The Calm Christmas Podcast with Beth Kempton

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/ 

It’s nearly Christmas Eve. Can you feel the magic hovering? If ever there was a time to take a deep breath and let go of all that has not been done to embrace what is here, that time is now. Pull up a chair and relax, my friend. It is Christmas, after all. This very Christmassy episode will ease you into Christmas, reminding you what really matters and encouraging you to let things be perfectly imperfect.

This episode includes: 

• A little story from the Arctic Circle
• A letter from Father Christmas
• A moment of reflection
• A wintery writing prompt 
• A quick craft idea to give you a fun thing to do on Christmas day
• Christmas traditions from around the world (from lovely listeners!)
• Our nature corner
• Those last few get ahead tips
• My Christmas message for you

With inspiration from: Matsuo Basho, Laurie Lee, Johnny Coppin, @NadiykaGerbish, Yaroslav Hrytsak, Dot May Dunn, Elizabeth Jenner, Malcolm Bird, Alan Dart, Kenneth Grahame, JRR Tolkien, Bailey Tolkien and Father Christmas.

 Handy links:

• Kakslauttenen
• Sweet Salty Spicy Party Nuts recipe
• Escape to a cosy world of words in my Winter Writing Sanctuary (FREE) December 28-January 6

Ingredients for Roasted Nuts recipe shared in this episode:

• Your choice of nuts (such as pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews and almonds, and macademias) 
• Any extra flavours you might like such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds and fresh rosemary
• Maple syrup
• Butter (optional)

Featured in this episode:

• The Matsuo Basho haiku poem in this episode can be found in Basho: The Complete Haikutranslated by Jane Reichhold (Kodansha) p.658
• Letters from Father Christmasby JRR Tolkien, edited by Baillie Tolkien
• Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee - excerpt shared can be found in A Country Christmas edited by Johnny Coppin (The Windrush Press) p.47
• A Ukranian Christmas, by Nadiyka Gerbish and Yaroslav Hrytsak. (Sphere) p.11 and p.15
• Christmas Around the Village Greenby Dot May Dunn (Orion, p.46)
• What to look for in Winter by Elizabeth Jenner (Ladybird)
• The Christmas Handbook by Malcolm Bird and Alan Dart
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (as featured in Favorite Poems for Christmas: A Child’s Collection (Bushel & Peck Books) p.8

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

This week's episode is dedicated to those we love and miss, to encourage us all – me included – to take all the time we need to feel all the things we are going to feel in the days ahead. I hope you find this episode to be a comfort.  

Of course I am not going to tell you how to be or what to do as you face Christmas without a loved one, or face it carrying any other sense of grief. What I am going to do is share some ideas for pausing, honouring and remembering our loved ones, along with some gentle advice from people who work with bereaved families, and some beautiful poems and readings which I hope will offer us some comfort.

In March this year my lovely mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer out of the blue, and died in a hospice three weeks later. I was by her side for nearly all of that time. It was devastating in its brevity and impact, but it was also just about enough time for us to leave nothing unsaid. We talked about Christmas, and she gave me some ideas for this season of the podcast, particularly for this episode. When I think about that now, I am floored by her bravery and selflessness, and the way that in having those conversations, she has managed to give us a Christmas gift this year too. I hope this episode will give you an opportunity to pause, honour and remember those you love and miss, and find some joy and light in this darkest of seasons.

This episode includes: 

• Gentle ideas for pausing, honouring and remembering those we love and miss
• A beautiful ritual for connecting with the memory and light of a loved one (you might want to bring a candle, some matches, a notebook and a pen)
• How the Five Stories of Christmas can help us feel close to our loved ones
• Permission not to have a ‘happy Christmas’
• Some gorgeous poems and readings
• A writing prompt to help you get your feelings down on paper
• A lovely craft idea
• Christmas traditions from around the world (from lovely listeners!)
• Our nature corner, welcoming the Winter Solstice
• Get ahead tips before Christmas is upon us
• And a blessing for you
• PLUS A self-care giveaway (enter on my Instagram @bethkempton)

With inspiration from:

@donnaashworthwords @optionb @andygrammer @stoswaldsuk @joannemallon Bertolt Brecht, Sarah Crossnan, Dana Gioia, @sheep1sh Neil Astley, Pamela Robertson-Pearce, Phillis Levin, @thehungryyear Kevin Young, Ashley Muller, @glass_walls_life Austie M Baird, Cherie Arnitt, @warsanshiree @williamsieghart, Robert Frost, @lydiamillen @lia_leendertz @rebeccacampbell_author @katecbowler, John O’Donohue

Leave a note remembering your loved one on the self-care giveaway post on my Instagram @bethkempton here. https://instagram.com/bethkempton

You can find all the show notes including to all featured books here.

