Crafts & Fun

Imagine a community of families with young children gathering in a darkened room on a cold December afternoon. A spiral of green boughs on the floor leads to the centre of the room, where a large candle burns. If you look closely, hidden among the boughs are little treasures – sparkly crystals and tiny figurines. In one corner of the room, someone plays a harp. One at a time, the children walk along the spiral path holding an unlit candle. At the centre, they light their candles and retrace their steps out of the spiral, leaving a now-burning candle somewhere along the path. Gradually, the room brightens as each child makes the journey to the centre of the spiral. After all the candles are lit, there are songs about light and star-shaped cookies to eat.

“It’s beautiful,” says Connie White, whose ten-year-old granddaughter, Jessica, is a member of the London, Ontario, Waldorf School. “The spiral garden is a favourite activity of the children, and parents are often very touched.” White, who taught for many years at the school, most enjoys watching the children make the journey. Each child’s individuality is revealed, she explains. Some hurry to the centre, others want to investigate every treasure they see peeking out among the boughs.

“It’s a simple celebration that symbolizes the journey we all take during the ever-lengthening nights of December,” observes White. “Then, at the winter solstice, it becomes more light.”

Roughly translated, the word solstice means standing-still sun. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, when the sun is at its lowest point at noon in the southern sky. This year, winter solstice falls on December 21. In northern countries near the Arctic Circle, the winter solstice is a time of almost perpetual darkness.

Winter solstice observances predate the Christian era by thousands of years and are common to cultures around the world. In ancient days, when people were much more dependent on the sun for warmth, light and a bountiful harvest, the yearly retreat of the sun meant dwindling stores of food and perpetual cold. Once winter solstice passed, there were many more days of darkness and cold ahead, but also the promise of spring and rebirth in the lengthening days.

The word Yule means “wheel” – so Yuletide celebrated the continuity of the cycles of nature. The burning of the Yule log was thought to add light and strength to the waning sun. Christmas or Yule trees, alight with modern-day electric lights, are direct descendants of this tradition.

White believes that marking these “landmark cosmic events nourishes a natural connection to the seasonal rhythms and instills a reverence for life and nature.” And, she adds, “children love it.”

Whether you’re looking to create a new family tradition or enrich an existing one, here are some simple, soul-satisfying ways to bring a little light into the dark days of December:

Good Company

The best thing about the holidays, says psychologist and Today’s Parent contributor Janet Morrison, is the opportunity they provide “to bask in the kinship of family and friends.” Peterborough, Ontario, father Brian Mitolo and his ten-year-old daughter, Sophie, have held a winter solstice gathering every year since Sophie was three. “For me, there are three basic ingredients: light, food, and the company of friends. The first year we really overdid the candles. They were burning all over the house. At some point I say thanks out loud for the good company, for the abundance of food, and for the light I know will come.”

When Susan Ditta invited people to her most recent annual winter solstice party, she asked them to bring along something in addition to a casserole or a salad. “I asked everyone to bring something that spoke to them about the meaning of light on the longest night of the year – and there were groans galore,” recalls Ditta, who hails from Scarborough, Ontario. Still, her friends rose to the occasion. There were sparklers in the snow for the children, a couple of high-school students brought research about ancient pagan traditions associated with the winter solstice, another family lit a menorah and told the story of Hanukkah, poems were read and songs were sung. “In the end it left us all glowing a little, feeling closer and deeply warmed by our evening together,” says Ditta.

If you’re not up for hosting a house party, how about planning to spend part of the shortest day of the year out of doors? A skating or skiing outing or a hike on a beautiful winter’s day might culminate with baked potatoes around a bonfire (they will keep quite warm packed in an insulated bag) and hot cider or chocolate in a thermos to coincide with the early sunset. You could stay out late enough to see the first stars come out. Gather some boughs and cones along the way to add a sweet scent to your home.

