Imbolc 2010

It snowed this weekend and we're expecting more... Last week it was 55 degrees. I saw the little green shoots of the crocus' stating to come up under the leaves in the back garden.
Today is February 1. It is the eve of Imbolc. Imbolc is probably my favorite holiday. I've been celebrating Groundhog's Day for as long as I can remember. The very first signs of spring are starting. The birds are coming back, the crocus' are starting to come up and the seed catalogs are starting to come in the mail. What could possibly give a person more hope for warm weather than a seed catalog?
To celebrate Imbolc today we had a big dinner and decorated the house with dried flowers and red & white ribbons. The table was set with red napkins and white place mats. For dinner we had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, broccoli mix, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.
We set up our Spirit Plate as our center piece. I filled the goblet with lavender and a tea light candle. I used a red and white napkin on the plate and a bunch of lavender on the plate. We set up Brigid's Bed after dinner and asked her to protect us and bring prosperity to our home. We set Brigid in her bed on the plate with the lavender and goblet. We lit candles in the room and the (electric) candle in the widow. The candles will stay lit through the night in honor of Brigid.
Alright, I have to admit that the big dinner for Imbolc was started out of necessity. Every year at Thanksgiving my Dad waits until the last minute to tell me he bought a turkey. Of course by that time I've already gotten one. So we started making it at Imbolc or in my Dad's world, Groundhog's Day. And of course, Dad comes dinner! It's also the last chance to use the kitchen before the weather starts to warm up. And if it stays cold for a while, we've got soup meat too.
Now we need to get to bed. We need to get up at 7:15 to watch Punxatawney Phil come out of his house. We're hoping for a quick end to all this cold weather!