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 prepared

I hope this podcast will be a lantern guiding you through the darkness of winter, and your words are a companion along the way.

Beth Xx

PS 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 here

Links

* 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 shared

For 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 powder

For 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