Big news, my friends! I'm moving my blog from here to my shiny new site, rachelwolfclean.com.
I think you'll find my new blog is nicer to look at, easier to navigate, and more mobile-friendly. Do tell me what you think! Then update your favorites folders, and head over to explore and subscribe.
I don't want to lose you in the switch, so I've added an email link to the front page to simplify you keeping up-to-date on new posts.
See you there!
Love,
Rachel
|
|
Lupine is all about the celebrations. I mean seriously all about it. Is professional party-planning a life goal? If so, she's already there. Each year she goes full out for Valentine's Day, friends' birthdays, Winter Solstice, and our spring celebration. Me? I only have so much holiday juju to give, so each year when she asked if we would have a St. Patrick's Day celebration I did my best to evade her request.
This year, though, felt different. Exactly a half-year since our month-long road trip around Ireland, it felt like a wonderful excuse to celebrate. If not St. Patrick himself, at least the most memorable trip our family has ever taken.
We spent a week planning our menu, since we decided that the holiday would be pretty much all about the food: muesli, Irish brown bread (baked by Sage), and our best effort as a traditional Irish breakfast in the morning (black pudding, white pudding, rashers, and sausage. hello.) plus fried eggs and brown bread with Irish butter on the side. And cups of Irish Breakfast tea in our mugs, of course. For lunch Lupine baked a loaf of bread and we made sandwiches, something we almost never eat in our normal life but that made up the bulk of our cooler-lunches in Ireland. For dinner, I made my best effort at a classic Irish stew (eaten with more fresh bread, because if you're going to go, go big) to mimic our favorite meal from our favorite Dublin pub, and honestly, for my normal stew-snubbing family it was a win. As in: eating seconds and wiping the bowl clean with their bread kind of win.
Beside the fire after dinner, we pulled out a photo album that I had printed of favorite photos from our trip, and relived our most memorable moments of the month.
The day left us feeling grateful, wistful, and - of course - oh so full.
Perhaps we've added another holiday to our annual list after all. (Lupine will be glad!) And this one I think even I can handle making a habit of.
|
|
On something of a whim, we headed to my parent's cabin up north to celebrate the Winter Solstice. We spent nearly a week there, tucked in among the cedar trees. In that old cabin, build by my grandpa and great-grandpa back in the 1950s, we snuggled up beside the fire, watching the snow fall, playing board games, and carving, knitting, and reading - together. It was exactly what I needed after the busiest season I can remember in recent years. To simply slow down, reconnect, and savor what life (and family) is truly all about.
Here are a few highlights!
Though we had a tree at home, Lupine felt it would simply not be Solstice without a proper Solstice tree at the cabin as well.
And since my favorite trees have always been the scraggly balsams found in my parent's woods, that was our first priority. Lu decided that a tiny table-top tree was in order as well, and, since my dad is clearing this woods of balsams anyway, we indulged.
A three-tree holiday? Why not...
Back at the cabin, two old-fashioned wooden tree stands were crafted from scrap lumber, and we decorated with trimmings we packed from home. Then there were all of our other Solstice traditions to attend to. There were gingerbread houses to bake, assemble, and decorate (one gluten-full and one gluten-free, each made completely by their respective child). There were our favorite holiday cookies to bake, homemade gifts to wrap, and a Solstice fire to prepare.
Our small (but meaningful) gifts ranged from a pair of knitted gloves to a wooden bird feeder; homemade nut brittle to an upcycled leather bag. I managed to steal an evening to make the kid's annual handmade ornaments, as well. They are the simplest (and possibly homeliest!) yet, but the kids got a kick out of them anyway. They are pickles because we're part German and love this bizarre tradition that I'm sure many of you are already familiar with!
The stone buttons, pictured below, were Pete's thoughtful gift for me. After I mentioned in passing while we were in Ireland that I wanted some, he gathered them up on the Irish beach, then drilled them for me after we returned home. I was utterly surprised and delighted.
