The Calm Christmas Podcast with Beth Kempton

✨ This is the episode where sadness is honoured, our loved ones are remembered, and we allow all the feelings, however they might arise. May it be a comfort to you in the dark season.Episode 6 includes:* The comfort of poetry* Thoughtful ideas for dealing with sadness in the dark season* A candlelight meditation* Lovely robins* London’s last lamplighters* Commonplace books* Beautiful ideas for honouring and remembering loved ones, from listeners around the world* Get ahead tipsWith inspiration from David Whyte, Danni Nicholls, Nina MacLaughlin, the London lamplighters, Day Schildkret, Songbird Survival, John O’Donohue, Patricia Fargnoli and my mother’s recipe book.Don’t forget, if you feel like seeking solace in words this winter, don’t miss my Winter Writing Sanctuary which runs from Dec 28-Jan 5. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can register for FREE here.Take good care of your heart,Beth XxPS You can also listen on Apple or Spotify.This week’s giveawayTo enter this week’s special giveaway, you are invited to leave the name of someone you love and miss, or simply a heart to acknowledge them, in the comments of the giveaway post on my Instagram. We did this last year and it became the most beautiful tribute.The winner gets all this for themselves:* A personalised, signed first edition of my book Kokoro: Japanese wisdom for a life well lived* Bath House patchouli & black pepper candle* Winter Solstice by Nina Maclaughlin* Festive Spirit - Candlestick Press Poem Card* A complimentary place on my short writing course Words HealTo enter, go to @bethkempton on Instagram.Glazed Ham recipe* You can find Delia Smith’s Glazed Ham recipe online here What you need to make a commonplace book* Any kind of notebook* Ephemera and bits and pieces gathered from your life* A stick of glue or tapeWinter Writing Sanctuary sign up- Register here for free (runs Dec 28-Jan 5 online)Inspiration sale!- Up to 50% off all my classes in my annual gratitude sale, on now here.Links* Ancient Embers by Danni Nicholls * Under the Neem Plum Tree by Danni Nicholls * London’s last lamplighters via the BBC* Burn Something Today by Nina Maclaughlin in The Paris Review * Songbird Survival * Free Calm Christmas Planner (by me!)* Poets.org * The Poetry Society 15151* The Poetry Foundation * For the Love of Tiny Things essay by me on SubstackReferenced books + recommendations* Winter Grief by David Whyte - The version shared on the podcast was from David’s Substack here. The original appeared in The Bell and the Blackbird by David Whyte (Many Rivers Press) * Kokoro: Japanese wisdom for a life well lived by Beth Kempton (Piatkus) * Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)* Winter Solstice by Nina MacLaughlin (Black Sparrow Press) * Hello, Goodbye by Day Schildkret (Simon Element) * Echoes of Memory by John O’Donohue (Transworld Ireland) * Winter Grace by Patricia Fargnoli in Poetry of Presence edited by Phyllis Cole-Dai and Ruby R Wilson (Grayson)Images: Holly Bobbins/Unsplash This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit calmchristmas.substack.com

✨Friends, we are just a couple of weeks out from Christmas now. The festive feels are all around… This episode is all about seeking delight and tiny flickers of magic in amongst the ordinariness of our daily lives. It’s about the kindness of strangers, and all the ways we can bring magic into our own worlds, and those of others.Episode 5 includes:* ✨Magical memories* ✨Being inspired by children to seek out magic* ✨Stargazing* ✨A lovely craft project – make some citrus candles!* ✨A super easy recipe for brandy-soaked satsumas* ✨Get ahead tipsWith inspiration from Claire Keegan, Leroy Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, The Spice Girls, Boney James, Royal Museums Greenwich, Kari Leibowitz, Kinsey Gidick, The Simple Things Magazine, Lia Leendertz (Lia’s Living Almanac), Clover Stroud, Storm Dunlop, Wil Tirion, Alex Palmer, The Poetry Pharmacy, Paul Anthony Jones, my youngest daughter and my Greek aunt.And if you fancy whipping up a little wintery magic in the pages of your notebook this year, don’t miss my Winter Writing Sanctuary which runs from Dec 28-Jan 5. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can register for FREE here.Stay cosy,Beth XxPS You can also listen on Apple or Spotify.This week’s giveawayThe winner gets all this for themselves:❄️ A prescription for a ‘Sense of Belonging’ from The Poetry Pharmacy❄️ A Winter Dictionary by Paul Anthony Jones❄️ A personalised, signed copy of my book The Way of the Fearless Writer❄️ Christmas Lights (Candlestick Press poem card)❄️ A complimentary ANNUAL membership to my beautiful private writing community SoulStack (find out more at bethkempton.substack.com)Enter at @bethkempton on InstagramIngredients for Brand-soaked Satsumas* Brandy (how much depends on you). Could also work with rum!* Some small citrus like satsumas, mandarins, tangerines or clementines* Sugar of your choice* Christmassy spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves – just use what you haveWhat you need to make citrus candles* Oranges or clementines* Olive oil* A knife* A glass container to put your candle in* MatchesWinter Writing Sanctuary sign up- Register here for free (runs Dec 28-Jan 5 online)Inspiration sale!- Up to 50% off all my classes in my annual gratitude sale, on now here.Links* Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson (Ella Fitzgerald version | Spice Girls version | Boney James version) * BBC story about Oswald Laurence’s voice telling us to ‘Mind the Gap’ * Star Walk 2 app (iPhone | Android)* Sky View Lite app (iPhone | Android)* Royal Museums Greenwich on the Cold Moon * Kari Leibowitz on how to winter in The Guardian* Why no one does Christmas better than the Finns by Kinsey Gidick (mentioning "pikkujoulut" or "little Christmas" parties) * The Simple Things Magazine* Save The Children donation link for Christmas Jumper Day* Free Calm Christmas Planner (by me!)Referenced books + recommendations* The opening passage of this episode is from the Epilogue of my book Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)* Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Black Cat)* 2024 Night Sky Almanac by Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion (Collins) * A Year in Story and Song by Lia Leendertz (Gaia) * Giant on the Skyline by Clover Stroud (Doubleday) p.258 * A Winter Dictionary by Paul Anthony Jones (Elliott & Thompson) * The Atlas of Christmas by Alex Palmer (Running Press) Please share this podcast episode with anyone who might enjoy it! Thank you so much. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit calmchristmas.substack.com

