Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

17th December 2020

Winter solstice magic, have a caring Christmas, make hedgewitchy pine needle syrup! Plus make the most stylish Christmas cards

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

17th December 2020

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

17th December 2020

DO Ring Out Solstice Bells
Visiting stone circles for this year’s Winter Solstice is likely to be off the cards, so less formal celebrations are the order of the day or you might simply head to your favourite high spot to watch the sun rise. The solstice is the darkest day of the year, and a time to celebrate reaching the middle of winter, a chance to reflect on the beauty and magic of the season before the chaos of Christmas. Find more ideas for celebration here and here and read Glennie Kindred’s ideas to appreciate the midwinter stillness here.

EVENT Star Bright
As well as the Solstice, December 21 is the date of a show sky gazers haven’t seen in about 800 years; Jupiter and Saturn will appear to merge in the night sky, creating a giant, ‘Christmas star’. The last time Jupiter and Saturn were this close together was in 1226 A.D., at a time when Genghis Khan was conquering large swathes of Asia, and Europe was still generations away from the Renaissance. Find out more here. While you’re looking upwards, why not watch the International Space Station flying overhead? Around Christmas, you might even hint it’s someone in a sleigh…

DO Lend a Hand
Want to give back a little this Christmas? Caring Christmas is a volunteer-led initiative led by Yoopies. Many people will be isolated over the festive period, but this countrywide service already has more than 7000 volunteers ready to offer company, childcare, nannies or tutors for those in need. Want to lend your presence or feeling unable to cope? Find out more here.

RECIPE Sweet Pine
A wintry, Scandinavian treat, pine needle syrup is festive, sweet, and aromatic. When you’re foraging for winter greenery decorations, be sure to snip a few extra pine branches (or even steal some from your tree) to make this yule-time treat. Find how to make it here.

MAKE On The Cards
Need some ho-ho-home-made Christmas card-spiration? We love these lino printing ideas and this, while these are more complicated, but just gorgeous. Or try sewing! Thes geometric designs look clean and contemporary but these yarn trees are easier for kids to make. For something more spectacular, get crafting this pop-up tree greeting. Easiest of all, try recycling last year’s cards for this season – some great ideas here and here.

What we’ve been reading this week:

How to Buy Gifts That People Actually Want “Every year, we buy more bad gifts than we realise and nobody tells us about it. Here’s how to avoid the most common pitfalls and use psychology to drastically improve your gift-giving game.” Read more here

Found something inspirational to read that you’d like to share? Want to share your creations with us? Have an idea for things to do? We’d love to hear from you. Email Kate

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