Celebrating the Winter Solstice

Christmas with the fam

Dec 12, 2025

Last Christmas the kiddies were called away to the Ex’s grandparents so we had an early Christmas together then they left us for a romantic Christmas a deux.

Decomposing green duck wasn’t our favourite Christmas lunch ever, but soon Hugo and I were curled up together on the sofa and Hugo found this app Suno app that could make up songs for you. We quickly cobbled together some lyrics and then Hugo asked if it could be set to music in the style of Maria Carey. The A1 misheard and set to to a mariachi band. We rolled around with laughter as it went circling around the world. (I used to refer to Hugo as Gianni. Gianni Stranieri or Jonny Foreigner, but in the end Hugo was more convenient as a pseudonym)

This year we can’t have the kiddies either as their own parents want them back, the ex’s having taken our turn, so we are having the fam together the weekend before.

I am so excited as more by accident than design this means that we will be celebrating Christmas on the Winter Solstice. I was brought up Catholic but became atheist in my mid teens but have always felt a witchy connection to woods and country so this is much more my cup of tea. The winter solstice traditions are aligned with how we celebrated Christmas when the kiddies were little and we were first back in Surrey, creating our own traditions and Christmas magic.

We are tweaking things this year. Back way they were little Christmas and birthdays basically set the kiddies budgets for the year, they relied on the big presents or big purchases. But now they are earning, (apart from the youngest who are on their masters so they do not rely on the same cash injection) but on the other hand, they are at that stage of life where there are many calls on their finances. Plus we are still trying to absorb everything from downsizing and the thought of more stuff brings me out in hives. There are two things that instantly kill the Christmas spirit- worrying about the cost and the counting calories.

[Oh and we are attemting (another) weight loss streak, but just not over Christmas. Hugo and I are on a 100 day race to 1^stApril to see how much weight we can lose in that time. We are aiming for big losses and haven’t yet decided on the winning prize to make it worthwhile but watch this space]

So, in August, when the Christmas plans were discussed we suggested bringing things back, taking out the cost but keeping the feasting the fun and our evolving family traditions. We set a budget of £5 maximum and everyone encouraged to do a craft so if the gift is £0, then so much the better. What it achieves is moving the emphasis from presents to the gathering, feasting and family which I rather love.

My attempt at papier mache could have put me in the runnings for a Turner Prize.

So I thought I’d share what our traditional Christmas celebrations are going to look like. You have to imagine that half will take place at our house, which basically looks like a childrens doll’s house, and half at a tall, quirky medieval house complete with witches marks cut into the wooden beams where our son and his girlfriend live within walking distance.

Winter’s Solstice Eve

· Gather at the dolls house

· Wellies morning walk to the magic woods up to the King’s seat to collect greenery and berries to deck the halls.

· Lunch at The Sun Inn (medieval pub) in front of the log fire

· Digestive snooze

· Fill the houses with stolen greenery, berries, and light candles everywhere (in lanterns)

· Party nibbles with Snowball, Baileys, Mulled wine and Rum with hot apple juice at the Witches cottage.

· Last minute present wrapping

· Creatively adapted carols

· Bets taken on who will see in the winter solstice dawn

Winters Solstice

· See in the winter solstice dawn (or not)

· Coffee, bacon sandwiches, and Bucks Fizz at Witches Cottage

· Father Christmas hands out presents! HO HO HO!

· Ye Old Pub crawl back to the Doll’s House

o The Star with cockles
o The Charterhouse Arms
o The Cricks

· Interpretative dancing to Fairy Tale of New York

· Top posh Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, oink the pig and yule log

· The Great Family Quiz

· Each person to produce 8 vaguely family related questions (no Greek mythology) For example, this legendary family favourite pudding, you could call it flambed pears, we call it slugs in tutus, will definitely be in the quiz.