Yule Be Happy - Due December 21, 2021

Swap Due Date: December 21, 2021
Signup/Withdraw Date: none, just make sure your give yourself enough time for the cards to arrive
Number of ATCs: 3 for 3 or 6 for 6
Number of Participants: Unlimited
Medium: Open. Any and all media and techniques are welcome. If you include stickers, do not make them the entire focus of the card. Try to keep embellishments to a minimum. Your cards may be realistic, impressionistic, or even whimsical. I encourage hand drawn/hand painted, but whatever you want is fine with me.

Yule Be Happy - a swap celebrating the ancient Yule traditions

This year Yule is celebrated December 21 - January 1, 2022. The holiday celebrates the Winter Solstice on December 21. Appropriate themes include images representing the solstice (such as Stonehenge), evergreens (a symbol of renewal), holly (a symbol of hope), mistletoe (a symbol of female fertility), the Yule Tree (representing the Tree of Life and decorated with natural ornaments), the Yule Log (representing a hearth fire to keep evil at bay), candles, wreaths, bells, elves, wassail, and the colors green, red, white, silver, and gold. Note: This is NOT a Christmas swap, though many of the Christmas symbols are derived from Yule traditions.

CARD GUIDELINES
* This is a 3 for 3 or 6 for 6 card trade. Make three or six cards and receive the same number back.
* Only ATCs allowed. Cards need to measure 2.5" x 3.5" and must be sturdy enough to earn the name "card" (no floppy or flimsy paper).
* Cards should be be labeled on the back with your username, real name, where you live and name of swap. Maybe you could include a clever title.
* Each completed ATC should be in an individual vinyl sleeve for added protection.
* Please consider posting your finished cards in this thread and in the gallery. We all love eye candy and it serves as an inspiration for everybody! Let us know when you see cards that you especially like by checking "like" for a post or making a comment in the thread or gallery. When I swap out cards I look at comments made by players and try to give players cards that they like.
* A host ATC in the swap theme is appreciated and will be treasured, but is not a requirement!

MAILING GUIDELINES
* Please PM me for my address when cards are ready to send. I moved in May 2021.
* Keep the due date in mind. I suggest 7 days for US players and 14 days for International players.
* US Players: Please send a large label with your name and address clearly printed on it, and as much loose postage as it took to mail the cards to me. Usually one "Forever" stamp is sufficient for three cards. More postage may be necessary to mail more than three cards. Check at your post office if you are uncertain. I WILL PROVIDE ENVELOPES.
* International Players: Please send a large label with your name and address clearly printed on it. I will provide postage for the first three international players. Additional players please send $1 or a "Forever" Global stamp. I WILL PROVIDE ENVELOPES.

I-TRADERS and YOU-ROCKS
* I will give you an I-Traders when I receive your ATCs.
* When you receive your cards, please don't forget to leave your reputation/rock points for the artists whose ATCs you receive, and an I-Trader for me (if you like the way this swap is handled).

PLAYERS (names in blue indicate that cards have been received)
1. Ancient Planter returns received
2. luckycat479 returns received
3. art_junkie (withdrawn)
4. CardinalHouse returns received
5. CynthiaSillitoe returns received
6. leydab returns received
7. Darktee international #1
8. Seascape131 returns received
9. mrubyjean returns received
10. Cardamom Moon international #2 returns received
11. Arc2dreams

This looks interesting, Jo. I'll lurk for a bit.

I’m lurking, too. I have lots of ideas. I’m just not sure I can pull them off.

Please sign me up! I love this theme.

Ancient Planter - I am glad you joined the swap.

HHC and CynthiaSillitoe - you may sit on the lurker's bench, but I hope that you will join the fstivities.

Merry meet! I'll join for Yule swap please, though want to note Samhain is October/Nov around Halloween...which we also love, but is earlier on the wheel.

Welcome to the group, luckycat479. Thanks for the editing catch - I deleted the reference to Samhain.

