*sigh* It's a depressing season.
Maybe that's the point (or *a* point) of celebrating Imbolc. People in the middle of winter, when fresh food has pretty much run out, really need a party to pick up their spirits.
There is a local custom of baking large, sweet cakes for Brighid's Day. (I'm thinking of making a cheese cake because of Imbolc's and Brighid's association with milk.
Imbolc is about hope. There's a tradition/folk custom that seeing a hedgehog on Imbolc is a sign of good weather to come. The longer the hedgehog stays out, the milder the weather. (I *think* I've read the same basic thing about seeing snakes on Imbolc, but I can't find the reference now.)
Imbolc is also about preparation and purification. This is the time when farmers would use ritual to purify their field, and when they would start work to be prepared for sowing. The Feast of Purification (which is about Mary's ritual purification after giving birth, I think) is February 2 -- the day after Brighid's Day, or Imbolc. I'm planning to do some major cleaning on or around Imbolc, in the spirit of preparation and purification.
I don't know if this helps, but it does provide a couple of different ways to look at celebrating Imbolc.
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