Untraditional Santa Lucia Festivities

Today is the feast day of Santa Lucia.  For more on that saint and ways to celebrate, head over to this blog post at the Living Lutheran site.

Today will not be the kind of Santa Lucia day I've had in the past.  I will not be baking.  I might have a leisurely morning, but it's hard to know for sure.  I will be the only one in the office.  It might be blissfully quiet--or it might be busy, with only me there to handle questions. 

Then I will go to the holiday luncheon.  We will not have Scandinavian foods and we probably won't have Santa Lucia bread.  But we will have good food and treats and we'll sing a Christmas song or two.  It will be good to see my colleagues, of whom I'm genuinely fond.  I'd socialize with them even if we weren't forced to be together at work.

We will take down the Christmas tree in the main building.  We have to do it today because the floors are being restored next week.  I often get depressed when it's time to undecorate, but maybe it will be OK today, since we have our own decorations still up at home.

At some point this week-end, my husband's brother will arrive.  He is spending his Santa Lucia day by leaving Memphis to start his new job in Homestead.  He'll live with us for a few weeks until he can get set up for his family to join him.  He's got to find a place to live and sell his house in Memphis.

He will likely want to find a place to live rather quickly.  It will be quite a commute from our house to Homestead.  It looks easy on the map, but it's 45 minutes on a day with no traffic.  And he'll have traffic.  It will likely take him at least 90 minutes each way.

I am not sure what to expect, and I'm trying to stay laid back and open to possibilities.  I will bake Santa Lucia bread tomorrow morning, and we'll have it for a variety of festive events:  the arrival of my brother-in-law, the back yard friend who will be doing laundry, my quilting group who will meet on Saturday afternoon, a group from church who will be coming for dinner.

I have a vision for some poems that I want to write.

Yes a festive week-end lies ahead.  It's not my traditional way to celebrate the life of Santa Lucia, but it works on a symbolic level.  My day today will be filled with light, and I always go to work with the goal to be a light that won't be overcome by darkness.  My week-end will be filled with brightness--and perhaps some visions.