The Feral Housewife's Guide to

Living Authentically, Creatively, & Intentionally

Issue #99 || December 19th, 2025 || Previous issues​

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Hey Reader,

Where has this year gone???

Never mind, we'll talk about that another time (or not 🤭).

October through January 1st is a whirlwind of activity for many. It comprises four major holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.

Being feral, I'm not one for rituals or traditions, and I especially don't like obligations that are bereft of depth and meaning.

I don't celebrate Christmas, but if we're being honest, the holidays generate BILLIONS of dollars for the commercial system. It is in THEIR best interests to keep consumers hooked on holidays (not yours).

When I was little, I remember my mom dreading Christmas. We have a huge Italian family with LOTS of cousins, and we were poor. She was stressed figuring out who to give gifts to and how to match the expense of gifts given. She didn't want to hurt or offend anyone.

The one good thing about holidays is that many spend time with family. We used to do that. My mom and her sister would make homemade pasta and we'd have specialty desserts and eat together.

And yet, even this has a downside. Many families are broken apart or they get together and feud. For some it's a sad season because they've lost relatives around Christmas and so spend the holidays grieving.

If you think I'm being too negative, please grab a hold of your seat.

Today, I'm going to take you on a tiny wake-up ride regarding one small Christmas tradition. Please bear with me, it's not my desire to ruin the holidays for anyone.

What I am after is this:

you questioning all narratives, not just holidays or traditions, but everything you believe.

If you prefer seeing things as they really are versus believing false narratives, keep reading.

Ready?

Here goes.

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The "Christmas" massacre

My favorite things to do every morning are think, journal, pray, and read (mostly the bible).

This morning I read Matthew 2, which is the story of Herod, the magi, and the star. The star is known as the Star of Bethlehem and people place it on top of their Christmas trees as a symbol of hope and joy.

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Do you know where that "star" actually came from and what its purpose was?

Let's take a quick glimpse of what's recorded in the bible about it.

Astrologers came to Jerusalem looking for the 'king of the Jews' (the promised messiah) because they saw "his star" in the east and wanted to do obeisance to him. This agitated Herod the Great (he was evil) and he secretly summoned the astrologers. He asked them to search Bethlehem for the child so that he could also do obeisance to him. His real intention? To murder the child, Jesus, our future messiah.

Let's stop right here because it raises some thought-provoking questions.

IF this "star" was from God, why did he not use it to lead the astrologers straight to Bethlehem?

Instead it led them to Herod the Great. Why?

Later, this "star" did bring them to Jesus but only after they visited the murderous, hateful Herod.

If this "star" had been from God, there would have been NO need to lead them to Herod first.

We find out exactly what God thought of this little rendezvous between Herod and the astrologers. After the astrologers found Jesus and gave him gifts, God warned them in a dream to NOT return to Herod and they obeyed, escaping via a different route. Joseph was warned in a dream to move his family to Egypt and Jesus was spared.

But the story then turns into a horror scene.

Herod figured out that the astrologers outsmarted him and went on a slaughtering campaign. He commanded that EVERY male child under the age of two be killed in Bethlehem and all its districts 😱🤯.

A massacre of the most horrid kind.

Thanks to the Star of Bethlehem.

And now, this cheerful holiday décor sits right on a tree on a day that is supposed to honor the birth of Christ.

WOW.

How did WE MISS THIS?

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It's time to wake up

Did this piece of historical information upset you? Shock you?

Or maybe, you don't care. Maybe you don't celebrate Christmas or maybe it doesn't matter to you where traditions come from.

I hear ya.

Sometimes those things don't matter to me either.

But here's the thing, most people prefer the pretty lie to the uncomfortable truth. And the truth about lies is that they're dangerous.

We've been trained - by culture, by tradition, by the loudest and most popular voices - to avoid hard questions and to just accept the narratives.

People value comfort over accuracy.

However, STORIES are critical.

Stories shape you, your beliefs and actions. They shape your life, and the entire world.

I don't know about you, but I don't want my life built on lies, no matter how convenient, popular, or pretty those lies are.

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Building on rock, not on sand

Does what you believe matter?

It should. In everything. And even more so spiritually speaking.

What you believe matters to God. He wants us to think and search for ourselves. God didn't have the Bible written in plain statements; it was mostly written in puzzles, riddles, and pictures. Why? Because only those who value truth will search for it. He doesn't want blind followers accepting whatever narrative is handed to them. So, when it comes to spiritual matters, go to the source. That is where Godly wisdom resides.

However, there's a cost to truth.

Truth makes you vulnerable. The moment you pursue it honestly, you risk being wrong, being uncomfortable, being at odds with what everyone else believes. It puts you at odd with friends and family.

It takes courage to face yourself with your own truth. Most people would rather hide from themselves, from hard questions, from anything that threatens their comfort.

The star on the tree is safe. Reading Matthew 2 with fresh eyes is risky.

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In summary

Change is hard.

Lies are popular and easy.

But if you want to build something real - a life with a solid foundation you trust - you have to choose truth over comfort, courage over safety. And yes, that makes you vulnerable. But building on lies isn't safety.

Love is the foundation. Truth is the structure that holds everything up.

Without both, you're building on sand.

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With Love, Intention, & Truth,

Anna

P.S. Share this truth with a friend.

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​www.aferalhousewife.com​

​https://linktr.ee/aferalhousewife​

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​ I'm Anna—a recovering perfectionist, feral housewife, and writer. I help overwhelmed women wake up from autopilot, ditch the guilt, and question the narratives they've been handed—so they can figure out who they are underneath all the roles. What you think, believe, and feel influences everything—and most of us were never given permission to listen, let alone heal. ​ Think. Feel. Write. Heal. Anna Celotto Writer & Integrative Mind-Body Coach ​