yule – Page 2 – Wineberry Woods

02Dec 2024 by catbird

Pretty Plentiful & Pleasant Pomanders

Craft Project, Play, Recipes, Simmer Pot, Winter, Winter Solstice

Sorry! Sometimes I have to give in to my terrible alliteration tendencies. This post is all about pomanders in every form. I love the smell of oranges and cloves together more than most things-- it's one of those things I never get tired of. So I decided to go nuts and collect a whole bunch of the various pomander projects I've done over the years in one convenient place! Pomander balls have been associated with Christmas and/or Winter Solstice for some time, but that isn’t how they originated. We think of them as oranges studded with cloves, but in medieval Europe, people would keep little satchels of herbs on them because most everyone and everything smelled bad. They became a status symbol and the wealthier you were the fancier your…

20Nov 2024 by catbird

Yule Hot Cocoa

Recipes, Winter, Winter Solstice

This time of year I will happily drink pretty much any kind of hot chocolate, any time and so will my kids. It is the definition of cozy. Being cozy is practically a religion in my household. That said, it recently occurred to me that I have never made a special Winter Solstice cocoa and that simply won't do! So, to correct this oversight, I present to you my Yule hot cocoa. To make it extra Yule-y I added oranges to coax back the sun, cinnamon and cloves for luck, peace and protection (as well as holiday spice), and a little bit of spruce for the ultimate winter evergreen magic. Evergreens are remarkably citrus-y in flavor too. It’s all topped off with a sun shaped marshmallow dusted with turmeric and…

18Nov 2024 by catbird

Low Effort Winter Solstice Ideas

Winter Solstice

Sometimes, you just can't. We've all been there. Here are some ways to get out into nature and celebrate the Solstice with minimal or no prep and low effort. Hot Chocolate Hike Stargazing to celebrate the longest night Look for animal tracks Take a winter walk Bake Cookies (or just eat them...) Make pine needle tea Make Solstice wishes Cozy up with a good book Make pomanders

18Nov 2024 by catbird

Sun Shaped Animal Treats

Winter, Winter Solstice

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…

18Nov 2024 by catbird

Longest Night Constellation Luminaries

Craft Project, Winter, Winter Solstice

I remember luminaries being a bigger deal when I was a kid than they are now-- did they go out of fashion? Is it the fire hazard angle? Regardless, I have always loved them and have been pondering a luminary project for awhile now. First off, if you weren't born in the 80s you may not even know what a luminary is. It's just a paper bag, usually a whole row of paper bags, lining a walkway or a driveway or something, that has sand or clean kitty litter in it to weight it down and a candle. Yes people probably still use real candles in paper bags, but I am 100% LED myself, doesn't seem like there is any good reason to tempt fate there. I decided to do…

14Nov 2024 by catbird

Mother’s Night Bath Bombs

Bath & Body, Winter Solstice

Treat yo'self! This is one of the most cliche parts of self-care for moms, but honestly it's a cliche for a good reason. So rather than fighting it, I decided to lean it and make some Mother's Night bath bombs. So take a fancy bath, read a book or do whatever brings you a little joy this holiday season. These also make great gifts for other stressed out moms. To make it even easier you could just add the herbs to some epsom salt and make bath salts without the bomb or the drying time. A little more about the ingredients: evergreen is a powerful symbol of long life and the Winter Solstice season. Rose reminds us to practice self love. Chamomile grants patience, wisdom and long life. Linden soothes and…

13Nov 2024 by catbird

Jolabokaflod

Winter, Winter Solstice

A few years ago pinterest was flooded with adorable memes about Jolabokaflod, otherwise knwn as the Icelandic Book Flood. As we Americans tend to do, this beautiful tradition has been distilled down into a soundbite so dug in and spent some time researching what Jolabokaflod is all about. It is indeed a flood of books that are all published around the holidays, that people exchange with friends and family, but the rationale behind it is kind of beautiful. Icelandic is not a widely spoken language, so less books are printed in the language. As an english speaker, this isn't something I had ever really thought about before. Whole languages could disappear because they aren't profitable. So the publishing companies in Iceland decided to make the release of their new titles…

13Nov 2024 by catbird

A Modern & Magical Mother’s Night

Craft Project, Mother's Night, Recipes, Winter Solstice

Mother’s Night or Mōdraniht is a lesser known holiday shrouded in mystery. Different people celebrate it on different dates. Some mark it as one of the twelve days of Yule, and there is some historical evidence that it was once celebrated this time of year, however there is only one direct mention of it in scholarship and it is exceedingly brief. It comes from the historian Bede who was an English monk and historian living in the early middle ages. Historians at that time did not, of course, remain impartial and his accounts, particularly of pagan customs, are often viewed through the lens of his occupation. All of that said, there is no reason to disbelieve his account of Mother’s Night, and there are some corroborating references that, while they…

13Nov 2024 by catbird

Candlelit Winter Solstice Fireplace Picnic

Recipes, Winter Solstice

Every Winter Solstice my family turns off all the lights in the evening, lights a fire in the fireplace, lights a million candles, spreads a blanket in front of the fireplace and has a special dinner on the living room floor. Not only is it a lovely way to celebrate the darkest night, but it’s also a great opportunity to turn off electronics and lights and just enjoy each other’s company. We do this every year, no matter what else we do (or don't do.) The kids think it’s hysterical to walk around the house with a lantern and it’s an incredibly relaxing night in a busy stressful season. We always have Swedish meatballs (which are referred to as ikea meatballs in my house... ) with mashed potatoes, green beans…

13Nov 2024 by catbird

Magical Winter Solstice Rituals & Traditions

Folklore, Winter, Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice is the day that the earth is tilted the furthest away from the sun and consequently has more hours of darkness and less hours of light than any other day of the year. Every day after the Winter Solstice there is gradually a little more light until the Summer Solstice. Ancient people thought that the sun was dying and being reborn on this day. The Winter Solstice most often falls on December 21st and has long been a day of celebration. In fact, it was a whole season of celebration in ancient times. The sun is at its lowest point in the sky on the Winter Solstice and shadows become stretched out and longer than usual. The word solstice comes from the Latin, sol means sun and stitium…

Tag: yule