Welcome to the lurkers’ couch, AussieBec

Here is a card illustrating the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge.

Officially the first day of winter, the winter solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun. This is the longest night of the year, meaning that despite the cold winter, the days get progressively longer after the winter solstice until the summer solstice.

The winter solstice is celebrated by many people around the world as the beginning of the return of the sun, and darkness turning into light. The Talmud recognizes the winter solstice as “Tekufat Tevet.” In China, the Dongzhi Festival is celebrated on the Winter Solstice by families getting together and eating special festive food.

Until the 16th century, the winter months were a time of famine in northern Europe. Most cattle were slaughtered so that they wouldn’t have to be fed during the winter, making the solstice a time when fresh meat was plentiful. Most celebrations of the winter solstice in Europe involved merriment and feasting. In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul, or Yule, lasted for 12 days celebrating the rebirth of the sun and giving rise to the custom of burning a Yule log.

In ancient Rome, the winter solstice was celebrated at the Feast of Saturnalia, to honor Saturn, the god of agricultural bounty. Lasting about a week, Saturnalia was characterized by feasting, debauchery and gift-giving. With Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity, many of these customs were later absorbed into Christmas celebrations.

Modern day "druids" hold ceremonies at Stonehenge in England on the Winter Solstice.

jo.on.the.go said:

Here is a card illustrating the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge.

Officially the first day of winter, the winter solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun. This is the longest night of the year, meaning that despite the cold winter, the days get progressively longer after the winter solstice until the summer solstice in 2017.

The winter solstice is celebrated by many people around the world as the beginning of the return of the sun, and darkness turning into light. The Talmud recognizes the winter solstice as “Tekufat Tevet.” In China, the Dongzhi Festival is celebrated on the Winter Solstice by families getting together and eating special festive food.

Until the 16th century, the winter months were a time of famine in northern Europe. Most cattle were slaughtered so that they wouldn’t have to be fed during the winter, making the solstice a time when fresh meat was plentiful. Most celebrations of the winter solstice in Europe involved merriment and feasting. In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul, or Yule, lasted for 12 days celebrating the rebirth of the sun and giving rise to the custom of burning a Yule log.

In ancient Rome, the winter solstice was celebrated at the Feast of Saturnalia, to honor Saturn, the god of agricultural bounty. Lasting about a week, Saturnalia was characterized by feasting, debauchery and gift-giving. With Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity, many of these customs were later absorbed into Christmas celebrations.

Modern day "druids" hold ceremonies at Stonehenge in England on the Winter Solstice.

Click to expand...

That card is gorgeous! (I am quietly lurking. )

HA! sign me up!

Please sign me up! Thank you!

Mistletoe

View attachment 226432

Mistletoe, which represents the female element, also holds much importance as it was used by Druid priests in special ceremonies during the Winter Solstice. They believed that its green leaves represented the fertility of the Mother Goddess, and its white berries, the seed of the Forest God or Oak King. Druids would harvest the mistletoe from sacred oak trees with golden scythes and maidens would gather underneath the trees to catch the falling branches, preventing them from falling to the ground; for if this happened, it was believed that all sacred energy in the plant would pour back into the earth. The branches and sprigs were then divided and distributed to be hung over doorways as protection against thunder, lightning and other evils. Mistletoe was also worn as an amulet for fertility, or hung above the headboard. (from blog sacredearthjourneys)

Glad to see you as part of the group art_junkie and CardinalHouse.

And you may sit on the lurkers couch TSMarie. There is lots of time to join later.

I'm going to lurk here a bit until my hand gets better.

I’m in. I’ll scan and mail the cards tomorrow, but I’m happy with them. This was a fun challenge.

Ok, I'll mail these tomorrow. As I said, I really had fun with these. I wanted to stick very true to Yule (which amazingly enough, I've never done a Yule swap, just solstice.) I also wanted to do something a little different for me.

Very Yule-ish CynthiaSillitoe. Nice cards.

I will participate

I’ll add your name to the list leydab