it with orange juice. I wonder how that tastes...
As for the gifts, they all came from the heart. Some were wrapped in fabric, others decided to go the old fashioned route and wrapped in brown paper and twine. We have a potter in our midst, and she made all of their gifts. Beautiful!! Husband received a homemade bottle of mead, and it is a year long gift. He gets a sample of any batch they make until next Yule. I was gifted a lot of beautiful fabric, and I can't wait to make something out of it. I have no idea what yet...
I sewed almost all of my gift bags this year. I figured if they didn't like what was in it, they at least got a homemade bag.
One of the coolest gifts my kid got (and it's probably so cool cuz I wouldn't think to buy it) was a Bio-Dome. It has an aquarium, an ant hill dome, a bug dome, and what is supposed to be a rain forest dome. You get it all set up with nature stuff, and then go out and collect bugs and such. My only worry is escaping critters. It is a very educational gift, and I really like that. Kid was so excited over everything, -- even a pencil in the stocking! -- it was hard to tell what was liked best.
After gifts, we had more family coziness before we had to leave. I didn't want to go!! I love all those people so much. They are constantly in my heart.