And then outside we went, to watch the sun sink low beyond the river. We played, listened to the eagles, watched a mink romping through the snow, and worked on the quinzee we were building in the yard. As the sun set we lit our Solstice fire, and settled in for an evening of sparks and stars.
(Bottom two photos above, plus photos of me, thanks to Pete.)
Thoroughly chilled, we headed inside long after dark for candle-making and the simplest of dinners beside the fireplace.
Because honestly, who wants to stop all of this merriment to cook? None of us, it seemed, so stuffed baked potatoes were all that we managed. Everyone decided it was the best Solstice dinner yet, and that - along with celebrating at the cabin - it should be a new annual tradition.
In all we spent just short of a week at the cabin - a few days before, then a few days after our celebration. It reset us in the best way possible, slowing down like we rarely manage around the holidays.
Because all of that doing and buying and rushing about? It's not for us, we've decided.
And a slow, old-fashioned celebration is certainly more our speed.
|
|
Our main family celebration of the year is not Christmas but Winter Solstice. As a secular family, we have been celebrating Solstice for some 15 years, since our first born was just a baby. Many of our current customs date back to this tentative start at creating our own meaningful family celebrations, and each year we tweak and refine the to suit our evolving needs and desires.
For years I have fielded questions about how we celebrate - questions from other parents who are looking to create their own treasured family rituals. It seems we're not alone in seeking out meaningful traditions for our family!
The longest night and shortest day are a wonderful time for us to slow down, gather together as a family, and focus in on what matters to us most. Into the darkness we bring all the light that we can - both literally and figuratively.
Each Solstice celebration is a bit different than the ones before, but our traditions always center around flickering flames, family, and connection, and takes place on the day before Winter Solstice, or Solstice Eve (we normally celebrate on either December 20 or 21).
We exchange handmade gifts as well, but they are a small part of our day, rather than the central feature. Indeed, our celebration is made of so much more than presents!
For those of you trying to carve out your own annual family traditions, here's a peek at some of the things we enjoy each Solstice night! (A few afflinks follow.)
We are a family of makers. Few things bring us more contentment than a day spent with hands and minds busily creating. Solstice Night is no different, and a wonderful excuse to make things together, all day long. A few favorite crafts we enjoy on Solstice include...
Window Stars
Folded paper window stars are simple to make and beautiful to behold. We display them in nearly every window of the house, where they catch the fleeting sunlight. If you've never made window stars, be prepared to be as addicted as your kids! This book offers simple, easy instructions.
Cut-paper snowflakes are another option, though with a bit more clean-up and slightly less pizazz.
Pine Cone Bird Feeders
Several years ago we foraged a bagful of giant pinecones from a road trip down south. They are perfect for making pinecone bird feeders, though small local red pine cones are lovely as well. Every year we spread some pine cones with nut butter, then roll them in bird seed and hang up outside the kitchen window as a Solstice gift for the birds.
Candle- and Luminary-Making
Because Solstice is a celebration of fire and light on this darkest day of the year, we always make candles for the coming year on Solstice Eve.
Rolled beeswax candles made from flat wax sheets are easiest for younger kids - and fun for even adults - but this year we're returning to our tradition of dipping beeswax candles and making beeswax candle luminaries once more.
Gingerbread Houses
The kids each decorate a gingerbread house on the day of our Solstice celebration. Baked earlier in the week from whatever recipe we're gleaned from the interwebs and cut from a simple sketched house design, the kids assemble and bejewel them with candies throughout Solstice eve. (We normally choose YumEarth treats since they are corn syrup- and food coloring-free, but still bright and festive.)
Aside from making, Solstice Night is full of family time. Games, books, songs, and stories are all part of our celebration.
Seasonal Books
Because my kids are getting older, read-alouds don't play the part they once did. I still occasionally manage to pull and old favorite off the shelf to read on Solstice. Our favorite seasonal books include The Shortest Day, The Return of the Light, and classic winter tales like Ollie's Ski Trip, The Sun Egg, It's Snowing, The Tomten, and The Big Snow.
