How to create your own solstice traditions in Week 3 of "15 Weeks of Friluftsliv"
Ideas for nature-inspired gatherings and treats to officially welcome winter and celebrate the season's arrival.
Winter Solstice arrives
Week 3 of “15 Weeks of Frilufstliv” brings the Winter Solstice on December 21st. The Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere marks the darkest day of the year with the shortest amount of daylight and the longest night. While that may sound somber and harsh, the winter solstice also also represents the return of the light, and hope, as each day proceeding it gets just a little brighter. This week we’ll be spending time outdoors to witness this moment. We also had the chance to share ideas as part of the Night Tourist Podcast Winter Solstice Special —take a listen!
Even if you can’t set aside the time to get outside on the solstice day, the days surrounding it still offer the chance to appreciate this remarkable moment of darkness where you can create light and warmth to see you through the arrival of winter. Check out this week’s winter activity for a “choose your own [solstice] adventure” guide. Make this the year you start new traditions rooted in nature.
Speaking of rooted in nature, this week’s recipe is a festive way to enjoy some winter foraging and honor that most beautiful symbol of winter, the evergreen.
As you welcome winter this week and enjoy festive foods, keep these words in mind:
Winter Solstice represents the return of light, the coming of the sun, and the end of a long, dark period. Leave that which no longer serves you behind in the dark. Welcome back the light and create space for what it brings in the season ahead.
1. Choose Your Own Solstice Adventure - Week 3 Activity Guide
Our activity guide this week shares 3 gathering options to welcome winter. The first requires no more than 30 minutes, the next is about 90 minutes, and the third is a very special, “Full Circle Solstice” idea that will take you through several seasons. You can make a meaningful tradition from each one, so check them out, choose the one that suits your style of wintering, and modify to suit your schedule. You can do these on the solstice or any day surrounding it.
Download this week’s activity guide and follow us on Friluftsliving Family Instagram to share even more ideas (tag #15weeksoffriluftsliv so we can celebrate each other’s outdoor experiences in all weather). We can’t wait to hear about your celebrations and new traditions to embrace the outdoors.
2. Recipe of the week
This is our favorite time of year to honor that symbol of hope in winter —the evergreen, in our festive holiday spreads. Our recipe this weeks gives you a way to sprinkle the flavor of the season into several recipes you may already be making. It’s another easy and fun one to give you more time for the outdoors. Read on to make your own evergreen infused sugar and get ideas for ways to use it. Make an activity out of it and enjoy some winter foraging for the pine! Note that you should do some research about how to safely and responsibly forage, but it’s an easy google search to find helpful guidance (and recipes!) from sources like Grow, Forage, Cook, Ferment.
Pine-infused sugar
Materials:
Mason jar with lid (size can vary depending on how much sugar you want to infuse)
Ingredients:
Sugar to fill jar to desired amount
1 sprig of evergreen* needles, washed and chopped roughly (more if using more than 1 cup of sugar)
Directions:
Fill sugar in jar to desired amount.
Add roughly chopped pine needles to jar.
Place lid on jar and shake to mix.
Let sugar sit and infuse for a day before using. Can store safely for several days.
When you go to use the sugar, sift or pick out the pine needle pieces.
Ways to use the infused sugar:
Create a rim on the glass for your cocktails or beverages.
Sprinkle on top of sugar cookies or other baked goods.
Use in cookie recipes in place of the regular sugar.
Create a simple syrup for drinks.
Add to tea or hot chocolate.
We’d love to see your pine-infused creations! Tag us on Friluftsliving Family Instagram
*Forage safely and responsibly.
4. Ways to gather
Listen to the Winter Solstice Special episode of Night Sky Tourist: Get inspired by this podcast episode where host Vicky Derksen shares how Winter Solstice has been a significant time of year across cultures for thousands of years. Learn about some little-known archaeoastronomy sites across the United States that have alignments with the Winter Solstice, hear from us (Tacy Quinn and Lauren Theis) about 15 Weeks of Friluftsliv and tips for getting the most enjoyment out of our winter stargazing experiences, and take a tour across the winter night sky to identify constellations and planets that you can see with the naked eye.
Check out Seasons in Mind: We were inspired with the solstice wreath idea by a fellow NJ Instagram account, seasonsinmind, who shares many ideas for ways to celebrate the solstices. Check them out and create your own traditions!
Mark your calendar:
Full Moon Hike, Campfire & Friluftsfest on 1/10. Join Friluftsliving Family and Raritan Headwaters Association after the holidays for a Hike & Howl to celebrate midwinter and the Wolf Full Moon. Not local to NJ? Everything we host and share is something you can modify to do wherever you live.
We can’t wait to hear how you welcome winter in Week 3 of “15 Weeks of Friluftsliv.” Let us know in the comments!
Here’s to sharing ideas and getting outside with a “free-air-life” ethos, gnome matter the weather.
Love this! Absolutely love the many gathering ideas. Can't wait to try the pine sugar idea and listen to the podcast!