Friends, December is upon us, which means meterological winter has arrived here in the northern hemisphere. This episode, Season 4 Episode 4 ‘Christmas Lights’, is all about words, because winter is my favourite time of year for writing. It’s so cosy to light a candle, read some poetry, get out your notebook and write, and I hope this episode inspires you to do just that. It’s a beautiful way to bring some calm to the chaos of the holiday season.This episode includes:❄️Reasons why writing is a good idea (as if you needed a reason!)❄️Three simple ways to get the words flowing❄️A beautiful candlelight meditation❄️An invitation to get outside to seek creative inspiration❄️ My youngest daughter’s Chocolate Orange Wreath Cake recipe❄️Get ahead tips to help you arrive for the holidays feeling calm and preparedI hope this podcast will be a lantern guiding you through the darkness of winter, and your words are a companion along the way.Beth XxPS You can also tune in on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Lovely things for you* Winter Writing Sanctuary registration here (FREE, runs Dec 28-Jan 5)* Calm Christmas Planner – download yours for free here* A new festive giveaway at Instagram @bethkempton* Up to 50% off ALL my life-changing courses in my giant gratitude sale hereLinks* Christmas Lights by Coldplay* Save The Children Christmas Jumper Day donation link* The Christmas Train essay * The Life Changing Magic of Writing Haiku essay* Link to join my private writing community SoulCircle (choose Monthly to try it out or Annual to get two months free)Referenced books + recommendations* Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)* Winter Solstice by Nina Maclaughlin (Black Sparrow Press)* The Light in the Dark by Horatio Clare (Elliott & Thompson)* Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jennie Colgan* The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness and Joy edited by John Brehm (Wisdom)* Kokoro: Japanese wisdom for a life well lived by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)Ingredients for the recipe sharedFor the cake* Three eggs* The weight of three eggs in self-raising flour, caster sugar, unsalted butter, then remove about three tablespoons of the flour, and replace it with the same weight in cocoa powderFor the icing* 200g unsalted butter* 320g icing sugar* 80g cocoa powder* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract* A 100g bar of cooking chocolate, melted gently over a bain marie* Sprinkles – we like blue and white* A Terry’s Chocolate Orange or an orange chocolate bar, ideally with segment shapes This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit calmchristmas.substack.com

Happy Thanksgiving if you are celebrating, and may it be a day of counting our blessings, for all of us, wherever we live and wherever we are from. This episode - Season 4 Episode 3, Home for the Holidays - goes out with so much gratitude for your presence in my world, for listening to the podcast and sharing your own experiences of the festive season - many of which have been woven into this season of the podcast! Today's episode is all about making our homes festive and cosy with lighting inside and out, sparkle, evergreens, textures, scents and love.This cosy episode includes:- Lots of ideas for making your home welcoming and cosy- Some wonderful decorating traditions from listeners around the world- A recipe for Cheesy Garlic Hedgehog Bread- A lovely citrus star garland crafty project- Tips to help you get ahead for the festive season, and more!I hope this podcast will be a lantern guiding you through the darkness of winter and into a happy new year.Beth XxLovely things for you:* Winter Writing Sanctuary registration here (FREE, runs Dec 28-Jan 5)* Calm Christmas Planner – download yours for free here * A new festive giveaway at Instagram @bethkempton* Up to 50% off ALL my life-changing courses in my giant gratitude sale hereLinks* Madison Square Park Conservancy* Christmas at Sea by Robert Louis Stevenson * Evidence of a Christmas spirit network in the brain - Research by the University of Copenhagen published in the British Medical Journal* (There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays by Perry Como* The Calm Christmas Podcast Season 2 Episode 5: Nest* The Calm Christmas Podcast Season 3 Episode 4: Deck the Halls* Selvedge Winter Fair* National Trust* St Martin in the Fields advent carol serviceReferenced books + recommendations* Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)* Rest and Calm by Paula Hines* The Get-Ahead Christmas Cook by Jane Lovett (Headline Home)* Christmas is Coming by Auriol Bishop (Headline Home)Ingredients for the recipe shared (Jane Lovett’s Cheesy Garlic Hedgehog Bread)· 175 g of butter, with extra for greasing· 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped· a handful of parsley, chopped· 200 g taleggio cheese· one round white loaf of rustic country style bread, like a cob or boule· some sea salt flakesWhat you need for the craft project (Auriol Bishop’s Citrus star garland)· some citrus fruit (clementine, satsuma, orange etc)· cookie cutters in Christmas shapes· a knitting needle or a skewer· scissors· string or twine This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit calmchristmas.substack.com