The Calm Christmas Podcast with Beth Kempton

Explore what a slow Christmas might look like, with top tips and some lovely creative ideas, and discover the origins of the Christmas tree!

Episode 4 includes:

• The benefits of slowing down and simplifying
• Top tips for a slow Christmas this year
• Simple crafting and natural decoration ideas
• Exploring the origins of the Christmas tree
• This week’s ‘Get ahead tips’

Resources mentioned in this episode: Inventing the Christmas Tree by Bernd Brunner / The Winter Writing Sanctuary (free writing course) / Kokedama how-to video from the Royal Horticultural Society

New episodes every Thursday. Remember to subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they drop!

For more details of my book Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year and some free goodies with purchase, go to bethkempton.com/Christmas

Take good care,
 Beth 
 (@bethkempton on Instagram)

I have loved Christmas since I was a child. The hopes of snow and flying reindeer, that special Christmassy feeling in the air. I still sense that as a grown up, but the festive season seems to come with a lot more pressure these days. This year, instead of trying to create the perfect Instagrammable Christmas, what if we just relaxed and focused on what really matters? Welcome to Season Two of the Calm Christmas podcast with bestselling self-help author Beth Kempton. This series is all about making the season special for less – less stress, less expense, less pressure...

Episode 1 is on the theme of PREPARE and includes:

• A cosy introduction to The Calm Christmas Podcast
• Pondering the question of what Christmas means to you – and to me
• Some beautiful wintery words from some of my favourite writers and poets
• Journaling prompts for reflecting on your Christmas experiences
• Plus our weekly nature corner, recipes, wellbeing ideas and tips for getting ahead for Christmas

I hope this podcast will help you locate Christmas as an anchor in the stormy seas of winter in this world right now.
For more details of my book Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year go to bethkempton.com/christmas
Take good care,
Beth
(@bethkempton on Instagram)

Featured in this episode:

· Good Hours by Robert Frost, in A Mind of Winter edited by Robert Atwan

· We Can be Film Stars, Just for One Day by Sue Townsend in On Christmas: A seasonal anthology by Gyles Brandreth

· Of Calcutta, Christmas and New Year by Suhel Seth in On Christmas: A seasonal anthology by Gyles Brandreth

· Introduction by Judith Flanders in Poems for Christmas

· Christmas: A biography by Judith Flanders

· The Almanac: A seasonal guide to 2022 by Lia Leendertz

· Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardening Through The Year by Ian Spence

· East Wind Melts the Ice by Liza Dalby

· Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton

Had enough of the pressure, expense and waste of excess Christmas presents? Tune into this week's episode for tips on mindful gifting, and ideas for saving money and reducing wrapping waste this holiday season. 

Episode 6 includes:

• My three guideposts for mindful gifting
• A fun exercise to help you prioritise your gift spending this year
• Ideas for gifts for children that are good for the wallet and the planet
• Top tips for saving money and reducing waste when wrapping gifts
• This week’s ‘Get ahead tips’

Download the transcript here.

Resources mentioned in this episode: Get up to 50% off our life-changing courses at dowhatyouloveforlife.com / makeartthatsells.com / makeitindesign.com (Cyber Sale ends Monday November 30 2020)

Also, here is a lovely example of furoshiki wrapping and here is Mari Kondo's version

New episodes every Thursday. Remember to subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they drop!

For more details of my book Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year and some free goodies with purchase, go to bethkempton.com/Christmas

Take good care,
 Beth 
 (@bethkempton on Instagram)

2020 has been challenging in so many ways, and many of us will experience heavy emotions this holiday season, at the culmination of the year. If you are looking towards the festive season with a sense of dread, knowing that it will be extra difficult this year, this episode is for you. I hope it is a friend at this time. 

Episode 9 includes:

• Comforting words for difficult times
• Some inspiring ideas for taking care of yourself as you feel what you are feeling
• Honouring of the Winter Solstice
• This week’s ‘Get ahead tips’

Download the transcript here.

The books mentioned in this podcast were: Rhythms and Roads by Victoria Erickson / Secrets and Stars by Alex Klingenberg / The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry / The Magical Year by Danu Forest / Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton

Other resources mentioned:

OptionB.org / Option B by Sheryl Sandberg / The Grief Podcast > This is called Griefcast, apologies for the error! / Mind.org.uk / Samaritans.org / Words Heal: Writing in times of crisis (online course)

✨ 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...