Winter Walk, Sled, or Ski
Getting outside is an almost non-negotiable piece of our Solstice celebration. A hike, ski, snowshoe, or sledding adventure is just the thing to celebrate the longest night!
Campfire
Being a fire celebration, each Solstice night at sunset we bundle up and head to the woods to light a campfire in the snow. This is, quite possibly, my favorite part of the night. We drink tea or eggnog as the fire crackles and the sun sets, make a wish for the coming year on a stick or leaf we each toss in the fire, the walk home through the dark woods (no headlamps!) to a warm house and dinner by candlelight.
Candlelight
As the sky quickly darkens on Solstice Eve, we light candles (some freshly made) throughout the house. These are our light for the coming evening and set a relaxed and festive tone for the rest of our celebration. We aren't sticklers for "no electric lights" on this night, but we do our best to limit them as much as possible to set a festive tone. Candlelight also relaxes everyone, encouraging a slightly earlier bedtime, in the event that you accidentally set your kids up to pull an all-nighter*. (*See "Staying Up Late," below.)
Locally-Grown Dinner
Inspired by a Martin and Sylva story on Sparkle Stories, we recently began a tradition of an all local dinner on Solstice night. Homegrown chicken, duck, or quail; butternut squash from a friend's garden; milk and cheese from a cow we know by name; kale from a nearby farm. We live in an area rich beyond belief in local food, making our celebratory meal that much more delightful to put together.
Gifts
Because, yes, there are gifts! They just aren't the main focus of our celebration. Our gifts are small and usually handmade - from freezer paper stenciled t-shirts to homemade aprons to handmade caramels.
Occasionally something larger finds its way in (like a knitted sweater) but usually smaller is better in our world. I make each of the kids three small gifts each year, and one is always a handmade ornament for the Solstice tree. My grandma made my sister and I each a collection of beaded and embroidered ornaments when we were kids that I treasure to this day, so I adopted this craft as an annual tradition in our family.
Staying up Late
One of the favorite parts of our Solstice celebration when the kids were young was to stay up as late as we wished (or, as the family rule went, "all night, or until someone loses their mind"). Very loosely based on the Pagan tradition of keeping vigil by the fire throughout the longest night, then celebrating with the rising sun (but minus the Pagan bit), we decided that Solstice was a good reason to treat the kids to a wildly late bedtime once a year.
That said, as the kids have gotten older they can, quite literally, stay up all night (unlike their parents) so this tradition has been modified to "stay up until midnight" with excellent results. (Parents of young kids, choose your words and traditions carefully! Your teen will remember it all!)
Solstice Sun
When the sun rises on Winter Solstice Day, we celebrate by pulling our Solstice Sun from the starry sky envelope, and hanging it in the window. We made it through the longest night, and from here the sun grows stronger and the days grow longer. We think that's something worth celebrating. (I made the sun a decade or so ago using an easy-to cut and emboss metal tooling kit, but I've always wanted to remake it with wool felt.
I hope the list above inspires you to create some traditions of your own this season! If celebrating Winter Solstice is new for your family, I encourage you to start slowly. Choose just two or three new traditions, then tweak in the coming years to add or subtract based on your needs. (Doing too much at once can easily overwhelm, and makes for a burdensome holiday rather than a joyful one.)
Wishing you all much light and magic during these dark winter days!
|
|
Overwhelmed? I feel ya. This post (from December 16, a couple of years back) feels more timely than ever this season! Even if it is only the 8th...
Our tree on December 15: a study in minimalism.
Let's all come clean. You just looked at the calendar, did some quick math, then freaked out. (It can't just be me.) Because seriously. December 16? What the?
I have my excuses, and you have yours. But all that aside, it's crunch time. For real. And as of this moment we have no cookies, no twinkle lights, no rustically wrapped gifts tucked under our rustic (and still not decorated) tree.
