Orange slices dried in the dehydrator or oven make lovely sun catchers, tied with some cinnamon sticks.
Sun Catchers from Dried Orange Slices
The Winter Solstice
Ellen Jackson has a series of children's picture books regrading various Earth-based holidays. So, when I ordered a copy of The Winter Solstice years ago, I had great expectations. Instead, I found a book focused solely from a Judeo-Christian perspective, even stating empirically that we now celebrate the winter solstice with Christmas and Hannukah. Most... Continue Reading →
The Shortest Day
If you are looking for a children's picture book about the Winter Solstice that doesn't mention Christmas, Wendy Pfeffer's The Shortest Day will meet your requirements. Of the few childen's books available about the Solstice, almost all mention the Christian holiday. This fact alone makes the book worth purchasing for families who celebrate the Solstice.... Continue Reading →
Honoring Belief and Authenticity during the Holidays
Before my husband and I had children, we discussed how we planned to handle various aspects of holidays. We aren't Christian and don't celebrate Christmas, so it only seemed natural to me that we wouldn't bring the commercial aspect of Santa Claus into our home for the Solstice. It wasn't something I would miss. Not only... Continue Reading →
Solstice Calendar
My husband grew up with an Advent Calendar. Every day his mother would dole out butterscotch candies that were pinned to it. A few years ago, he mentioned it to me, saying that it was a tradition he enjoyed and missed. We don't celebrate Christmas, so we needed to come up with something that would... Continue Reading →
Halcyon
As we gather nearer to the Winter Solstice, the darkness presses in closer, leaving us with an ever decreasing amount of daylight as we go about our lives. This period of darkness is when our family celebrates Halcyon. The word halcyon is used to depict a time of peace and quiet reflection, stemming from the mythical halcyon... Continue Reading →
living peacefully with children 