🎄A beautiful seasonal Substack publication by Beth Kempton (bestselling self-help author and host of the UK's #1 favourite Christmas podcast)🌟 intended to be ...
Here in Episode 1 Hear the Bells, we begin this new season of the Calm Christmas Podcast by the sea, listening to the sound of the waves and contemplating what it really means to rest. We will share a hot cuppa and conversations about longing and joy, and much more including:· A new Light Corner· Our old favourites – Nature and Wellbeing Corners· A lovely hot drink recipe· Traditions from around the world· Get ahead tips· Some lovely goodies for youWith inspiration from @KerriniDochartaigh @botanical_tales @nigelslater @francescaamber @rspca_official @bbc @leigh.standley @mudnbloom and Sam Kamkanamge.Enjoy!Beth XxLovely things·Head to @bethkempton on Instagram for the chance to win our first festive book giveaway of the season!· Join the Winter Writing Sanctuary for free HERE.· Download a printable Calm Christmas Planner for free HERE. What you need for the Mud & Bloom leaf lanterns:- Autumn leaves- Jam jars- PVA glue- A paint brush- Cotton thread in autumnal colours- Tea lights Hot apple recipe ingredients:- Apple juice (we use clear but cloudy would be fine)- The peel of a satsuma or clementine, artfully twisty if you have that skill- A cinnamon stick- A little bit of ginger- Other spices like cloves or star anise, if you like them- Some honey or sugar References:· Cacophony of Bone by Kerri ni Dochartaigh (Canongate)· Kokoro: Japanese wisdom for a life well lived by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)· The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater (Fourth Estate)· Joy. Boats. Time. On longing, choices and the tyranny of ‘just’ essay on Substack· Shakti mat (no affiliation)· How you can help garden wildlife this winter (BBC Newsround)· Leigh Standley’s spell pot· Autumn Leaf Lanterns how-to (Mud + Bloom)· Hear the Bells by Calexico video· Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)· Sen Wellness 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
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🎄🎧Season 4 Trailer: ✨Such a Simple Thing✨
Welcome back friends! This is the trailer for the new season of Calm Christmas, the UK’s favourite festive podcast. Today I have a simple yet profound question for you to ponder in the week ahead, before Episode 1 ‘Hear the Bells’ is released on November 14.Winter is wilder than autumn. The darkness sets in long with the cold and the wet. We want to make fire light candles, huddle up, gather to eat, count our blessings. Our ancient longing for connection, warmth, joy and magic is the song of winter. We hear it in the howling of the wind and the creaking of the trees in the traditional carols and jaunty pop songs, in the laughter that rings out as we don a Christmas hat, in the memories that we turn as we unbox the decorations and hang them once again on the tree. May this podcast help us tune into the nourishing parts, minimize the exhausting parts, acknowledge the darkness and seek out the light.Season Four will carry us from early November through to January 1, offering a weekly calling back towards slowness and calm. There will be seasonal stories and recipes, memories and journalling invitations, craft ideas, get ahead tips, wintery words and the sharing of traditions from listeners all around the world. Most of all, there will be companionship, as we, the Keepers of Christmas, settle in each week for a moment of pause and a little bit of festive magic. As the darkness begins to inhale the light, may our gathering be a lantern to guide us through the season and into the new year. Beth XxPS Be sure to subscribe to calmchristmas.substack.com where you will find all of the podcast archives, free wintry essays into your inbox and some lovely festive goodies (including my FREE printable Calm Christmas planner) waiting for you.Find me on Instagram @bethkempton or on Substack @bethkempton 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
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S3 Ep11 FAREWELL WINTER A special episode for the turn of the season
The UK’s #1 favourite Christmas podcast is back for a one-off special to mark the turning of the season and the gift of a leap day as winter gives way to spring. This bonus episode ‘FAREWELL WINTER’ includes:- A beautiful ritual for bidding farewell to winter- An insight into the tradition of ‘leap day’- Ideas for celebrating the arrival of spring- A peek into Japanese microseasons- Some gorgeous words capturing the feeling of the season turning- Our wellbeing and nature corners- A peek into my brand new book KOKORO (which is out on April 4)- An inspiring writing prompt and moreWith inspiration from Mary Webb, Masaoka Shiki, Alan Watts, Lin Yutang, Madoka Mayuzumi, Tadashi Terashima, Yosa Buson and Christina Georgia Rossetti.Why not take a walk this week, and have a listen while looking out for signs of spring where you are? (And for those of you in the southern hemisphere, may it be an invitation for you to notice signs of autumn).Beth XxHandy links:· My new book KOKORO: Japanese wisdom for a life well lived (Piatkus) (or free international shipping when you order via Blackwells here)· Get FREE access to my new seasonal writing sanctuary Spring Light when you pre-order KOKORO from any retailer (Here’s the link for Blackwells who are offering free international shipping). Once you have ordered it in any format from any retailer, go to bethkempton.com/kokoro and pop your receipt details in the short form there. · My haiku essay: The Life-Changing Magic of Writing Haiku: finding beauty and solace in a heartbeat sized poem For all show notes including book and article reference links please click here. 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