Deck the Halls and Light the Candles

Greenery and candles have long been associated with midwinter celebrations. Evergreens symbolize the fact that life continues even in the midst of darkness. In Sweden, December 13 – winter solstice according to an older calendar – is St. Lucia’s Day, the feast of the returning light. (Lucia means “light.”) Celebrations begin with a breakfast of coffee and sweet rolls served by a young woman of the household wearing a wreath of seven burning candles on her head. There are many stories about St. Lucia. One is that the saint brought food and drink to starving people during a time of famine and so she has long been associated with the tradition of gift giving.

For the four weeks leading up to Christmas, Connie White invites her family to a weekly gathering round a festive table decked out in red and blue. Someone lights one of five candles, and a younger member of the White clan gets to unpack a basket full of treasures to be laid out on the table. Often there is a story or a song. The first week, White’s basket contains crystals and rocks to symbolize the earth. The second, there are acorns, pine cones, a head of wheat and something to eat to honour the plant world. “The third week is when the animals arrive,” says White. “I have a rough wooden frame that approximates a stable and we have a little ox and a rabbit, a bird and a donkey. The fourth week, the people come: the shepherds, Mary and Joseph.” White’s family celebrates Christmas, so her Advent table culminates with the Christ child appearing on Christmas morning.

Holiday traditions that include the lighting of candles to mark the passage of time abound in many cultures – candles are lit for Advent and a kinara with seven candles is a part of Kwanza celebrations. The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah – the festival of lights – has a unique link to the winter solstice and is a story of religious freedom. In the second century BC, the conquering Syrians outlawed the Jewish faith. During the time of the solstice, they defiled the temple of Jerusalem and extinguished the light of the menorah that burned before the altar. Exactly three years later, the Maccabees defeated the Syrians and restored the temple. While they found sufficient consecrated oil to rekindle the menorah for only one day, it miraculously burned steadily for eight days – hence the eight days of Hanukkah.

Setting a festive table and lighting candles is a wonderful way to say thanks for the good things in our lives. You might ask everyone to contribute something special to the table or fasten mementos of the year past to a wreath of greenery – some shells from your seaside vacation last summer, someone’s winning ribbon from a sporting event, a picture of someone special who lives far away. Light some candles among the boughs and gather up everyone to retell the stories you lived together over the past year.

Afterwards, you can serve the Yule Log Cake with some cocoa before everyone heads off for a long winter’s nap.

The Season to Be Jolly

Storytelling, charades, board games by candlelight with star-shaped cookies on the side… or how about a little role reversal?

In ancient Rome, the winter solstice festival of Saturnalia lasted seven days, a time when slaves were temporarily freed, houses were bedecked in greenery, warfare ceased and gifts were exchanged. A mock king was chosen to oversee the revelry that overtook the streets. This tradition of rejigging the social order persisted into medieval times, with the Lord of Misrule, who was appointed to be master of ceremonies presiding over the festivities of Twelfth Night.

Why not rearrange the social order for an evening in your house? Let the kids be in charge of serving a topsy-turvy evening meal – dessert first, no cutlery allowed – anything that allows for high hilarity. Or you could designate the youngest child of your clan the Lord of Misrule for a day. A sparkly paper crown, a sceptre and a cape would complete the look. Everyone else has to call him Sire (or Milady) and fulfill his every (reasonable) command.

If you decorate a Christmas tree, young children might enjoy a slumber party (or an evening story time) near the newly decorated tree. Make a big bowl of popcorn, dim the lights and read stories (J.R.R. Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas are wonderful) beside the boughs.

Whatever our family traditions, says Janet Morrison, “the important thing is that they come from the heart.” Connie White agrees: “We’re all searching for meaning in our lives, and it doesn’t come easily,” she says. “But if you make an act of creativity out of your heart, that’s an incredible gift to children.”

Ice lanterns

Expecting company? Here’s an afternoon project that will welcome visitors gathering at your house after the sun goes down. All you need is a metal mixing bowl and a 750 g yogurt container, enough weights (stones, coins or nuts and bolts) to fill the yogurt container, water and a votive candle.

