Today I ate a lot of cookies and drank a lot of tea. What a life. Right now, I’m sitting on my couch, just out of the shower, with a facemask on. I’ve been reading up on what the fourth day of Yuletide is about, and once again all the sources I found say something different. So I’m just going to choose what speaks to me the most. This isn’t religion, I don’t have to follow any rules. Some sources say that the fourth day of Yule is for honouring the hearth and the home. Two goddesses mentioned are: Hestia, Greek goddess of domestic life, household and family and Frigg, Norse goddess of hearth, home, prophecy and motherhood. I intuitively cleaned my kitchen today, so I guess something domestic spoke to me.
So what is the hearth? It can mean fireplace, furnace, kitchen and even home. In older Germanic civilizations, it was where meals were cooked and where people gatherd to stay warm, near the fire. There was literal and figurative warmth to be found at the hearth. And I too find that in winter, fire is so restorative and cozy. In my childhood home, we had an old-fashioned fireplace, which we only lit a few times during the winter. It was always magical to me. It gave me so much comfort and warmth. I really think people are sleeping on what fire can bring in the winter. We don’t have the sun as a source of light and warmth, so we have to look somewhere else. And no, it is not the same, but I still think fire is one of the best things of winter. I never light candles in the summer either, it just doesn’t satisfy me the same way. I mean, come on:
Then, the home. As of May this year, I’ve been living in a pretty amazing apartment, with multiple rooms and even a garden! I’ve been very lucky to find it and to have it all to myself. I’ve decorated it to look like a slightly more stylish version of your typical grandparents’ house. And I’m just so happy I’m finally living somewhere I can truly host people the way I’ve always wanted to. I’ve been hosting dinner parties for friends, having old fashioned sleep overs with high school besties and having little dance parties in the living room (alone and with friends). I want my house to feel like a home to the people that enter. I love caring for my people. Making them tea, cooking for them, making sure they’re the most comfortable they’ve been all day. My sister recently said to me: it feels like I’m on vacation when I’m here. I couldn’t think of a better compliment for my space and the energy I’ve tried to create here.
So yeah, I guess I have a knack for this whole hearth and home thing. Maybe I should research this topic a little more and become even better at it! But for now, I’m going to eat some soup and watch my candles burn. I wish you all a very cozy, warm night.
Tea Time With Amber 