✨ This is the episode where sadness is honoured, our loved ones are remembered, and we allow all the feelings, however they might arise. May it be a comfort to you in the dark season.

Episode 6 includes:

* The comfort of poetry

* Thoughtful ideas for dealing with sadness in the dark season

* A candlelight meditation

* Lovely robins

* London’s last lamplighters

* Commonplace books

* Beautiful ideas for honouring and remembering loved ones, from listeners around the world

* Get ahead tips

With inspiration from David Whyte, Danni Nicholls, Nina MacLaughlin, the London lamplighters, Day Schildkret, Songbird Survival, John O’Donohue, Patricia Fargnoli and my mother’s recipe book.

Don’t forget, if you feel like seeking solace in words this winter, 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.

Take good care of your heart,Beth Xx

PS You can also listen on Apple or Spotify.

This week’s giveaway

To enter this week’s special giveaway, you are invited to leave the name of someone you love and miss, or simply a heart to acknowledge them, in the comments of the giveaway post on my Instagram. We did this last year and it became the most beautiful tribute.

The winner gets all this for themselves:

* A personalised, signed first edition of my book Kokoro: Japanese wisdom for a life well lived

* Bath House patchouli & black pepper candle

* Winter Solstice by Nina Maclaughlin

* Festive Spirit - Candlestick Press Poem Card

* A complimentary place on my short writing course Words Heal

To enter, go to @bethkempton on Instagram.

Glazed Ham recipe

* You can find Delia Smith’s Glazed Ham recipe online here

What you need to make a commonplace book

* Any kind of notebook

* Ephemera and bits and pieces gathered from your life

* A stick of glue or tape

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

* Ancient Embers by Danni Nicholls

* Under the Neem Plum Tree by Danni Nicholls

* London’s last lamplighters via the BBC

* Burn Something Today by Nina Maclaughlin in The Paris Review

* Songbird Survival

* Free Calm Christmas Planner (by me!)

* Poets.org

* The Poetry Society 15151

* The Poetry Foundation

* For the Love of Tiny Things essay by me on Substack

Referenced books + recommendations

* Winter Grief by David Whyte - The version shared on the podcast was from David’s Substack here. The original appeared in The Bell and the Blackbird by David Whyte (Many Rivers Press)

* Kokoro: Japanese wisdom for a life well lived by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)

* Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)

* Winter Solstice by Nina MacLaughlin (Black Sparrow Press)

* Hello, Goodbye by Day Schildkret (Simon Element)

* Echoes of Memory by John O’Donohue (Transworld Ireland)

* Winter Grace by Patricia Fargnoli in Poetry of Presence edited by Phyllis Cole-Dai and Ruby R Wilson (Grayson)

Images: Holly Bobbins/Unsplash

✨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.

Friends, December is upon us, which means meterological winter has arrived here in the northern hemisphere. This episode, Season 4 Episode 4 ‘Christmas Lights’, is all about words, because winter is my favourite time of year for writing. It’s so cosy to light a candle, read some poetry, get out your notebook and write, and I hope this episode inspires you to do just that. It’s a beautiful way to bring some calm to the chaos of the holiday season.

This episode includes:

❄️Reasons why writing is a good idea (as if you needed a reason!)

❄️Three simple ways to get the words flowing

❄️A beautiful candlelight meditation

❄️An invitation to get outside to seek creative inspiration

❄️ My youngest daughter’s Chocolate Orange Wreath Cake recipe

❄️Get ahead tips to help you arrive for the holidays feeling calm and prepared

I hope this podcast will be a lantern guiding you through the darkness of winter, and your words are a companion along the way.

