Good Wednesday morning, my friends, and welcome! Today's post is a continuation of my previous post,
Celebrating the Winter Solstice Part l , where I discussed a few of the ways we have celebrated this lovely day in the past, and how I am carrying on those traditions into the present. Today I am going to continue on that theme, and share with you some ideas for a few crafts you can make, books you can enjoy reading together to add to your festivities, as well as ideas for celebrating this lovely day with children. I'll also include the recipe for Grammy's Cabbage Soup. I think of all the recipes I've posted on this blog, this one has been the most liked and requested, but since it is, traditionally, our choice for the solstice for many years, it bears repeating, and it IS incredibly good!
❅ SOLSTICE CRAFTS
ORANGE CLOVE POMANDERS
lovely craft, and they look so pretty when you place several in a basket along with a few little springs of greenery. One little trick I'll share with you that makes studding them with cloves a little easier, is to mark your design with an ice pick or perhaps a wooden skewer, and then insert the cloves into the holes. These are great fun to make, and they smell absolutely wonderful! I usually dust mine with a bit of ground cloves as well, and the fragrance is just divine. They look equally as pretty tied up with a length of red velvet ribbon and hung in just the right spot. I plan to set out a few in a little basket, as well as tie up one or two in some black and white checked fabric strips for a little primitive touch.
SOLSTICE LANTERNSThis year I plan to make a solstice lantern, and **maybe** I can even entice Kate to join in the fun! I came across this idea several years ago, and since then have come across so many lovely ideas. There are several feast days in the Liturgical that feature "light", and lanterns are prominent in those celebrations. So it seems only fitting that making a lantern for the return of the light is fitting.
Sophie makes several variations of beautiful lanterns, and has an entire section with tutorials in her stories.
WISHING CONES
This is a
new-to-me craft that I've seen come up several times recently, wishing cones. The idea is to write out your wishes, goals and intentions for the coming year, roll them up and then carefully secure them in a pinecone. The cone can then be tossed into the fire, perfect for a solstice bonfire, and released. Some do this for New Years, but I've seen it come up in several posts on solstice celebrations. As a Christian I will pray over my intentions, and since we live in an apartment, I'm not sure about the ability to place mine into a fire, so I'm unsure what I will do.
THE SOLSTICE MEAL
GRAMMY'S CABBAGE SOUP
1-2 pounds of pork, roast or loin
4
medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices (2 cups)
2
medium stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
1
medium potato, peeled and cubed
1
medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
4
cups chopped cabbage (about 1 medium head)
1/4
cup packed brown sugar
4
cups water
1
teaspoon crushed red pepper (you can use less if you don't like it too spicy!)
1/2
teaspoon salt
1/2
teaspoon pepper
4
chicken bouillon cubes
1
can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, undrained
Mix all ingredients in 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 9 hours (or high heat setting 4 to 5 hours) or until pork and vegetables are tender.
And now onto the books!
BOOKS FOR CHILDREN (AND ADULTS, TOO!) (All links to Amazon are non-affiliate, this post is offered as a gift!)
Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here
by Jean Craighead George
This little book is my absolute all time favorite for sharing with children on this day. But who am I kidding? I read it again on the winter solstice every year, and probably will again and again!
I am going to share two passages from this book with you that illustrate why I love this particular one so much! Among other things is that it is presented as a letter between a grandmother and her granddaughter, a sweet sentiment that makes the read all the more lovely!
"Dear Rebecca, I turned on the lights to eat breakfast this morning and put on my coat to go outside. Winter is here. It was brought by by little hands of darkness. Each little hand is a few minutes long. In summer they began bringing winter. They pulled the night over the edges of the dawn and dusk and made the days shorter. On June 21, while you were cooling under the house, winter began."
and towards the end, is this lovely passage;
"I light the fire in my fireplace. You sing jolly songs with your friends. And while you are singing, summer begins. On the 22nd of December, little hands of light begin to push back the edges of the darkness minute by minute. Before very long, you will take off your shoes and and jump over bluebells. I will eat my breakfast outdoors in the sunshine. The birds will return as the days grow longer. The frogs and turtles will come out of the warm mud, and the next thing you know, I'll be writing. Dear Rebecca, summer is here!"
Oh my! I don't know if these words move you as they move me, but they just thrill me! Perhaps it is grounded in my love of the changing of the seasons, or memories of my own grandmother, though I don't recall her ever writing me a single letter! But I think at the heart of it, it is the kind of grandmother I hope to be. Sharing snippets of my day, things I observed in nature, quotes and passages from books, with my own grandchildren, even in letters! They may find it fun when they are young, or leave the letters unopened in their teens, perhaps. But I do hope they will keep them, and that one day, when they are older, they will be able to return to those sweet sentiments and meet with me again, even after I am gone. I don't mean to sound glum, I really think the idea is lovely. I know I love having things that once belonged my grandmother, and if I had personal letters, that would be all the sweeter!
But now, before I forget, here are a few other books we've enjoyed over the years, all of which are lovely to share with the littles in your life, or even for yourself! I know for me, I will never grow too old to enjoy a beautifully illustrated picture book!
by Dorothy
by Richard Heinberg
LOVELY VIDEOS ON YOU TUBE
Guess How Much I Love You - So many memories from this book, and now a lovely cartoon!
A MOVIE PERFECT FOR VIEWING ON THE SOLSTICE
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The Christmas Oranges - if you've never seen this movie, you owe it to yourself to see if you can find a copy from your library or purchase it to add to your collection. A movie the whole family can and will enjoy. It doesn't have anything to do with the solstice, but I like it because oranges are prominent in the story and also associated with the solstice.
And now, my friends, I will close. Today I hope to finally get around to baking some cookies! I pray that your day is blessed and that you have been inspired to indulge in your own celebrations! And if you have your own traditions for celebrating the solstice, please leave a comment and share them with us!
❈
