Take in December with the senses

seasonal sensorial guidance

December is typically chock full of festive things to see and do, so I’m hoping you see this list as a kind of movement break during all the merriment.

I hope you find your own traditions comforting, guiding you into the wide arms of peace and rest as we end 2024.

Sound:

I am really enjoying this beautiful podcast for seasonal guidance. The episodes are truly relaxing, inspiring and stirring. My children quiet down when I play it in the car. I only wish they released more!

As The Season Turns is presented by Lia Leendertz, author of The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide. Each episode is released on the first of the month and follows the changing landscape of the seasons - from the moon and the stars, to the tides and the trees.

Found Sounds are released on the middle Friday of each month - these brief, gentle snippets of a wild place in the UK are crafted by sound artist Alice Boyd from field recordings, music and interviews.

Here is my Moody Christmas playlist that is updated annually. I find Christmas music repetitive to say the least, but I’ve tried my best to keep this fresh, soothing, mystical and warming.

Sight:

Music and stories really pull me through during the dark month of December, or An Dùbhlachd, which means the Blackness or the Darkness, in Gaelic.

I’ve been enjoying Ina Garten’s new book, “Be Ready When The Luck Happens,” I love the sound of her voice telling me where she came from and how her dreams came to pass. She’s a natural storyteller, and of course, her descriptions of sticky fruitcake shipped to Jeffery in Thailand in the 70’s, cinnamon spiced coffee floating through the aisles of Barefoot Contessa, and those lustful brownies leave me drooling. I could listen to her talk about simple food all day long. I’d recommend it as an audiobook! I didn’t know much about Ina Garten’s life and beginnings in New Hampton, and I find her gumption and drive so fascinating. She truly made her own way in the foodie world and it’s inspiring to hear how it all unfolded!

“From a difficult childhood to meeting and marrying the love of her life, Jeffrey, while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, DC to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because you’ll be really good at it.”

Smell:

Don’t you love the sharp and sweet scent of beeswax? Have you held it in your hands and sniffed it for as long as you liked? How many times did you go back for more? What if you gave yourself permission to sniff it for as long as you like. How long does that take? Have you ever noticed how quickly we smell things? What does it feel like to keep smelling it? Where does it take you in your memories or imagination? Indulging your sense of smell, while mindfully allowing it to conjure a distant memory or a soothing feeling is a beautiful practice I use every day. So, what if you gave yourself permission to burn the good beeswax candles down just for yourself? For a normal Thursday night dinner? While you write at your desk? While you read in the bath or in bed? What simple luxury. Do it.

Smell the bees in the dark of winter, and remember the bees always knew of their potent power, long before it was discovered.

It didn’t take humans long to notice it’s benefits. The earliest known uses of beeswax date back to ancient Egypt, where it was used in the production of cosmetics, balms, and ointments. It was also used to make mummies! In the Middle Ages beeswax was so necessary and valuable, that it was used as a commodity and taxed by the government. It became known as a symbol of purity and luxury, as it was used heavily in the Christian church for rituals and ceremonies after undergoing rigorous purification, often by boiling in sea water.

To this day, I love ordering these affordable beeswax prayer tapers from a Bulgarian shop on Etsy.

Right now, my favourite naturally scented beeswax candle in a jar is Nightbloom, laced with essential oils of patchouli, cedar and jasmine.

Taste:

If you enjoy nostalgic Christmas movies, consider what foods you find in these treasured gems. My children and I made a list of a few movies we want to watch again this year, paired with treats that fit.

The Chronicles of Narnia: We’ll be snacking on Rose Turkish delight, of course, in a parchment lined vessel fit for the White Witch. We also will drink thick and delicious hot chocolate. I’d like to one day make my own Turkish delight, but in the meantime, the kids and I enjoy watching “how it’s made” videos of all our seasonal favourites, like candy canes, Turkish delight, and other sweet treats.

Also, I can’t find a better delight than this brand, so why make my own?

We’ll also be eating homemade sugar cookies while watching Home Alone, gingerbread men and apple cider with A Miracle on 34th Street, and candy canes with milk alongside the Grinch. Simple is always best!

Touch:

This year in particular, I’ve come to really appreciate warm things. I bought my first heated blanket. We regularly use warm bean bags for aches and tummy swirls. And I believe a hot cup of tea between your hands is a kind of medicine. We take night walks with the kids and they’ve come to ask for hot lavender minty tea with oat milk and honey. It takes a bit of time, but I usually line up their travel mugs and we make five cups of tea to go for a foray into the darkness. Often there is complaining. Too tired. I don’t want to. Why do we always go for walks? But this tune changes when they’re outside, where their breath comes in puffs and the black sky stretches over us like a silky banner. We find ourselves walking most often in the winter, and it’s a tradition I’ve come to cherish. It reminds me of this quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn.

I hope you can find tangible ways to feel the warmth. Notice the warmth under your hands as you squeeze the shoulder of someone who is suffering. Feel the warm underbelly of a pet, and notice how velvety and warm their ears feel. Discover the warmth of your own belly, when the rest of your body feels cold. Indulge and prioritize the warmth of your hands, by investing in a good pair of mittens. I just ordered these ones. I’ve finally discovered mittens, although impractical, are the best way to keep hands warm, because fingers love being next to each other, borrowing energy from own bodies. How delightful.

Take good care, friends. And if you are unwell this bustling season, as I have been for the last month, I wish you all the rest, warmth and not aloneness that you may need.