Beth Xx

PS You can also tune in on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Lovely things for you

* Winter Writing Sanctuary registration here (FREE, runs Dec 28-Jan 5)

* Calm Christmas Planner – download yours for free here

* A new festive giveaway at Instagram @bethkempton

* Up to 50% off ALL my life-changing courses in my giant gratitude sale here

Links

* Christmas Lights by Coldplay

* Save The Children Christmas Jumper Day donation link

* The Christmas Train essay

* The Life Changing Magic of Writing Haiku essay

* Link to join my private writing community SoulCircle (choose Monthly to try it out or Annual to get two months free)

Referenced books + recommendations

* Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)

* Winter Solstice by Nina Maclaughlin (Black Sparrow Press)

* The Light in the Dark by Horatio Clare (Elliott & Thompson)

* Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jennie Colgan

* The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness and Joy edited by John Brehm (Wisdom)

* Kokoro: Japanese wisdom for a life well lived by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)

Ingredients for the recipe shared

For the cake

* Three eggs

* The weight of three eggs in self-raising flour, caster sugar, unsalted butter, then remove about three tablespoons of the flour, and replace it with the same weight in cocoa powder

For the icing

* 200g unsalted butter

* 320g icing sugar

* 80g cocoa powder

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* A 100g bar of cooking chocolate, melted gently over a bain marie

* Sprinkles – we like blue and white

* A Terry’s Chocolate Orange or an orange chocolate bar, ideally with segment shapes

Happy Thanksgiving if you are celebrating, and may it be a day of counting our blessings, for all of us, wherever we live and wherever we are from. This episode - Season 4 Episode 3, Home for the Holidays - goes out with so much gratitude for your presence in my world, for listening to the podcast and sharing your own experiences of the festive season - many of which have been woven into this season of the podcast!

Today's episode is all about making our homes festive and cosy with lighting inside and out, sparkle, evergreens, textures, scents and love.

This cosy episode includes:

- Lots of ideas for making your home welcoming and cosy

- Some wonderful decorating traditions from listeners around the world

- A recipe for Cheesy Garlic Hedgehog Bread

- A lovely citrus star garland crafty project

- Tips to help you get ahead for the festive season, and more!

I hope this podcast will be a lantern guiding you through the darkness of winter and into a happy new year.

Beth Xx

Lovely things for you:

* Winter Writing Sanctuary registration here (FREE, runs Dec 28-Jan 5)

* Calm Christmas Planner – download yours for free here

* A new festive giveaway at Instagram @bethkempton

* Up to 50% off ALL my life-changing courses in my giant gratitude sale here

Links

* Madison Square Park Conservancy

* Christmas at Sea by Robert Louis Stevenson

* Evidence of a Christmas spirit network in the brain - Research by the University of Copenhagen published in the British Medical Journal

* (There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays by Perry Como

* The Calm Christmas Podcast Season 2 Episode 5: Nest

* The Calm Christmas Podcast Season 3 Episode 4: Deck the Halls

* Selvedge Winter Fair

* National Trust

* St Martin in the Fields advent carol service

Referenced books + recommendations

* Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)

* Rest and Calm by Paula Hines

* The Get-Ahead Christmas Cook by Jane Lovett (Headline Home)

* Christmas is Coming by Auriol Bishop (Headline Home)

Ingredients for the recipe shared

(Jane Lovett’s Cheesy Garlic Hedgehog Bread)

· 175 g of butter, with extra for greasing

· 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

· a handful of parsley, chopped

· 200 g taleggio cheese

· one round white loaf of rustic country style bread, like a cob or boule

· some sea salt flakes

What you need for the craft project

(Auriol Bishop’s Citrus star garland)

· some citrus fruit (clementine, satsuma, orange etc)

· cookie cutters in Christmas shapes

· a knitting needle or a skewer

· scissors

· string or twine

This week’s episode is called Give Love This Year, gratitude and gifting, and I'm sending it out to you from my kitchen table, which is currently covered in wrapping paper, ribbon, my fabric stash, the good scissors, the silver pens, stickers, tape, stamps and ink. Let me get you a cuppa. We're going to be here for a while.

This episode is full of probing questions that will help you come up with unusual, thoughtful gifts for your loved ones, as well as ideas for wrapping mindfully.

