The winter solstice is fast approaching, and seasonal celebrations like Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah are almost upon us. Today, we’re sharing some of the wonderful yuletide and holiday traditions from all of our Pinto Carpentry families! We’ve got delicious holiday recipes, new and exciting trdaitions you can start this year, and lots of festive fun ideas for the whole family to enjoy.
Delicious Holiday Recipes We Love To Bring To Family Gatherings
Yuletide and Winter Solstice Traditions
Create Salt-Dough memory ornaments as a family and gift to loved ones - We love making memories together as a family, and that includes creating seasonal Salt Dough ornaments for the tree! Whether you’re using a gluten-free salt dough recipe or the traditional kind of salt dough, it’s a lovely group activity for a cozy weekend at home.
Create a Yule Altar - A Yule Altar is created to welcome the return of the sun and the lengthening of the days. To create one, you’ll need golden, silver, or yellow candles to symbolize the sun. Gather items that represent the winter season: pinecones, evergreen branches, pieces of cedarwood. You’ll want to burn some sage or sweetgrass to cleanse the altar with positive intentions.
Burn a Yule Log in the Fireplace or a Fire Pit - Historically, Nordic tradition was to burn a whole tree across 12 days leading up to Christmas. Since that’s not exactly sanctioned by apartment management or condo associations (and definitely not feasible for modern hearths) the Yule Log is a popular alternative. Netflix also has several “Fireplace for the Home” options as well!
Enjoy Yuletide “wassail” cocktails - Wassail is a festive warm drink with mulled spices consisting of: 2qts apple cider, 1.5 cups of orange juice, ¾ cup pineapple juice, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. You can also add a splash of Rum or Whisky if you wish!
Take Some Time to Meditate - Since this is the longest night of the year, set aside soem time to be still, and reflect on the quiet and peace that blanket the world on snowy evenings. Consider your goals for the upcoming year, and how you can grow as a person and focus on propelling yourself forward towards your goals. Reminisce about the past year, and then let it go. Feel free. Focus on being present and how you can connect with your peers, loved ones, and yourself within your own space, and set constructive and positive intentions for the future year ahead!
Exchange Nature-Related Gifts with Loved Ones - Yule is a time to celebrate the changing of the seasons as the days grow in length and nights get shorter. Focus on things made from natural elements, plants for their home, bulbs or seeds to be planted in spring, or perhaps some books about nature or a documentary celebrating Earth!
Make some holiday decorations using natural elements: Make some Orange Pomanders with your family. Take small, firm oranges and whole cloves to create this craft. You may use a sharp knife or citrus zester to create patterns on the orange skin (save the peel for your wassail or baking!) Poke the cloves into the orange in pretty patterns (you can use a toothpick or chopstick to pre-make the holes for little ones!
Have a family participation story time with winter themed storybooks - You can try “The Mitten” by Jan Brett; “The Winter Solstice” by Ellen Jackson; “The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice” by Carolyn McVickar Edwards; “The Solstice Badger” by Robin McFadden; “The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice” by Wendy Pfefer and Jesse Reisch, The Lights That Dance in the Night by Yuval Zommer; Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss with Cinyee Chiu; Ten Ways to Hear Snow by Cathy Camper with Kenard Park
