I’m a natural ‘12th nighter’, when the tree and lights come down, but I’m blogging this early in case it disappears before then.

It’s a ‘tangled lights’ pose, we all know that feeling, of when the tree comes down.

I’d have saved this until January, but as I’m not sure it’ll be there by then, I’m blogging it now. You can get your own tangled tree lights pose at Caboodle (L$0, no group fee). Grab it now, for whenever you’re taking the lights down at your own SL property.

I’d be more than thrilled if someone were to produce a wassailing pose -now there’s a peculiarly ‘local’ tradition to the UK, when people sing to apple trees (it’s even more local to the west country of England) to ensure a good harvest, a tradition that I believe predates Christianity.

As usual, the SL Marketplace turns up pretty much anything you can imagine, and wassail bowls are available, as associated with 12th night.

While searching, I looked for Morris dancers, another English folk tradition, and while there’s much less available, the local folk tradition does turn up on the MP.

I do love the local folk traditions and music, as they plug into centuries old tradition that modern life can’t shake off.

Many of these folk traditions have a deep seated history, developed from a pagan tradition in England, from where arises the whole Wiccan, ‘sky clad‘ tradition of performing religious ceremonies naked.

Ella

This is probably a bit too much information 🙂 but I got some French knickers for Christmas 🙂

This wasn’t one of those ‘partner can’t think of what to get for Christmas, so some lingerie will do’ presents. I asked for them, provided my size, the style, the name of the brand and the colours. And Santa delivered. Because they’re essentially my ‘go to’ undergarments on a daily basis.

I think the term ‘French knickers’ is possibly a UK term for these loose, airy undergarments, and I don’t wear them for ‘sexy’ but for comfort. I find them far more comfortable than briefs or boy short styled undies.

They’re something I’ve looked for for a long, long time in SL, without much success. If anyone can do me a pair, any colour, that can stretch to give a sense of looseness and airiness (see the bottom two photos in particular) I would be thrilled and would be prepared to pay good Linden dollars for a pair. If you can do them, let me know. There are very few knickers of this type in SL, more figure hugging than I’d like.

If you’re an undies designer, and reading, please, please, please get in touch and name your price!

Ella

With your ear to the rail, it’s possible that this might just conceivably have been the best, most generous freebies Christmas ever in SL.

We didn’t pick up everything, but between us, I think we covered a lot of freebies. 🙂

Everything in the photo, apart from the table, and we could have added one of those in for good measure, was free from somewhere around the grid in recent days. All of the food, the toy soldier, the lamps, the wooden Christmas tree. All were free from one source and another.

Special mention has to go to Cosmopolitan Events, who put out a huge number of gifts, to 7 Deadly Skins, for an array of new (to most of us) skins, and to Turtle Coast, who waived their usual join fee on Christmas Day, making it possible for avatars on a limited budget to become members of one of SL’s top membership-only naturist venues.

Trees and poinsettias? All free!

The ceiling hanging tree, Cherie’s dress, bag and scarf, all free

Christmas 2017 will have to work hard to better this year’s sackful of goodies, that’s for sure.

The holiday mood still prevails around the grid, as it will through to January 2nd, after which we’ll begin settling down after an exhausting race around checking for gifts from many generous builders and designers. Thanks to everyone who offered boxes under trees, advent calendars, group goodies and the rest this Christmas. Just sorry I couldn’t see all, claim all, and work much of it into a naturist perspective for SLN readers.

It must have been a fabulous, astounding time to be a relative newbie in SL and grab the swag scattered liberally around the grid. Should people have picked up a lot of the gifts there’s little doubt in my mind that many newish players will have been delighted with their gifts, their now fabulous looking avatars, and are conceivably committed SL players in the weeks, months and years to come.

Ella

Barbara’s back. Remember Barbara? She used to contribute on an irregular basis as a kind of ‘correspondent for older looking avatars’, but hasn’t featured for a long time in SLN since Trine wished to rejig the blog in her own style and Barbara’s own reluctance to blog following the death of her husband.

I’ve been trying to persuade Barbara to make a return to SLN since I (re)assumed the editor’s chair, not least because increasing numbers of avatars in clothing optional locations appear to adopt a look more commensurate with their age. I guess that in the early days of SL the whole thing was to live life as our younger, thinner, more vibrant selves, and there’s an appeal in that. However, as time has progressed it seems that many avatars are quite content to present themselves as they really are -in middle age at the very least.

