Winter Solstice Creativity

by Gillian Monks

Decorations

USING EVERGREENS

When using greenery, dried grasses, etc., please do be careful not to inadvertently spoil, plunder or rob our natural world. Whether you are gathering in your own garden, on someone else’s property (hopefully with their permission!), on common land, etc., try to cut greenery in such a way that it effectively “prunes” the bush, improving its shape rather than otherwise.

Only take what you actually need, and take little from a wide area, from several bushes or sources. Bear in mind that you may be destroying or disturbing the winter refuge of hibernating animals and insects. Go carefully.

Lastly, respectfully ask permission from the bush, tree, plant or piece of ground, and again, thank it when you have gathered what you require. Perhaps leave an offering of yourself in return, (eg. a strand of hair), or something to feed the birds in the branches and little mammals in the undergrowth.

CONTENTS FOR JUGS AND CONTAINERS

Dried grasses, dried and “peeled” honesty, dried flower-heads (hydrangeas are especially effective!), dried bracken-fronds, branches / sprays of holly, berberis, fir, etc. (even sprays of beech with the brown leaves still attached can be most effective).

A selection of these, and others, can look lovely arranged in huge bunches in large vases, jugs or bowls… just as effective in tiny containers too!… whatever suits your available space and taste. The natural colours are beautiful but can be really enhanced be spraying or hand painting a few of the sprays gold or silver. Tying a broad coloured ribbon around the container adds to the effect.

NOTE: Those of you with gardens might like to consider what they want to grow (such as honesty), next spring and summer, ready to harvest for next Yule (and any other occasions). Even those of you with only backyard, balcony or even windowsill facilities can still grow and produce a surprising amount and selection!

KISSING BALL

An ancient tradition, this can be constructed by opening up and using two metal coat-hangers, tied one inside the other to form sphere (makes a smaller ball), or forming two larger (any size you want!) hoops, using two identical lengths of plastic siphon pipe, (can be purchased from wine-making departments). Using string or florist’s wire, secure the two hoops, inside on another, top and bottom.

This gives you the base of a “ball” on which to attach your greenery. Lengths of ivy are good for winding round and round and obscuring the frame. To this you can add sprigs of holly, poked in among the ivy and tied on to the frame with thin dark string or strong dark cotton to ensure extra stability. A bunch or sprig of mistletoe can then be hung inside the ball and / or from the bottom of the ball once it is hung up. The rest can be decorated as you wish, using coloured glass balls, dried flower heads, coloured ribbons. Especially effective are the naturally coloured and textured “balls” that are made into the shapes of fruit, especially apples, which look gorgeous among the greenery.

Carefully hang your kissing ball somewhere where there is either space to comfortably walk underneath it, or where it won’t be in the way, otherwise continual collision with holly prickles can spoil the pleasure!

KISSING BOUGH

A similar ancient tradition and variation of the Kissing Ball. This is simpler and easier to do. You will need a branch of a tree or bush, in size, anything from10 inches to several feet. Or several smaller, twiggy branches tied together. Branch(s) can either be left their natural colour or sprayed white, gold or silver, then either stuck in an appropriately sized pot of earth or sand, or even suspended at 45 degrees from the ceiling to give the appearance of growing naturally.

Once in place, the bough can be decorated however you wish… with coloured balls, tiny sprigs of evergreens, imitation or real fruits nuts, garlands, etc.

ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS TREE

For those who have gardens, there are many small shrubs and trees which can be brought into the house at Yule, including fir trees, bay trees holly trees (many very pretty variegated leaved varieties of holly), all kept in large pots, and which can be used in this way over many years, until the plant has reached the end of it’s natural life, or grown too large for pot and being indoors. Plants brought in in this way can be decorated, strung with coloured lights, or simply left as they are, to exude their own special evergreen presence.

For smaller homes, or to fill in spaces between larger plants, bowls of rosemary, sage or other larger, aromatic herbs that can be persuaded to remain green until the Solstice, can be used. The idea is to make a green, aromatic bower… a winter grove within the home.

NOTE: Do remember to keep living plants regularly watered and away from direct forms of heat. When it comes time to put the plants out again after the festivities, either put them in the greenhouse, on a covered porch or tucked up under fleece for a while so that the sudden change in temperature isn’t too great a shock to their systems.

YULE LOG

Any time throughout the year when you are out in the woods you can keep your eyes open for an attractively shaped log(s). Make sure that it is absolutely dried out. Find the most attractive way for it to lie on its side, at the same time ensuring that it won’t roll about. Find a natural depression in the wood (or even chisel a bit out!), so that you can melt some wax and set a coloured candle in it. Depending on size of log, several candles can be placed along the log, or in a group somewhere along its length. The rest of the log can then be decorated by gluing sprays of greenery, nuts, berries, acorns, beechmasts, or fir cones, painted or left natural, along the length of the log and around the candle.

