'Twas mostly smiles all round at the Thistledown Cookie Party! Pictured left to right are Mae, Penny (the dog), Althea, Aurelia, Kyle and Sam. Photo by Nathan.

  

Greetings! Here's hoping these words find you in the midst of a delightful holiday season!

Tereza writing with the news from a busy, yet somehow fairly quiet, week at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. People continued to head out for holiday travels this week, though a few also returned, so our already seasonally-low population grew even smaller.

Happily, though, some former Rabbits also came through: Liat is here for a short stay, and Sam and Kody are visiting. This coming week Tony will be here too, and given the low population I'm hoping for some good hangout time with him. I know he's hoping for some good Ultimate games; given the colder temps in the forecast, I will cheer the players on from inside.

On to the fun stuff! Early in the week the winter solstice found us gathering to celebrate the return of the sun (Spoiler alert: the sun didn't actually show...). Late Monday afternoon a group of Rabbits, Red Earthers and Rutledge-ites held a ritual in which we looked back on the year that was and looked forward to the year to come, using words, song, drumming, art, and movement in the process.

After the ritual there was a Five Rhythms dance, playlist painstakingly and lovingly curated by Danielle, followed by a guided meditation. Then several stalwart souls spent the whole night in the Casa doing... I'm not exactly certain what. Journaling, talking, meditating, making art, perhaps even napping, I imagine.

Early the next morning there was to be a gathering to welcome the return of the sun and increasing daylight hours. Alas and alack, however, the sun decided not to show, hiding behind clouds that morning, so I for one did not attend.

On the topic of a lack of sunshine, I'm certain there must have been at least a little sun sometime during the week, but I'll be darned if I can remember any. It sure seems that it's been gray and cloudy here for weeks. Unseasonably warm, for the most part, but oh so grey. As I type we're experiencing yet another grey morning, this time with the added excitement of much freezing rain. Beautiful to look at, with long dripping icicles hanging from every tree branch, but treacherous for path navigation (driving too, I imagine). I wish safe arrivals to all those traveling today.

A few days post-solstice a group of 11 of us piled in to the truck and one of the cars and went to Kirksville to see the latest Star Wars movie. (Spoiler alert: No, not really. I'm not going to spoil it if you haven't seen it yet.) We had a great time, eating popcorn and watching more previews than I think I've ever seen before any other movie, and at last meeting old familiar character/friends, as well as some new ones. I became quite a fan of the adorable new droid, BB-8, though I wonder how it manages not to get sand caught in its "neck"...

After the movie we all went out to eat at the Mongolian barbecue, where you fill your bowl with raw ingredients and they cook it up and bring it to your table. Good food, good friends, a little night on the town, what could be better?

I'm certain that most of you answered, as I did, stopping at a grocery store dumpster on the way home to score some free food that otherwise would be thrown away! Yep, we got a bunch of great stuff, not even expired. Aurelia and I are both big bread fiends, so were excited to bring some bags home to pop in the freezer for later.

All in all, a great night out.

On Christmas Eve there were not one but two cookie-focused events. (Okay, I'm realizing that they might not have been cookie-focused for everyone else, but they certainly were for me.) The first, held in the afternoon in the common house, was a Christmas carol sing-along, with Meadoe accompanying us on the piano. It was very much a tri-community affair, with folks from Red Earth and Sandhill joining in the fun. Mica organized it, and dressed up as Rudolph to boot! Nice antlers, Rudolph!

And did I mention the cookies? There were a lot of cookies. They were fabulous. Vegan pistachio shortbread, maple not-vegan shortbread, buckeyes (sweet peanut butter yumminess dipped in chocolate), butter pecan cookies (which were even better than they sound), and maybe others I'm forgetting in my cookie-befuddled memory haze, plus a giant bowl of cut fruit, and some beverages. Nom nom nom.

The evening event, held at Thistledown, was a cookie party holiday gathering (Not-so-spoiler alert: there were cookies!).  Cob must've spent many an hour cookie-ing: there were heaps of decorated sugar cookies, as well as cranberry Turkish delight, a pastry I can't recall the name of, and teeny tiny cutout hazelnut cookies. Those tasty buckeyes also made a reappearance (thanks, Sara!).

In order to best report on the evening to our loyal readers, I (of course) had to try all of them. Sometimes multiple cookies of the same kind. Yes, that is the kind of difficult research I am willing and able to take on for all of you, our dear readers, and I'm happy to report that my personal favorite was the big snowflake sugar cookie with mint icing and golden sprinkles – beauty + taste = yum!

There were also libations in plenty, with Osito playing bartender/beverage introducer. I can't recall exactly what was in the gingerbread co drink, but it sure was tasty! My apologies that after all the cookies I felt unable to try all the other kinds, but perhaps on New Year's Eve I will make the attempt.

Sam and Kody brought out some Christmas crackers, a Commonwealth tradition, and we enjoyed pulling them open to hear the snap, and look for the treats inside. Each one held a golden paper crown, a joke, and a small toy. Toys I saw included clip-on mustaches, the world's tiniest bowling set, paper dominoes, and hairclips. Fun!

On Christmas morning the Mercantile hosted a potluck brunch, which was delightful, with a variety of tasty dishes, coffee and hot cocoa (with the largest marshmallows I have ever seen), and time to connect with friends and neighbors. The skies may have been gloomy but the company was bright. I especially enjoyed spending time with Kim and Darien, as I hadn't seen them in quite a while.

I offer special thanks to Bob for lighting a fire for me! The day was warm enough for most, but I am almost always chilly, so when he found out I was coming he made a fire so I'd be comfortable. The seat right next to the fire was waiting for me when I came in. I love this kind of thoughtful gift we offer each other in community.

That afternoon Kody had his birthday celebration. His actual birthday was the day before, but with all the cookie madness he decided to celebrate the following day. There was a piñata, games, balloons, and a super yummy three-layer chocolate cherry cake. Happy birthday, Kody!

Rounding out the week's celebrations was a gift exchange, organized by Liat and held Friday night. I was too worn out from all the celebrating to attend, but it sounds as though lovely homemade gifts and fun were had. It was done as a game, where you can "steal" a gift someone else has already opened. I'm assuming it wouldn't be ok for me to steal any of them now, though.

To sum it up, despite the lack of sunshine, there was much warmth in our togetherness, and joy in the plenitude of cookies. From everyone at Dancing Rabbit, here's wishing you a very happy New Year! (Spoiler alert: It's almost 2016!)

•                  •                 •

In case you missed it: we have the dates for the 2016 Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage visitor program! If you’ve been dreaming of visiting us, now’s the time to make plans. Our visitor sessions often fill up quickly, so check out the new dates and request an application today!

•                  •                 •

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and nonprofit outside Rutledge, in northeast Missouri, focused on demonstrating sustainable living possibilities. Find out more about us by visiting our website, reading our blog, or emailing us.