The sun is paradoxically a big symbol of the Winter Solstice, not because it’s sunny, in fact quite the opposite, its the darkest day of the year. That means that the sun rises late in the morning and sets early in the evening (when that happens depends on where you live.) That is why we call it the shortest day, because there is less daylight that any other day of the year. After the Solstice, the days start getting the tiniest bit longer all the way up until the Summer Solstice which has the most hours of daylight all year. Ancient people all over the globe knew that Winter Solstice was the least sunny of days, so they tried to encourage it come back by creating light and making images of suns. That is the real reason suns became a traditional symbol and decoration, because people hoped that all of the lanterns, fires, and sun images they displayed this time of year would ensure the return of the sun.
We most often make a tree with treats for the animals after the holiday season, but I know decorating an outdoor tree with edible treats is a beloved Winter Solstice tradition for many families, so this year we decided to change things up and make some sun shaped Winter Solstice animal treats. They have dried oranges studded in their centers, which are not only tasty treats for wildlife, but look like they are glowing when the sun hits them. As a bonus, these are terrifically easy to make, even more so if you leave out the oranges, great for a group and fun across ages. I have used peanut butter here, but substitute with sunbutter, soybutter or lard if you have allergies. (And don’t think it won’t be an issue– you will end up with peanut butter on you no matter what you do.) If you are making these for a group I’d have an adult pre-cut the cardboard ahead of time to reduce chaos, but if you are working as a family or smaller group, the tracing and cutting step is great for our younger friends motor skills, if not exactly speedy. Choose a birdseed mixture that is suitable for your region. We used dried clementine slices (rather than orange slices) because they are smaller and fit better. We made some bigger ones with orange slices too.
Materials:
- cardboard
- scissors
- sun shaped cookie cutters (I used these: cutter 1, cutter 2)
- twine
- hole punch or other hole poker
- birdseed
- peanut butter or nut free alternative (no sugar!)
- clementine slices, dried in an oven or dehydrator
- sewing needle & thread (optional)
- glue (optional)
Method:
First trace the cookie cutters on pieces of cardboard and cut them out. If you prefer not to use the cutter as a guide you can also draw a sun freehand. (Which is what my larger example is) If you are going to make holes in the center for the orange slices, measure and ensure they fit. Draw yourself a big enough circle by tracing the orange or using a round cutter. Carefully cut out the circle in the center. Poke a hole for the hanging loop and tie some twine through it.
Once all of the cardboard suns are prepared, attach the oranges if you are using them. You have two options, you can use a needle and a little thread to sew them in so they dangle, or you can make the hole the same size as the orange slice and force it in with a little glue. You could also just glue the slice on top if you prefer, but you’d lose the transparency. And of course you can skip teh oranges entirely if you prefer.
Once the oranges are ready to go, spread your peanut butter in a thin evenish layer over the surface of the cardboard. Kids love doing this and will generally make a gloppy mess, but it will all be ok. You will have to maneuver around the oranges with the peanut butter. Once the surface is covered, dip the whole thing into birdseed. You cab just mash it down or use your fingers to help press it in place. If things are looking gloppy, you can squish the seed covered peanut butter bac into it’s sun shape.
Hang on a tree or bare branches for the birds and critters to enjoy. You can even setup a makeshift “blind” to observe from and see who visits your wildlife tree!