Handy links:

·      The Life-Changing Magic of Writing Haiku (free essay on my Substack) 

·      St Oswald’s Hospice donation link (where Brenda works) 

·      Escape to a cosy world of words in my Winter Writing Sanctuary (FREE) December 28-January 6 

 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

Beth Xx

This delicious episode is all about festive feasting – from the main event to all those gatherings and feedings in between. I adore cookbooks and share a lot in this episode, along with some other food-related delights. I hope it gets you flicking through your own recipe books and planning for some special time around the table this year.

This episode includes:

-       Snippets from some of my favourite Christmassy cookbooks

-       Tips for reducing the stress of Christmas cooking, and being mindful of costs

-       A story about the day it all changed in our household

-       Some ideas for laying your Christmas table

-       Christmas (food-related) traditions from around the world 

-       Two super simple recipes

-       Get ahead tips before Christmas arrives

-       PLUS a lovely giveaway (enter at @bethkempton on Instagram)

With inspiration from:

@auriolb @dianahenryfood @lisanieschlag @larswentrup @sam__dixon @gizzierskine @nigelslater @nigellalawson @jamieoliver @dethample, Delia Smith @housebeautifuluk @housebeautiful

Handy links:
·      Help yourself to the Christmas Meal Planner in my FREE Calm Christmas Planner here 

·      House Beautiful cracker making tutorial 

·      Click here to book your FREE place on my Winter Writing Sanctuary 

·      Up to 50% off all my writing and personal development courses in my winter sale here

This week’s giveaway

·      Chance to win a copy of Winter Wellness by Rachel de Thample and a personalized signed copy of my book Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year over on @bethkempton on Instagram 

Full shownotes here.
Beth Xx

There is a particular kind of joy in the simple act of curling up in an armchair with a book on a winter's day, or going to a café with nothing to do but take in the next chapter, or going to bed early and sitting up against soft pillows to read by lamplight. Words can be a real comfort in the darkest of seasons - both those we read and those we write. I hope this episode inspires you to pull down a favourite book off the shelf and have a read, or perhaps treat yourself to some poetry, or a new story, or a self-help book that is going to carry you through the winter. I also hope it is going to inspire you to get out your notebook and write some of your own words, as the fire crackles and the tree lights flicker.

This episode includes:

• Wintery words to inspire you
• Lots of cosy reading recommendations 
• Inspiration for writing as a tool for wellbeing
• Nature corner
• Christmas traditions from around the world (from lovely listeners!)
• Get ahead tips as Christmas edges closer
• PLUS A lovely cosy giveaway (enter on my Instagram @bethkempton)

With inspiration from Peter Hennessy, Josephine Greywoode, Alexandra Harris, Jane McMorland Hunter @alittlecitygarden, Tom Hennen, Phyllis Cole-Dai, Ruby R Wilson, Horatio Clare @horatiowrites, Nancy Campbell, Kevin Parr, @MattBakerOfficial, @FrancescaBeauman, Ono no Komachi, @SandrineBailly, Kim Simonsen, Randi Ward, Chris McCabe @mccabio1977, Freddie Jones, Andrew McRae, Robert Bridges, @Mark_Nepo, Elizabeth Jenner, @NationalTrust, Greg Loades @hull_urban_gardener, Shawn Bythell @bookshopwigtown, @cheftimanderson @hollyringland @therosiewalsh @mattzhaig, Muriel Barbery, Jenny Colgan @jennycolganwriter @jennycolganbooks, Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.

PS See the full show notes here for recipe ingredients and other links.

Lovely things for you:

·      Read my how to write a haiku essay and subscribe for free at https://bethkempton.substack.com

·      CLICK HERE to download the free Calm Christmas Planner 

·      CLICK HERE to register for my Winter Writing Sanctuary (Dec 28-Jan 6), also free this year 

·      Get up to 50% off ALL my writing courses in my winter gratitude sale at https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com