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S3 Ep10 WINTERSONG: Gratitude + dreaming
Here we are completing another circle around the sun. We have clambered across the fabric of another year, stitched together adventures, stories, and memories, darned some holes as neatly as we could, knotted threads of new colour into our lives, and we are now here at the edge looking back across all we have woven in the past twelve months. This is a wonderful time to focus on gratitude, to reflect on the year gone by, choose what to leave behind in this year, do some gentle dreaming for the year ahead and cross the threshold of the year together, with hope, dreams and a steaming cup of tea.This episode includes: Tips for dreaming and scheming for the year aheadAn exclusive excerpt from my new book Kokoro: Japanese wisdom for a life well lived (out April 2024)New Year traditions from around the world (from lovely listeners!)A craft project for gratitudeOur nature cornerA writing promptSome lovely words to ease you into the new yearPLUS A lovely giveaway (enter on my Instagram @bethkempton)· With inspiration from: @SimpleThingsMag, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Emily Thomas and James Weston Lewis, Lindsey Harrad @livemoreplantfully, Brenda Wells, Emily Silva @soulsadventures, Max EhrmannHandy links:· Sky View app· StarWalk 2 app· Thompson-Morgan gardening newsletter· My Book Proposal Masterclass course (next class runs live from Jan 29)· The Way of the Fearless Writer: Ancient Eastern wisdom for a flourishing writing life by Beth Kempton (Piatkus) – just 99p on Kindle on Amazon UK throughout JanuaryThis week’s giveaway· Chance to win a lovely journal and a personalized signed copy of my book Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year over on @bethkempton on Instagram Click here for all show notes including featured books.Wishing you a very happy new year, friend.Beth Xx 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
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S3 Ep9 SILENT NIGHT: Relishing 'the Hush'
These are the days in between. The liminal space that hovers beyond the festivities and the before the arrival of a fresh New Year. I call this time 'the Hush', when the world slows and some kind of portal opens up. This episode is all about making the most of this precious time and it includes:Ideas for different ways to spend these days in betweenA beautiful winter visualisation to help you open to whatever might be calling youA full moon bathing ritualA comforting recipeOur nature cornerSome get ahead tips for NEXT Christmas (you’ll be glad of them, I promise)PLUS A self-care giveaway (enter on my Instagram @bethkempton)With inspiration from: @gill.meller @slowhomepod @BrookeMcAlary, Elizabeth Jenner, Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear @superbeamix.Handy links:· Full moon calendar · Last chance to join my Winter Writing Sanctuary (FREE) Starts December 28!This week’s giveaway· Chance to win some lovely self-care goodies and a personalized signed copy of my book Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year over on @bethkempton on Instagram Ingredients for Gill Meller's Homity Potatoes recipe:(Serves 4 or more) You will need:8 baking potatoes1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil15g (5 ½ oz) butter2 leeks, sliced into rounds2 onions, halved and sliced1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard100g (3 ½ oz) mature cheddar, finely gratedSea salt and freshly ground black pepperFeatured in this episode:· Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)· What to look for in Winter by Elizabeth Jenner (Ladybird)· Moon Bath: Bathing rituals and recipes for relaxation and vitality by Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear· Outside: Recipes for a wilder way of eating by Gill Meller· Care: The radical art of taking time by Brooke McAlaryEnjoy!Beth XxYou can find all the show notes here: https://bethkempton.com/ccpodcast-shownotes/ 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
About The Calm Christmas Podcast with Beth Kempton
🎄A beautiful seasonal Substack publication by Beth Kempton (bestselling self-help author and host of the UK's #1 favourite Christmas podcast)🌟 intended to be a lantern leading you through the darkness of winter ❤️ (Nov-early Jan only) calmchristmas.substack.com
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