As we approach the longest night, it’s fun to find ways to make the season a little more festive. If you’re looking for ways to add a more nature-based and magical element into your holiday season, these 13 ideas are a great way to do just that. The holiday season isn’t always an easy or joyful time, especially if you don’t have a strong faith to lean on. Making your own traditions that reflect your love of nature and the changing of the seasons is a great way to add some fresh energy into a season that can sometimes be challenging.
If you’re in Southern New England, I would love to brighten your solstice season with a Winter Solstice Sing Along & Sound Meditation Gathering on December 23rd. Scroll to the end of this article for more information.
Day 1: Learn about your Roots
If you're looking to add a little paganism into your holiday season, a great place to start is by exploring what your ancestors did before Christianity took over. Since I'm of European heritage, I'm familiar with those practices, but the solstice was acknowledged around the world, so no matter where your ancestors are from, they probably did something special to mark the occasion of the sun's return after the longest night.
The Norse honored Odin on Yule or Jol. Odin was described as a wanderer with a long white beard and shares many similarities to Santa. Norse children would leave their shoes out by the hearth on the eve of the winter solstice with sugar and hay for Odin’s eight-legged horse, Sleipnir.
In Rome they celebrated Saturnalia as the rebirth of the year from December 17th to December 24th during which ordinary social rules were turned on their head. “Men dressed as women and masters dressed as servants. The festival also involved decorating houses with greenery, lighting candles, holding processions and giving presents.” More information here.
How did your ancestors celebrate? Are you going to incorporate any of their traditions into your solstice celebration this year?
Day 2: Make an Orange Pomander
Oranges symbolize the sun's return and the bright, zesty scent mixed with spicy cloves is a great way to brighten up this dark time of year. Simply poke the long end of whole cloves through the skin of an orange in a festive pattern. Stick a wire through the center of the orange, securing it on the outside of the bottom and forming a loop at the top to hang it. As it dries it will release its bright aroma. Hang it from a Yule tree or any place that needs some festive cheer.
For more details, check out this page.
Day 3: Decorate a living Yule Tree
Another way to celebrate is to share our bounty with our animal friends as winter begins. One way to do this is to decorate an edible outdoor Yule tree. The simplest ornament to make is to coat pine cones in a mixture of peanut butter and oats and roll them in bird seed. Tie a ribbon or string made of natural fibers to the top and hang it outside.
You can also make an edible garland by stringing together fruits such as apple, pear, grapes or orange chunks, raisins, cranberries, plain popcorn or Cheerios, or in-shell peanuts. Use a thread with natural fibers and the string can be repurposed by birds in the spring to make their nests. Do not use fishing wire, as it can harm birds.
You can also make bird seed ornaments that you can either hang on your own tree or give as gifts! This page has more ideas for edible decorations and how to make them kid friendly.
Day 4: Homeless Gifts
If you walk or drive through an area with a winter homeless population, it's great to make some little care packages to carry with you during the holiday season. Things I like to include are some socks and gloves, Hot Hands, lip balm, chocolate, granola bar, peanut butter cracker packs, can of soup, tea, and a $5-$10 gift card to a cheap, easily accessible restaurant (Dunkin Donuts, Subway or fast food), all in a zipper plastic bag with a handwritten note. If you don't encounter the homeless population regularly, you can donate to a food pantry or find a charity that is distributing gifts to children in need. For more ideas of things to include, check out this article.
Day 5: Make a Yule Log
One way to combine the greenery of the season with honoring the sun's return is making a Yule Log. This is a log that you decorate with natural materials and display as a decoration or on an alter. Then on the eve of the Solstice, it's burned to bring light to the darkest night and welcome back the sun.
Any log will do, but traditionally oak is used to bring in strength and health for the coming year. Pine is used as well for prosperity and abundance. Whatever log you choose, make sure it’s very dry and well seasoned so it’ll burn.
Wrap a ribbon made of natural fiber around the log and tuck pine boughs, pine cones, holly, and other natural materials underneath it. Finding the materials can be part of your Yule tradition. Try to mainly take things that are on the ground already, but if you want some greenery, ask the tree and give it thanks before cutting any branches. You can also write your hopes for the upcoming year and tuck them in as well.
On the night of the Solstice, turn off all the lights as you prepare to light the Yule log. Be quiet in the darkness as you think about the year that has past. Light the log and as it begins to burn think about the hopes you have for the year ahead. It's traditional to light a candle from the Yule log and use that to light candles throughout the house, spreading the warmth of the returning sun.
Day 6: Bake Solstice Cookies
Cookies and Yuletide are natural friends, but if you're looking for a pagan spin, there are lots of ways to witch it up! Trees, stars, and suns are all great shapes for the solstice. Also, adding a citrus element helps to brighten the recipe and reminds us that the sun grows stronger each day onward. Then make little packages of cookies to share with friends and family. Check out these orange cardamon sugar cookies for some inspiration!
