Happy holidays, readers and writers! With all the different cultures and religions celebrating, this time of year can get…hectic, to say the least. Personally, I am not a Scrooge, but I don’t go all-out, either. I like the lights, the decorations, giving and receiving gifts, and some of the movies and TV specials for the various winter holidays. I am not Christian, though, or of any religion at all, and the blatant consumerism is trying at times. However, I do find reason to celebrate around the yuletide season. And you know what really like about this time of year? The folklore.
Every religion, culture, and region has its own set of folklore which goes with wintertime and the associated holidays, distinct yuletide tales which are unique to these peoples and yet have some sort of commonality among them. Each tale and legendary figure has a rich history and its own way of being observed. Some are joyful, some are creepy, and some fall somewhere in between. My personal favorites are Krampus from Germany and La Befana from Italy.
Like fairy tales, these yuletide tales are ripe with potential for retelling. Case and point: all the Krampus movies that have come out in the past few years. Before those, Krampus also made the TV circuit on shows like Grimm and American Dad. To think, Krampus is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the winter folklore lesser-known by Americans.
That brings us to today’s writing prompt. To keep with the spirit of the season, I want you to pick a lesser-known winter folklore or figure. Pretty much, anything or anyone except for Santa Claus will work for this exercise, but the more obscure, the better. Don’t limit yourself to Christmas lore, either. Consider exploring the rebellion of the Maccabees, Odin and his association with Yule, etc. It can be from your ancestral celebrations or just from a culture, religion, or region in which you have interest.
Once you choose your winter folklore or figure, write a story, poem, or creative essay based on this yuletide tale/figure. It can be an origin story, a modern retelling, a poem which uses the figure or tale as a metaphor, an essay on the influences it has had on modern celebrations, pretty much anything that you want. The only requirement is that your chosen yuletide folklore or figure features prominently in your work.
Winter can be a stressful, overly-commercial, and sometimes hypocritical time of year, but great writing can come from it, too–remember A Christmas Carol? All you need is a bit of inspiration and time!
Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011