It also includes:

- Some fascinating facts about the history of gift giving, including a brilliant idea for topsy turvy gift giving from Roman times

- An invitation to seek out winter sunshine and other gifts from nature

- Gorgeous recipes for Rachel de Thample’s Rise & Shine Tisane and Gemma Ogston’s immunity protection dressing

- A lovely craft project which can also help us deal with overwhelm

- Thoughts on dealing with loneliness

- Help with coming up with inspired gift ideas for your loved ones including some beautiful gifting ideas from listeners around the world (You can find my FREE Ultimate Gift Guide for Writers here and download my free printable planner to keep track of your gift lists here)

- Our usual get ahead dates and key dates for the week ahead

Tell me: What is the one thing you most want to experience for yourself this winter? What will you gift yourself this year?

Beth Xx

PS If you enjoyed this episode, please do tell your friends about it!

Lovely things for you

* Head to @bethkempton on Instagram for the chance to win The Soul of Gift Wrapping by Megumi Lorna Inouye and a personalised, signed copy of my book Calm Christmas along with a complementary place on my flagship course Do What You Love.

* Join the Winter Writing Sanctuary for free HERE. https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/product/winter-writing-sanctuary-live-oct2026/

* Get my brand new Ultimate Gift Guide for Writers here (it’s free)

* Download a printable Calm Christmas Planner here (also free).

* Give someone (or yourself) the life-changing gift of a trajectory-shifting online course with up to 50% off all my courses (which can be given as gift vouchers!) at dowhatyouloveforlife.com

Ingredients for Rachel de Thample’s Rise & Shine Tisane

* Half a lemon

* Half a teaspoon of fennel seeds

* One or two bay leaves, fresh or dried

* 250 ml of freshly boiled water

Ingredients for Gemma Ogston‘s immunity-protection dressing

* 180 ml olive oil

* 120 ml apple cider vinegar

* 60 ml of water

* Three tablespoons of runny honey

* Three garlic cloves chopped

* 5cm fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

* Quarter of a teaspoon of ground turmeric

For the Snow Globe

* A clean jam jar

* Waterproof glue, like the glue in a hot glue gun

* Eco glitter

* A small figure

* Glycerine

* Some water

References + recommendations

* Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton

* The Soul of Gift Wrapping by Megumi Lorna Inouye

* Winter Wellness by Rachel de Thample

* The Yogic Kitchen by Jody Vassallo

* Japan The Vegetarian Cookbook by Nancy Singleton Hachisu

* The Healing Cookbook by Gemma Ogston

* Deliciously Ella Quick & Easy by Ella Mills

* Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver

* The Self-Care Year by Alison Davies (Quadrille)

Charities that can support you if you are feeling lonely

* Mind

* The Silver Line

* Samaritans

* Shout

Previous Calm Christmas episodes on gifting for even more ideas

* Season 1 Episode 6 Mindful Gifting

* Season 2 Episode 4 Love

* Season 3 Episode 3 We Three Kings

Other links:

* Give Love This Year by Fitz and the Tantrums

* Why do we give gifts at Christmas? Andrew Hann, English Heritage

* Mixbook (for printing photo books)

Photos: Holly Bobbins

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 you

With inspiration from @KerriniDochartaigh @botanical_tales @nigelslater @francescaamber @rspca_official @bbc @leigh.standley @mudnbloom and Sam Kamkanamge.

Enjoy!

Beth Xx

Lovely 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

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 Xx

PS 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

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 more

With 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 Xx

Handy 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.

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 ahead
• An 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 gratitude
• Our nature corner
• A writing prompt
• Some lovely words to ease you into the new year
• PLUS 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 Ehrmann

Handy 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 January

This 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

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 between
• A beautiful winter visualisation to help you open to whatever might be calling you
• A full moon bathing ritual
• A comforting recipe
• Our nature corner
• Some 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 potatoes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

15g (5 ½ oz) butter

2 leeks, sliced into rounds

2 onions, halved and sliced

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

100g (3 ½ oz) mature cheddar, finely grated

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Featured 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 McAlary

Enjoy!
Beth Xx

You can find all the show notes here: https://bethkempton.com/ccpodcast-shownotes/