Day 7: Send Holiday Cards
If you're crafty, get down with your bad self and hand make some cards. If that is not your strength, purchase cards made by a local artist and fill the inside with a list of all the reasons you love and value your friendship. End it with a blessing for a Happy Solstice and New Year such as this:
“Sending warmth and love on this Solstice Night
May the coming year be happy and bright”
Day 8: Adorn a Branch
Go for a walk and look for some beautiful natural objects (pinecones, dried leaves, bittersweet berries, tinder conch mushrooms, fallen birch bark) to create a beautiful and unique art piece. Also look for a pine bough that still has some needles, but any stick will work. Then tie ribbons, strings or fishing wire to the objects and hang them from the horizontal stick at various lengths. You can give it a festive feel and hang small ornaments among the natural objects as well. These make great DIY gifts!
Day 9: Go Wassailing
Wassailing is often synonymous with caroling, going door to door singing songs, except wassailing has a distinctly boozy flavor (with a drink sharing the same name!) But the original form of wassailing was to sing to apple trees to ensure a good harvest in the coming year. People would visit the apple orchard and pour wassail on the roots, leave some wassail soaked bread in the branches, and then make lots of noise to scare away evil spirits.
While I hardily encourage you to sing to an orchard if you have access to one, this practice can also be done in a garden or a natural place that you especially enjoy visiting during the warmer months as a way to “tuck it in” for the winter. Bringing some traditional wassail or hot cider to share with the trees is a lovely addition. My favorite solstice song to sing to the forest is Silent Night, Solstice Night.
Silent night, Solstice Night
All is calm, all is bright
Nature slumbers in forest and glen
Till in Springtime She wakens again
Sleeping spirits grow strong!
Sleeping spirits grow strong!
Silent night, Solstice night
Silver moon shining bright
Snowfall blankets the slumbering Earth
Yule fires welcome the Sun's rebirth
Hark, the Light is reborn!
Hark, the Light is reborn!
Silent night, Solstice night
Quiet rest till the Light
Turning ever the rolling Wheel
Brings the Winter to comfort and heal
Rest your spirit in peace!
Rest your spirit in peace!
If singing to the forest isn't your cup of hot cider, then you can do a quiet walk and meditation, giving a prayer of gratitude and protection to the forest, orchard or garden through the winter.
Day 10: Anonymous Giving
Do an anonymous act of kindness! Pay the bill for the person behind you in the drive thru, cover the tab for a young couple out to dinner (especially if they have a noisy child!), leave gift cards for your neighbors. Make sure this is anonymous and they don't know who to thank, as it will cause the ripple of good deeds to expand.
Day 11: Intention Lanterns
For this crafty magic, all you need is a white paper bag, sand, a marker and a tea light candle. On one side of the bag write the good things you intend for yourself in the coming year, and on the other side write good wishes for others or the world. Hold the bag to your heart and visualize these intentions coming to pass for yourself and others. How would it feel? What would your life or the world look like on a day-to-day basis? What would shift? Fill the bottom of the bag with sand, place the tea light inside, place your lantern outside, light the candle and enjoy the glow of your intentions coming to you.
Day 12: Make Magic Cider
Mulled apple cider is not only a tasty Yule beverage, but with the right intention you can turn it into a magic potion. The combination of cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice berries and grated nutmeg carries a potent magical energy of protection and prosperity. To make this magic brew just simmer the cider over low heat with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice berries, and grated nutmeg. You can add orange wheels as well to honor the return of the sun (and poke the cloves into the skin of the orange circles to prevent them from getting sipped!).
Begin to stir the cider in a clockwise or deosil direction and envision your intentions for prosperity and protection in the coming year. See yourself looking at your bank account with your ideal total in it, taking that vacation, getting the promotion, buying the house, whatever your abundant dreams contain. Feel the joy and see what that prosperity allows in your life as you stir all those good intentions into the cider. If you’re sharing it with friends or family, envision them prosperous and protected as well. Before you drink your first glass, share what you’re most grateful for in the past year. Having gratitude for the abundance already in your life helps to attract even more in the future.
Day 13: Sing Solstice Carols
You can find many traditional Christmas carols that have been modified with a more nature-based theme. Singing familiar songs, but with lyrics that are more aligned with your current beliefs is a great way to get into the holiday spirit while remaining true to yourself. My two favorite Solstice Carols are Silent Night, Solstice Night and Joy to the World. Santa Clause is Pagan Too is a funny neo-pagan original.
Explore the playlist below of solstice themed songs and find your favorites.
Want to get even more festive?
If you’re in Southern New England, join me for a Winter Solstice Sing-Along & Sound Meditation Gathering on December 21st from 4-9pm. This will be a meditative evening of fire and song. Click here for more information on how to join.
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