Ten Timeless Traditions for Christmas and Solstice

      Enrich your holiday season with new traditions of old.   Try some of these ideas that come from the vast history of Christmas and Winter Solstice.  All of these ideas are simple,  inexpensive or free, and bring family and friends together,  imbuing this holiday time with festivity, a greater connection to Nature, and deeper meaning.  

1.  Make your own evergreen wreath or swag from greens you collect. Snipping greens is fun and not difficult.  Many free resources explain how to make wreaths, and making swags is especially easy. Other than greens, you need only wire, cutters, and a metal frame for attaching the greens too, all inexpensive and cheaper than store bought wreaths.  Most yards have some evergreen, and even nontraditional greens look great like magnolia, herbs, eucalyptus,  camellia,  or any large waxy leaf shrub.  Neighbors will often donate (on being asked) a few boughs, or gardeners will from the trimmings they have done.  Tree farms or nurseries give greenery away or sell it cheaply.   Don’t forget berries either for color or the grey evergreens like spruce.    Wreaths made by yourself are much more meaningful.   It is also worth knowing that the shape of the wreath comes from ancient symbolism in older Europe and represents the wheel of time, or the cycle of the seasons, which we look forward to during the shortest and darkest days of the year.  

     2.    Bring symbolic greenery inside to decorate.  Be bold and festive!  Ancient folk practices going back 4000 years have used evergreens to honor the life force in the dead of winter.  Of course the Christmas tree stands as the main way today that people follow this old custom.  Some people prefer to bring in living trees instead of a fallen one, so that no wasting of life is involved and someone is always happy to get the tree for planting later.    Draping evergreen boughs or garlands on mantles, tables, bureaus, over mirrors, and doorways are other ancient customs, and all add beauty, warmth, and festivity.  No need to worry about buying a garland either, for the simple boughs and branches, laid carefully, look good enough.    Many of the traditional holiday evergreens we use today are the same as used thousands of years ago at this time of year, and they each have their own symbolism.

          Symbolic Evergreens

Holly - protection, good fortune, and the potent life force of nature.

Mistletoe – Druid symbol of fertility and survival.

Pine -  Abundance, happiness, and good fortune.  Ancient Romans thought it symbolized male fertility.

Spruce – enlightenment, grounding, and healing.

Fir - protection, friendship, and birth.

Yew -    Most revered tree of Ireland, symbolic of wisdom and transcendence from death and immortality. To Christians, the yew is also associated with Jesus Christ rising from the dead at the Resurrection.

    3.    Burn more candles to honor the return of the sun and dispel darkness.  The darkness of winter can be heavy.    Winter Solstice brings us the longest night of the year and the shortest day.  Candlelight balances that heaviness and reminds us of the return of the seasons and the life force within everything.  Candlelight lightens the spirit too.  Some people follow rituals on Solstice of burning candles for a long time, even days, in safe places.  Kids love candles too.

     4.    Gather family and friends around a fire to honor wishes for the new year.  An old folk custom of Europe was to write down wishes for the coming year on dried bay leaves and throw them in the fire.  Other similar practices are to throw dried sprigs of holly or other evergreen in a fire while each person quietly thinks of what to be grateful for from the prior year, or what unhelpful things to let go of from the old year, or what to intend for the new year.  These can be a few simple acts done in the living room around a fireplace,  and they add personal meaning to the holidays and family gatherings.  Even little pieces of paper can be used for everyone to write their thoughts on, and  it can all private.  Drawing down all lights except the fire adds drama.  

    5.    With friends or family, tell stories and read myths and poetry that evoke these old holidays and their themes of life, rebirth, Nature, winter, and friendship.  The rich history behind these holidays fascinates all ages, and these stories are easily accessible at the library or on the web.  Examples of what to search for:  Celtic Mythology and folk tales of the Oak King and Holly King;  Pagan Scandinavia and Yule and the Yule Log;  Saturnalia and Ancient Roman.  In her book, the Solstice Evergreen, Sheryl Karas includes many old European and primitive myths, legends, and fairy tales that deal with these themes across the centuries and continents.   These can be enjoyed by all. 

     6.    Honor family members and ancestors with stories about them, their photos or decorations, or with items made by them.  One friend told me that at Christmas time, she intentionallygathers decorations passed on from elders and her ancestors, or made by them, and places them around the house.   This adds a timeless and heartfelt ancestral connection to the season.  Story-telling about family and ancestors can also be tape-recorded or videotaped for family heritage.   Often recording these moments is overlooked, sadly because they can become our strongest memories of loved ones gone, when those family members told stories after dinner of what they knew and cherished most.

     7.    Make holiday crafts and decorations together with friends and family.  This is festive, great fun, and brings loved ones together.  Here the list is endless.  Some examples are luminaries,  tree ornaments,  gifts, cards, baked goods.   I recently made crafts with a bunch of middle school girls, listening to holiday music and smelling spiced cider, and that afternoon truly welcomed in the holiday season for me.

   Here is an evergreen table centerpiece with red bird made by my 11-year old daughter at that craft party, and gifts of a special hot cocoa mix with decorated labels.

      8.    Prepare and host a feast to celebrate life and friendship.  Find ways at your feast to show appreciation for the themes of the holidays: life, rebirth, the return of the seasons, Nature, winter, friendship.   Use lots of candles and natural greenery.    At our holiday feast recently, my daughter made by hand place cards for everyone, with color pencil drawings of winter Nature scenes, and it was very sweet!

     9.    Feed creatures of the wild.  This old Winter Solstice folk custom goes back thousands of years in Europe.  It reminds us of our connectedness to Nature, and our deep respect for all beings.  Providing seeds and grains for birds and other forest animals can be especially fun for children.  Each family member can make their offering of seeds at a special spot outside, while thinking or saying something aloud in gratitude for Nature.

     10.    End any gift-giving on Christmas with words,  gestures, or activities that honor the deeper,  non-consumerist values that bring us together at this time.  Although it might seem like a purely American addition to this holiday season, gift-giving at solstice and yule time also goes back thousands of years and spans the continents.  Even in ancient China gift-giving happens at this time of year.  In our country, since this aspect of Christmas often overshadows all others,  showing other ways of connecting while we exchange gifts helps balance out the consumerism and materialism of our society.  And do not forget Solstice too for gift-giving.  It is another sweet time to exchange small gifts, such as at a Solstice party or family dinner, where small wrapped gifts can be placed in a basket, perhaps with a nature theme, one for each to grab and enjoy and remember the season by.  On Christmas, after gift-giving, some ideas of how to bring closure are hugs, readings or special sayings, joyful music-making,  an energizing walk in Nature, a communal feast, or all of the above! 

 Resources

 Karas, Sheryl Ann, The Solstice Evergreen, The History, Folklore, and Origins of the Christmas Tree, Aslan Publishing Co.,1991.

 Gifford, Jane, The Wisdom of Trees, Sterling Publishing Co., 2000.

 Kynes, Sandra,  Whisper from the Woods, Llewellyn Publications, 2006.