NOTE: Be careful when using lit candles (or any other naked flame), and never leave one unattended. Be especially aware that most evergreens are extremely flammable, due to the large amounts of oils in their leaves.

CALENIG

You will need:
An apple
Three wooden cocktail sticks
A candle, (red traditionally, but any colour that pleases you will do)
Tiny sprigs of greenery, traditionally some dried ears of wheat
Gilded or plain nuts.

Method:
Stick the three cocktail sticks into the bottom of the apple to form a tripod.
Make 2 or 3 small incisions in top of apple for ease of gently pushing the candle into the fruit so that it stands firm and is in no danger of toppling out when lit.
Decorate with wheat, greenery and nuts by gluing them onto the apple around the candle.

This is an old Welsh tradition, (which seems to have recently been hi-jacked into a modern English Christmas custom called “Kristingle). The apple represents the world, the three legs whichever three divine personifications you subscribe to, the candle is the Light and the wheat and nuts the fruits of the earth. This is an especially easy, quick and effective decoration to make with children, as it always was traditionally so. It also makes a good gift.

FIR CONE FIGURES

You will need:
Dry fir cones, small, preferably two inches long
Coloured or plain pipe-cleaners
Plain wooden beads
Scraps of felt.

Method:
Take a 4 inch length of pipe-cleaner, bend each end at right angles, about _ inch from each end, (to form the feet); bend in middle and secure round centre bottom of fir cone with blob of glue, (to form the legs).
Repeat process with second similar piece of pipe-cleaner and attach with blob of glue near top of fir-cone to form hands and feet.
Paint or draw features on a wooden bead, push onto one of top-most spines of fir-cone to form head.
Finally, cut and glue a small conical felt hat and glue to figure’s head.

These make charming additions to any festivity, (at any time of year!), and by tying a piece of narrow string, or thread, around the centre of the figure, they can be hung from branches, trees, boughs, windows… anywhere!… or perched on your decorated log. Another easy thing for slightly older children to join in with or make by themselves… make a few, they have more impact and each one is always different and a real character!

A GIFT FOR YOUR BIRDS

You can always make a festive tree of a different kind by doing one for your birds.

Using a pair of scissors, cut large, simple shapes out of slices of shop-bought bread; circles, diamonds, triangles, hearts, crescent moons, etc. Remember to make a small hole somewhere near the top edge of each one so that it can be hung up when completed. Place on baking trays in a cool oven until thoroughly dry. Push strings, or coloured ribbons if you really want to add brightness, through each hole and knot, leaving long enough ends to later secure shapes to tree. Coat each shape in lard, margarine, sunflower spread, or something of the sort and then roll in different seeds and grains… sunflower, millet, hemp, wheat, maize, pinhead oatmeal canary seed, peanut nibs, even sultanas.
Hang from your chosen tree or branch.

Lots of other treats can also be added if you think about it.
But remember, if you begin to feed the birds over Yule for a few days, they will soon become accustomed to coming to you for food, so try and leave something out for them each day for the rest of the winter, even if it isn’t quite so generously extravagant!

SALT DOUGH DECORATIONS

You will need:
300g plain flour
300g salt
200m water
1 teaspoon oil
A baking tray
A selection of festive cutters

Method:
Put all ingredients into a bowl, mix together and roll into a ball.
Roll dough out flat and cut out shapes with cutter or sharp little knife, making sure to form a small hole in each one so that they can be hung up afterwards when cooked.
Bake in oven at 180 C /Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes.
When cool, they can be painted and strung and hung up.

Alternatively, shapes can be moulded by hand to form anything, flat or otherwise.

SYNTHETIC PLANTS AND GREENERY

Do not discount the idea of synthetic leaves, flowers and greenery out of hand, just because they aren’t real. Of course living plants are best, but not all of us have access to live greenery. Also, if you are like me, and hate to watch leaves wither and flowers curl up and fade indoors in a warm room, “plastic” can make a happy alternative.

And not just for this mid-winter time of year either. Visiting my local garden centre a few days ago, I was amazed to find among the vast array of Christmas decorations, banks and tubs of every conceivable branch, leaf and flower, and not just those seasonally associated with this time of year. There were even bunches of life-sized (and extremely life-like!) honesty, and sprays of lamb’s tail catkins… and something that I simply could not resist, gorgeous cream silk roses of the full-blown damask variety, in sumptuous heavy-headed bloom… the type that only last a day when brought in from the garden before spilling petals all over the place! (I treated myself to some of those, to use later in the year).

Then I got to thinking what beautiful wreaths for head dresses such flowers would make for the Summer Solstice, along with many others on display there. So go on, pop into your nearest garden centre and see what you can find to utilize for other occasions or ritual celebrations throughout the year. You might even get some real bargains in the sales. Have fun!