Celtic Christmas

Brighid spun the wool to make warm hats, mittens and shawls. Into them she would knit magical designs to keep the winter bright and merry as the sun was reborn. She had already made the shawl pins at her workshop forge. The hearth was warm with crackling wood, the yeasty smell of the bread rising nearby. The autumn festival had just passed. The shortest day of the year would be coming soon. On that day she would go give the villagers the fruits of her labor. Then a few days later all would go to the cozy church and celebrate the rebirth of the Christ, another sort of son.

The bards of the village were meeting to perfect their new Christmas carols. On Christmas Eve day there would be a competition around the great bonfire in the village square in which each bard would present their carol. Whoever won, both by public applause and the panel of judges, would win a quarter of venison.

Lugh, whose name means "light", was putting the finishing touches on a song he was writing for Christmas Day services at the church. He was one of the judges of the bard's carol competition. His fine tenor voice gave him the position of lead musician of the village. He would be singing several times during the holidays, starting on the solstice when he would sing the sun back to life.

Rowan heated pencil-shaped iron rods until just the tips were glowing an orange red, like the color of her hair. She used the heat to burn intricate knotwork designs into panels of wood. She had made the large cross that hung behind the altar of the village church in this same way. These small ornaments and wall decorations would be gifts at Christmastide.