✨Friends, we are just a couple of weeks out from Christmas now. The festive feels are all around… This episode is all about seeking delight and tiny flickers of magic in amongst the ordinariness of our daily lives. It’s about the kindness of strangers, and all the ways we can bring magic into our own worlds, and those of others.

Episode 5 includes:

* ✨Magical memories

* ✨Being inspired by children to seek out magic

* ✨Stargazing

* ✨A lovely craft project – make some citrus candles!

* ✨A super easy recipe for brandy-soaked satsumas

* ✨Get ahead tips

With inspiration from Claire Keegan, Leroy Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, The Spice Girls, Boney James, Royal Museums Greenwich, Kari Leibowitz, Kinsey Gidick, The Simple Things Magazine, Lia Leendertz (Lia’s Living Almanac), Clover Stroud, Storm Dunlop, Wil Tirion, Alex Palmer, The Poetry Pharmacy, Paul Anthony Jones, my youngest daughter and my Greek aunt.

And if you fancy whipping up a little wintery magic in the pages of your notebook this year, don’t miss my Winter Writing Sanctuary which runs from Dec 28-Jan 5. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can register for FREE here.

Stay cosy,Beth Xx

PS You can also listen on Apple or Spotify.

This week’s giveaway

The winner gets all this for themselves:❄️ A prescription for a ‘Sense of Belonging’ from The Poetry Pharmacy❄️ A Winter Dictionary by Paul Anthony Jones❄️ A personalised, signed copy of my book The Way of the Fearless Writer❄️ Christmas Lights (Candlestick Press poem card)❄️ A complimentary ANNUAL membership to my beautiful private writing community SoulStack (find out more at bethkempton.substack.com)Enter at @bethkempton on Instagram

Ingredients for Brand-soaked Satsumas

* Brandy (how much depends on you). Could also work with rum!

* Some small citrus like satsumas, mandarins, tangerines or clementines

* Sugar of your choice

* Christmassy spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves – just use what you have

What you need to make citrus candles

* Oranges or clementines

* Olive oil

* A knife

* A glass container to put your candle in

* Matches

Winter Writing Sanctuary sign up

- Register here for free (runs Dec 28-Jan 5 online)

Inspiration sale!

- Up to 50% off all my classes in my annual gratitude sale, on now here.

Links

* Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson (Ella Fitzgerald version | Spice Girls version | Boney James version)

* BBC story about Oswald Laurence’s voice telling us to ‘Mind the Gap’

* Star Walk 2 app (iPhone | Android)

* Sky View Lite app (iPhone | Android)

* Royal Museums Greenwich on the Cold Moon

* Kari Leibowitz on how to winter in The Guardian

* Why no one does Christmas better than the Finns by Kinsey Gidick (mentioning "pikkujoulut" or "little Christmas" parties)

* The Simple Things Magazine

* Save The Children donation link for Christmas Jumper Day

* Free Calm Christmas Planner (by me!)

Referenced books + recommendations

* The opening passage of this episode is from the Epilogue of my book Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)

* Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Black Cat)

* 2024 Night Sky Almanac by Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion (Collins)

* A Year in Story and Song by Lia Leendertz (Gaia)

* Giant on the Skyline by Clover Stroud (Doubleday) p.258

* A Winter Dictionary by Paul Anthony Jones (Elliott & Thompson)

* The Atlas of Christmas by Alex Palmer (Running Press)

Please share this podcast episode with anyone who might enjoy it! Thank you so much.

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