There’s a scent of pine and woodsmoke in the air as Christmas trees begin to fill windows. The kitchen warms the home from its heart, citrus, herbs and spices mingling. Deciduous trees relinquish their last leaves, giving evergreens their moment to shine. The darkness that descends in the afternoon now feels complete: peachy pink and golden skies giving way to midnight hues as the year turns towards the Winter Solstice on 21st December.
Every year I can’t help but falling for the romance of December, dreaming of white Christmases and anticipating The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. Yet I know for many of us December can also be complicated, busy and overwhelming. This month’s newsletter is as much a reminder to myself as it is to anyone else who needs a wee nudge to slow down at this time of year. As someone recently self-employed, a former English teacher of a decade and Mum to a busy one-year-old, I understand just how stressful this season can be. But I’ll be taking a moment this week to practise what I preach in my book Slow Seasons: to slow down, simplify and capture some of that Midwinter romance and magic in the things I make, do and celebrate this month.
It’s okay if you haven’t bought all your Christmas gifts yet (I’ve bought just one - yesterday), or thought about your festive menu (what did we make last year?), or simply don’t know where the year has gone (I’m sure it was only January?) Instead of getting swept up in all the festive busyness, here’s how I’m taking my cues from nature, reminding myself to slow down, and to make time for the wee things that truly fill my cup at this time of year. I hope you can join me in doing the same.
Firstly, feel free to skip this first one if you don’t live nearby!
Festive Wreath Making
If you’d like to spend an afternoon together away from all the Christmas pressure, then come and make a festive wreath with me at my Yule Seasonal Gathering in partnership with Lannan in Edinburgh on 15th December.
You will learn how to make and decorate a reusable wreath with foliage from Ochre Botanical Studios: evergreens, berries and seedheads sourced from local gardens.
We will enjoy treats from Lannan Bakery’s Christmas menu, including mince pies and mulled quince, in the beautiful surroundings of the newly opened Lannan Pantry.
You can secure your spot here on my gorgeous new website - I’m not a fan of scarcity marketing, but for full transparency there are just four tickets left and I’d love to see some of you there!
Gathering Greenery
And if you don’t live nearby, why not make a morning of gathering your own greenery and spend some time crafting at home? Foraging materials after a storm is ideal as there are usually lots of helpful windfalls (just make sure they’ve dried out thoroughly if it’s been raining). There are several projects in Slow Seasons, including a greenery garland, twig star and pinecone garland if you’re looking for inspiration. This week we went on a flying trip to Highland Perthshire and stumbled across some beautiful fallen larch branches that we decided to re-use instead of a Christmas tree this year (we have a small human in the house, enough said). Having lugged our beautiful branch home in the car (and feeling very pleased it fit) we wired it carefully to the curtain pole in our bay window, then decorated it with teeny copper fairy lights, simple bells, ribbons and lightweight baubles and paper stars (purchased a few seasons ago in the Toast sale). I’m so pleased with how it turned out (I’ll share a pic on Instagram in the daylight this week!)
Simple Decorating
Other than our festive branch, a jug of Ilex berries and beeswax candles in brass holders, I’m keeping the rest of our decorating simple. I’ll add foraged foliage to the top of dressers and mantles closer to Yule, but otherwise, I think we’re in the season of life where less is definitely more, which makes the feeling of being reunited with decorations gathered over the years, like old friends, even more special. This year I’ll be getting out only the most robust ones! A simple but nostalgic craft or two will appear when I have the time (such as the velvet paper chain style garland I made this week), and maybe some projects made with baby L. Cosiness will be the priority, embracing Wintery bedding, extra blankets and adding our stockings to the mantle, of course. I hope you can find some joy in nostalgic decorating and simple crafting too.
Solstice Celebrations
21st December marks the Winter Solstice - the shortest day or longest night - or Yule as the Celts called it. This is a time to take our cues from nature, slow down, rest and reflect where and how we can. Traditionally, the Celts celebrated the Solstice with fire and feasting; in my modern context we will be lighting candles over breakfast and spending time together by the stove. You might also like to join me in letting go of the things you want to leave behind as the year turns, writing down one or two things on small slips of paper and burning them (carefully!) in the fire, wood burner, bonfire, or by candlelight. It’s really liberating. The Solstice also calls for seasonal feasting, speaking of which…
Festive Food
Clementines with leaves on. Bright red cranberries. Zesty grapefruits. Rich chestnuts. The produce in season in December really is festive-appropriate and brings cheer in and of itself. I’ve always enjoyed the food most about Christmas, and this year is no different. Again, I’ll be keeping things simple and replicating our Christmas Day menu from last year (Mainly Anna Jones treats, including her gorgeous vegan stuffing, miso roast parsnips and lemony roast potatoes) and some other festive favourites like baked camembert. L is big into his food at the moment and we’d just started weaning this time last year, so I can’t wait to see what he enjoys this Christmas. I’m also looking forward to recreating my tiramisu pavlova (pictured below) which had rave reviews last festive season. I still think about it often. Another seasonal staple in our house is…
Clementine Salted Caramel Brownies
Each Winter I love creating a festive twist on the classic brownie. These clementine salted caramel brownies are rich and indulgent with bright citrus to lift the sweetness and a hint of sea salt for balance. The caramel makes more than you need for the brownies which is a joy in itself as it is delicious on ice cream, stirred into porridge or simply eaten cold from the fridge with a spoon.
INGREDIENTS
For the salted caramel
90g caster sugar
30ml water
40g butter
100ml double cream
50ml clementine juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sea salt to taste
For the brownies
60g salted caramel
110g butter
190g caster sugar
20ml clementine juice
Zest of one clementine
35g cocoa powder
2 eggs
50g self raising flour
Candied clementines, optional
METHOD
To make the caramel, combine the sugar and water in a heavy based pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Stir occasionally then stop stirring and let the mixture simmer until it darkens to a deep amber.
Remove from the heat and carefully add the butter and cream then pour in the clementine juice. Whisk until smooth. If it looks thin, return it to a low heat and cook gently until it thickens. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Mix all the brownie ingredients except the caramel together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.
Pour the batter into a greased and lined 20 cm tin and level the top. Make small wells in the mixture and spoon in some of the caramel.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the brownie is set at the edges but still soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before slicing.
Serve with extra caramel and candied clementines if you like.
If you enjoy my seasonal newsletters, do consider joining us in my paid subscriber community for more regular posts (or you can gift a paid subscription here). Together in this wee corner of the Internet we are creating a beautiful community of like-minded old souls who want to slow down, simplify and connect with the seasons. Here’s a flavour of what I’ve been posting over there this last month:
Sow, Grow, Harvest, Rest Book Group: November
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Thanks so much for being here and have a wonderful festive season! I hope when the Solstice arrives you can take time for a wee pause to mark this pivotal turning of the year and the coming of the light once again. See you next month xxx
View my archive of seasonal recipes, crafts and reflections, secure your space on one of my seasonal gatherings, and buy copies of my book on my new website here.
Plus there are some more places that stock ‘Slow Seasons’ here!
Have a lovely, gentle Solstice Rosie ✨
So lovely! I appreciate the beautiful ideas and the reminder to slow down.