Fill the bowl with water to a depth of about three inches and let freeze. Then, get your helpers to fill the plastic container with the weights, and place in the centre of the bowl on the already frozen ice. Have them carefully fill the bowl with water until it almost reaches the top of the yogurt container (a watering can with a narrow spout works well for this) and freeze.

About two hours later, when it’s solid, remove the weights from the yogurt container, pour in some warm water to loosen, and remove. Remove the ice lantern from the metal bowl by dipping it in a sink of warm water briefly, put the votive candle (brightly coloured ones look really pretty) inside the centre, and it’s ready to grace your front steps.

If you start a few days ahead you can make several (but that would mean being very organized…)

Solstice lore

True or false? (See answers below)

1. Mistletoe was a sacred plant to the Celtic druids, who harvested it from the sacred oak tree.

2. The Bible says Jesus was born near the time of the winter solstice.

3. Kwanza is a new holiday less than 50 years old.

4. Newgrange is an ancient solstice custom where a rich landowner bestowed a gift of land (new grange) on a peasant.

5. At the solstice, we in the northern hemisphere are furthest away from the sun.

6. Wassail is a drink shared at midwinter celebrations.

Candle safety

A room alight with candles is indeed beautiful, but you’ll want to make sure your candles aren’t a fire hazard. Supervision is the number one candle safety rule, says David Morden, who is chief fire prevention officer for London (Ontario) Fire Services. Never let candles burn unattended, he says, noting that most candle fires start in bedrooms.

Morden suggests putting candles in jars or using glass chimneys and recommends floating candles or dripless pillars. If you’re burning tapers, make sure they’re well anchored in holders made of non-flammable material (preferably glass).

Place candles out of reach, especially when young children are about. Make sure candles are always well away from wrapping paper, decorations, dry boughs, curtains and clothing – anything remotely flammable. Teach kids that lighting candles is strictly for grown-ups. Keep matches and lighters out of reach at all times, and teach children never to touch burning candles without your permission.

Answers to solstice lore

1. True. Mistletoe was thought to bring life, fertility and freedom from disease. Hung in the house, it is said to bring good luck for a year. Northern Europeans associated mistletoe with the Norse goddess of love, Freya – thus the tradition of kissing under its branches.

2. False. The Bible makes no reference to the date of Jesus’ birth. The Roman Catholic Church officially established Christmas as December 25 in the third century AD to coincide with existing pagan festivals – an attempt, in part, to bring people into the new religion. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, it gradually assimilated many ancient customs into Christmas festivities.

3. True. Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga began Kwanza as a holiday in 1966 to celebrate African-American culture. The word Kwanza means "first fruits." Karenga based the new holiday on several African festivals. The seven candles of the kinara are lit on successive days. The candles are black, green and red and represent unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, co-operative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Eating together and an exchange of gifts are also part of Kwanza.

4. False. Newgrange is a 5,000-year-old monument in Ireland, built so that at dawn on the winter solstice (and only on this day) a shaft of light moves through an opening in the circular structure and travels down a long passageway, illuminating a central chamber.

5. False. We’re actually closest to the sun at the winter solstice, but very minimally. That’s because the earth’s orbital path around the sun is ever-so-slightly elliptical. What causes the changing seasons – the waxing and waning of daylight over the course of the year – is the tilt of the earth’s axis. We in the northern hemisphere are tilted away from the sun during the winter months. The sun appears low in the sky and we have fewer hours of daylight.

6. True. Wassail is a drink made of ale, spices and apples and often served in a large, preferably wooden bowl. Apple wassailing is also a festive tradition of blessing the orchards to ensure a good yield and “wassailing in the hall” or door to door is similar to the mummering tradition, where merry bands of revellers visit friends and neighbours to share Christmas cheer.

Winter 2002