I received some advice for how to handle the holiday. Allow yourself a day of indulgence and go to sleep early. That is exactly what I shall be doing tomorrow! I hope that whatever you are doing, whatever your celebrate, or whatever is going on in your life that you have a wonderful day tomorrow. Be kind to yourself and others, make merry if that’s your thing, if not enjoy the day of suspended reality.
Now that Christmas is over, enjoy some time to relax. It is Boxing Day in the UK and its Commonwealth countries. Boxing Day may have originated during the Middle Ages when people would collect charity for the poor in the form of alms boxes that would be opened every 26 of December in honor of Saint Stephen. An alternative origin claims that Boxing Day originated from aristocrats boxing up their leftovers to give to their staff as a holiday bonus the day after their own Christmas celebrations. Boxing Day has been a day off from the beginning of bank holidays in 1871. Although its original meaning has faded into the late-twentieth century post-Christmas shopping frenzy, people all over enjoy a day off. I hope that you had a lovely day off, snagged a deal, or enjoyed some delicious leftovers with loved ones.
In the UK and its Commonwealths, Boxing Day is a celebrated day off after Christmas.
Whew the big day is here! All of the preparation, decoration, wrapping each gift, mailing each card, frosting each cookie (biscuit if you will), carefully warming the pudding, it all leads up to now! Enjoy the fruits of your labors, enjoy your family and friends, and I wish you all a very, merry Christmas, thank you for supporting Goat of the Day!
I wish you and your family a most wonderful Christmas.
The steady march towards winter can feel…a bit dark. Today marks the official first day of winter with the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Where I am writing, there will be less than eight hours of sunshine today. Many cultures choose to celebrate the shortest day of the year, perhaps because starting tomorrow the days will gradually get longer and longer as the Earth’s axis rotates towards, instead of away from, the sun. In ancient times, this time of year was celebrated for the Egyptian god Osiris, Apollo and Sol Invictus, all deities with links to the sun. The Yule Log may be a delicious chocolate cake now, but thousands of years ago it was a part of the Juul festival of northern Europe and Scandinavia, where families would cut down a large tree and light it on fire for twelve days to bring good harvest and fertility for the new year in part of worship to the god Odin. In fact, some retellings of Norse mythology even have Odin delivering gifts and sweets to children during this time, centuries before Santa Claus and his reindeer. At any rate, if you are anything like me, and perhaps goats, you long for the sunshine. In that case, today is a day of hope as every day for the next six months, there will be a smidgen more sunshine to enjoy.
Don’t worry, more sunshine is on its way!
Goat of the Day 