Hello.
So two nights ago I faced a choice: panic or make a plan.
I chose the latter. (Well, I chose both, but after trying them on I settled for the second option. It was a more comfortable fit.)
And my plan, it turns out, helped calm me down before I even baked a single cookie. My plan made it all manageable by deciding what mattered most and letting the rest go. Here's how:
So to make sense of the madness I divided my pre-holiday tasks into categories. And from now until Solstice we'll do one thing from each category.
I have four categories, and I slashed my to-do list down to five items for each category.
Because no one needs 12 batches of cookies. No one.
Here's my list:
Decorating
Baking
Gifts
Cleaning
And suddenly - just like that - my list went from dozens of things pressing down on me until I could scarcely breathe to just four tasks a day. I can manage four. Four a day? Done and done.
We gave this a test run yesterday, the kids and I. And I was a teensy bit discouraged only because I realized I wanted them to hit the ground running and crank out a wrapped gift and a squeaky clean, well decorated room that smelled of gingerbread before lunch time.
Which, um, didn't happen.
So think of this as your list. Not your sweetie's, not your kid's, but yours alone. Then dig in!
(My kids did get crackin' just after lunch time and worked like mad to finish a gift and get our tree tinseled and lit. Sage suggests that if you do involve your children you give them an easing in period. Good call, kid.)
Because honestly. What really needs doing before Christmas? Very little, my friend. Very little.
Because sure, you and I may celebrate differently this season. But all religion and customs aside the holiday spirit has little to do with a sparkling toilet or 32 gifts beneath the tree.
And you arriving at the holidays all relaxed and loving and go-with-the-flow?
It turns out that is the nicest gift of all.
Originally published in 2015.
|
|
This season I am sharing some of my favorite past posts that help us cultivate more simple, meaningful holidays.
This post from 2013 is one of the most resonant pieces I think I have ever shared. It struck a cord for so many of you who are striving for less stuff and more meaning in your lives. Though our family celebrates Winter Solstice instead of Christmas, what I have written below is equally resonant no matter how (or what) you celebrate.
Enjoy!
Rachel
We're on a serious simplicity kick over here.
Our house is consciously small, and that means we have to filter out things we already have and stay on top of how much new stuff comes in.
Recently Lupine and I were tucking into bed and as she cozied up to her two favorite dolls, both made by me.
She looked up at me and said, "Mama, don't ever make me another doll. Because if you do I'll love it so much that I'll forget how much I love the dolls I already have."
And, whoa.
Because, yes. It's like that, isn't it?
Too much stuff means we lose track of what we already treasure. We get buried. Overwhelmed.
We become consumers in a big and mindless way.
The truth is, two dolls is probably one too many.
So this holiday we're keeping it simple.
It's a path we've been on for years.
And yes, I'm blessed with my own parents who "get it" and keep things simple.
And we have a small family. Very little stuff comes into our life every season.
But even without a like-minded family, you can take strides toward simplicity. And see measurable changes!
Here are ten tips to keep your holiday as simple as you can this season, regardless of where you are now.
The holidays can be hard.
So. Much. Stuff!
And for many of us, we find ourselves buried in things to give and receive.
If the holidays leave you feeling a little sick with all the buying, be gentle and honest with those you love.
Year after year if you need to.
I have a few friends who have taken this step as far as being honest that much of what is given is not kept. It's a tough message, but an important one, too.
Request that they give less, or give consumables or non-tangible gifts for the holiday (think museum membership, restaurant gift certificate, or some special ingredients for your kitchen).
Sometimes it takes our family a while to catch on, so be patient as they move towards the path of less with you.
If your holiday revolves around what is under the tree, simplifying can be uncomfortable.
Create traditions that your family looks forward to more than the presents.
We love dipping or rolling candles every Solstice eve, decorating our gingerbread houses, and staying up far past our bedtime.
And this year we're serving dinner at a soup kitchen on Christmas day. We can't wait!