She often blogged about the difficulties in obtaining clothes, hair, skins etc that made a middle aged avatar seem real and plausible, but suggests it’s getting easier.

‘I’ve been through a dozen or more hairstyles with the idea of saying ‘hey, I’m this 50 year old woman, my hair’s gone white, I’m not prepared to dye it, even though most women seem to do that in real life now to extend their youthfulness, take me or leave me’. And I’ve met quite a number of fascinating guys in SL that way, many of whom are the same age as me or older. Some of us are alone due to divorce or the death of our partners, so SL provides a light, fun way to socialise.

‘Trine invited me to continue blogging during her tenure as editor, but I was going through a grieving process, as well as being aware that I needed to gather some new skills for the workplace as I was too young to retire. So much of the past two years have essentially been me back at college, retraining for employment. I’m pleased to say that I’m back in work, although my social world is fairly blank so I do like to log into SL as a relaxation in the evenings. I’ve been back at SL regularly for quite some time now, but didn’t consider a return to SLN until Ella asked me to take on the role I held once more. Again this will be on an occasional basis, but Ella and I have agreed that I should be more pro-active in it, actively approaching skin designers, clothes designers and so on to consider offering a wider range of items for older avatars. At the moment I’m exploring how fairs are set up, to see if we could run a fair, at some time in 2017, specifically aimed at older avatars. I’ll begin approaching some designers for their views on this once these holidays are over. I could see an exciting range of clothes, hair and skins that would look great on older avatars, and Project Bento looks like something that can allow older avatars to exploit the potential of Bento in the coming months, making for more realistic older (and younger) avatars should people choose to utilise them.

‘So all in all it seems time to come back to SL, and be glad to be back in SL on a regular basis’

Barbara wearing a La Vian outfit that looks equally good on older and more youthful avatars.

A Ydea outfit, whose cut and styling seem ideal for the older looking avatar

Barbara has undergone a bit of a makeover in SL, something that corresponded with her ‘reinventing’ herself, for both the workplace and social life, in real life. As a result, she says, she’s being rejigging her avatar accordingly too. ‘Being older in SL doesn’t mean having to be drab or unattractive’.

Ella

Yesterday was exceptionally mild, to the point where I was out at our bins (trash cans) in nothing more than a (long) T-shirt and bare feet. I could have undertaken these trips -so many bits of wrapping and packaging to grade for recycling- au naturel had I chosen to without being particularly cold.

Last night the temperature sank like a stone again, though, and snow and more high winds are forecast, although that’s all likely to be much further north than us as ‘Storm Conor’ sweeps in (I hate this recent phenomenon of naming winter storms. They’re just storms).

Boxing Day. For many, simply a return to more shopping. For others, a time to get out for a walk. Car parks at beauty spots will be full, riverside walks like rush hour in Oxford Street or Times Square as many of us seek to ‘walk off the turkey’, simply take some exercise as an aid to digestion. While we’re a family of cyclists, Boxing Day isn’t one for cycling as there’s simply too many people on the paths we might use to allow any continuity to it.

So Boxing Day means walks.

While it’s not snowing, as it is in the photos, I loved this set which Harry & I put together a couple of days ago at the Winter Flakes sim, as they’d certainly summon up the exact mood of Boxing Day had we had some snow (they also show a step up in quality each time Harry does photos, rather than my own ‘snapshots’ when photographing Second Life).

And it also gave me a chance to put on the female version of the coat I blogged a couple of days ago in its male version. It’s still available from American Bazaar, priced at L$0, with no group join fee.

For those of you shouting ‘hey! That’s not naturist!’ at your screen right now, you’re correct. But remember that naturists are sensible, logical people. We put appropriate clothing on at the appropriate moments just as readily as we divest ourselves of them in appropriate weather. Being a naturist doesn’t mean being foolhardy. Being a naturist means logically working through the idea that swimsuits are overpriced and unnecessary in almost every given situation.

Naturists are, of course, fun-loving people and we like nothing more than to run out into the snow, fully nude, if the opportunity presents itself.

So…while we were over at the Winter Flakes sim…

…why not avail of the beautiful morning light and show that being naked in the snow is a lot of fun, in real life as it is in Second Life, as well?

Ella