Countdown to Yule

December. The final month of the year should be a time for slowing down, taking stock, reflection, hibernation. Too often we’re under even more pressure than normal: to buy the perfect gifts, to be the perfect host, to cook the perfect Christmas dinner, to not miss out, to say yes to every invite, to forget our boundaries. To consume, consume, consume.

We’re on the descent to the darkest day: the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice or - as the Pagans celebrated in the Celtic Wheel of the Year - Yule. Traditionally a time of rest and reflection, of home and hearth, of endings and beginnings.

This year, I dare you to get back to the old meaning of Yule. To say no. To slow down and appreciate the magic. To step back from the frantic festive preparations. Simplify. Nest. Create. Give meaningful gifts – that doesn’t mean expensive ones. Time is your greatest gift.

Cook, nourish, indulge without guilt. Savour the shortest day and the quiet mystery of midwinter; the nights are drawing out again. There’s a reason that seasonal celebrations of the past revolve around fire and feasting. Embrace home and hearth to get back to the true meaning of the Winter Solstice.

It’s tempting and oh so easy to get swept up in the pre-Christmas hysteria, but before you throw yourself headlong into preparations, take time to take stock of your own needs.

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for a home." — Edith Sitwell