Yes, gifts are lovely, but they aren't the center of our celebration.
Gifts like a pottery class, a one-on-one day with someone special, or a trip to the museum are among the best around.
These are - hands down - the most treasured and remembered gifts my kids receive.
Remind your family that gifts of yourself are remembered for far longer than a new toy.
And keep asking.
Year after year if you have to.
With loving persistence most of them will catch on.
Be a good example!
Start this year by toning down the stuff that comes into your own celebration.
The first year we had a super simple holiday I was nervous. Will the kids be disappointed?
And the answer was a resounding no!
No one noticed how simple our giving had become because we took it a little at a time and we replaced things with experiences.
(You can read about our super simple celebration from a past winter here.)
Love coupons are wonderful filler if you are worried about there being not enough under the tree.
And they are a treasured gift in their own right.
My parents began this tradition when our budget was tight when I was a child, and I still love it today.
A Love Coupon is simply a promise - to shovel the snow or take a picnic together; share a trip to the movies or a night camping in the back yard.
Simple gifts of yourself or experiences to share.
One year I gave Pete a dozen date coupons. Sweet, simple, and stuff-less.
Often they are things you would have done anyway, but creating a coupon for it makes it even more special, and something to look forward to.
If you are buying some gifts (or have a family member who is) give or request handmade.
Ditch the big box store madness and shop small. Shop local. Shop family-owned.
You can even register for what you want at the Alternative Gift Registry and share the list with your family.
As someone who owns a small business myself, I'll attest to the impact of each and every purchase. You make a difference when you shop small.
With a bit of searching all kinds of treasures (like this gorgeous doll) will appear.
A gift made by you is the best gift of all!
And you don't have to be crafty to enjoy a DIY holiday.
I have collected some great (arguably crafty) holiday project ideas here and here, but consider a gift of infused olive oil or vinegar, canned goods, homemade mustard, bath fizzies, chocolates, or other simple kitchen wizardry.
And framed kid art is always a hit.
Trust me when I say that people flip when given a small, handmade treat from your heart.
If your family loves to buy, request items for a charity you love.
Gifts of pet supplies for the local animal shelter, a Heifer Project donation for a family in need, shampoos, soaps, and lotions for the women's shelter, food for the food pantry.
Make a habit of giving of the abundance your family enjoys.
If your message is not heard this season and more gifts come in than you want to keep, those can also be donated. As one friend put it, "Keep the love and pass the gift along."
Remember that your partner, your dad, or your grandma might not "get it" the first year.
Or the second.
Or the third.
But trust that they are doing their best with the tools that they have.
Remember that for many buying equates love. And it can be a hard story to re-write.
Keep the spirit of love and compassion in your heart as those you care about (yes, maybe even you!) stumble along this new road.
Change is hard. Give it time.
And for perspective, while my parents give simply, my grandparents did not. When I was a kid I got more gifts than I could count every year.
And I turned out okay.
And when all is said and done, enjoy the holiday - whatever it brings.
Reach for gratitude for your family, your community, your life, and this season.
Go with the flow, as best as you can.
And then next year, begin again.
Love,
Rachel
|
|
Welcome! I'm Rachel Wolf. You'll find me here sharing my thoughts on living a more present and joyful life, despite the chaos swirling around us. I believe in embracing imperfection, living an authentic life, and savoring every drop of these fleeting days.
No, you won't find me feeding into the myth of perfection, but you can count on me to show up real and raw with lessons and beauty that I find in the ordinary.
I'm an interest-led homeschooler of a teen and a ten year old, and the owner of LüSa Organics. Together with my kids and husband Pete I live on a small, scruffy farm in the Wisconsin hills. Kick off your shoes and stay a while!
Keep in touch! Subscribe to my feed, follow me on Instagram, or drop me an email. I'm truly glad that you are here!
Thank you for supporting LüSa Organics, my small family business. It makes my writing here possible.
@lusa_mama on Instagram
@lusa_organics on Instagram