Seressia Glass: I love this time of year

I love this time of year. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, there’s a nip in the air (or ice and snow and below-freezing temperatures) and people are in good spirits and a happy mood due to the confluences of many wonderful holidays.  But it got me, as a lover of scifi, fantasy and paranormal romance, to wondering: do paranormal creatures celebrate Christmas? If they don’t what do they do this time of year?

The Sons of Anubis and the Daughters of Isis don’t celebrate the religious aspects of Christmas seeing as how many of them predate Christianity. Most of their traditional religious festivals and celebrations were tied to agriculture and the stages of the Nile. Despite that, they appreciate the secular traditions of food, family and fellowship, peace on earth and goodwill toward everyone. Living in America as they do, the younger generation has fully embraced secular traditions like Christmas trees and presents on December 25. One tradition that the older jackals brought with them out of ancient Egypt and their long-lost town dedicated to Anubis was a celebration focused on the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year.

This night is when Anubis and their departed loved ones are closest to them, and they offer gifts and prayers of gratitude and hopes for continued wealth, health and happiness. They stay up from sundown to dawn, with the first half of the night focused on recounting of how Anubis has blessed them in the past year. They also celebrate those they have lost. The second half of the night is a reenactment of the Journey through the Underworld as the head of the clan, in Anubis form, represents their patron god guiding souls safely to the afterlife. Anubis’ children then shift to jackal form and greet the returning sun with yips and howls and a good wild run.

So that’s how jackal shapeshifters celebrate this time of year. As for me, I’ve been lucky to have a diverse group of friends and family who have shown me the beauty of Hanukkah, Yule, Christmas and Kwanzaa. No matter what the celebration was, it was the spirit of togetherness that was the most important part of the celebrations. No matter what you celebrate, or even if you don’t, I wish you a healthy and happy year to come!

How about you? What are some of your favorite traditions around this time?