“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.” - Mary Oliver
Hello, you.
Sometimes I just have to laugh at the universe, or God, or fate, or whatever and take in a long, deep breath. Oh, the irony that today I am sharing with you my thoughts on starting this week, this month, this holiday season with stillness, and the past three days have been anything but calm and bright and still.
As soon as I finished scribbling down my thoughts and preparing to publish, our cat took a turn for the worse and we had to make our way to an emergency vet appointment for the second time this weekend. Somehow, amazingly, I was able to spend all day Saturday cooking Thanksgiving dinner, enjoying said dinner during an intimate, cozy evening, and then decking our home late into the evening - a perfectly holiday-y day. But, that was sandwiched in-between much worry and drama with our sweet little Bear the cat. He’s stable, home, and we’re trying to figure out a new schedule with him to keep him healthy. But, it has been rough.
So, as much as I would love to have begun December wrapped up in a cozy, warm blanket, soaking in the soft, silent, stillness that December can bring, that was not my reality. However, there were pockets of stillness and pauses for silence. And I caught a few glimpses of the soft glow of some early holiday moments.
Which leaves me wondering… isn’t that exactly the way life is? Isn’t that the meaning of a messy, everyday life filled with both magic and the mundane?
So, on this Monday morning, I now greet you in a dark moment of silence and solitude. The cat has eaten, my love is already at work, and I’m just about to finish my coffee, log off, and get dressed to head off to work. I’ll be back this afternoon to proof and publish this so I can send it to you before the day is done.
Hello, again. It’s now early evening and I just returned home. I am already snuggled under a blanket on the sofa, Christmas lights twinkling on the tree in my living room. Finally ready to send this to you. And so excited that you are here so I can finally wish you a Happy December, Happy Advent, and Blessed New Moon, my friend. I’m going
Now, let’s slowly start to ease into the holiday spirit, the darkness of December, and the magic of this season together.
Grab a cup of something warm. Light a candle. Go on and pull that blanket up around you. And settle in for a few minutes.
I am so happy to be starting this month with you. I hope you are all warm and cozy right now. And, if you are not, then I hope that before you lay your head down tonight, you make sure to create just a few moments for some cozy journaling or deep breathing just to connect with yourself before you drift off to sleep to dreams of sugar plum fairies and Christmases past.
While I am so excited that it is December, I have to be honest with you. I don’t know about you, but I find this month a bit difficult to navigate sometimes. It seems like such a contradiction in so many ways. Where is the hope when it’s so dark in our world? Where is the meaning of the season when all I have received all weekend long are emails about sales for buying more stuff? How will we ever find peace when there are so many who believe that war is the answer. How am I supposed to feel festive and joyful when there is so much to worry about and so much pain?
Heavy things to ponder in the beginning of December, I know. And not exactly cozy and warm, either, right? But, I cannot help but enter the holiday season without being real. Somehow it is just this reality that inspires me to double down on creating a mindful, meaningful, cozy holiday all month long.
So, that is exactly what I am going to do this year - and I would love to have you join me. Let’s get started, yeah?
December is always a buzz with activity and energy and excitement in our western society. There is a festive hustle and bustle on the sidewalks of the city. There are invitations to parties and gatherings. Work piles up and demands much of my attention and time before winding up the year. Part of me loves the festive mood of this month, part of me feels a bit of stress at the demands that come with the holidays, and part of me is filled with a deep sense of FOMO - wanting to squeeze as much holiday fun into every moment as possible, while attending to all of my work responsibilities, while also mindfully soaking in the dark and cozy nights.
It’s all just a bit much sometimes. Even while it is completely magical at the same time.
Of course, if I am completely honest, each December I find myself more and more in wind down mode as the holidays arrive and the year comes to a close. I crave the complete and utter opposite energy that society invites of me right now. Give me cozy nights with friends sipping glögg (mulled wine), long meditation sessions in the dark, journaling sessions that last all morning long, cozy Christmas movie nights with the glow of firelight, moon and star gazing, simple traditions that remind me of the meaning of this time of the year.
In December, I have often found myself being pulled inward and outward at the same time.
When I feel this personal tug-of-war, I do what I always do. I look to the rhythms of nature. And, mother earth could not be more clear on what to focus on throughout the season of winter.
Nature is quiet, soft, and hushed as we enter December. The earth has begun her rest. Everything is bare and silent. Save for a few walks and wanderings outside, most of us will spend most of our time indoors, gathered together to warm our bodies and souls. The nights are extremely long and dark. And, this year, there’s an even extra bit of incentive to slow down as December begins, as there is a new moon that has just begun her new cycle. So, right now, the darkness is extra dark. The slate is wiped clean for the month ahead. It is up to us to decide what mood, what vibe, what energy we wish to focus on this December.
So, I took all of this energy from this weekend (Advent, the new moon, a new month) as a sign of to how to move into December. Nature tells me all that I need to know about how to approach this month. She invites me to follow her, to enter quietly, softly, and with a hushed voice. This is a mystical, magical month. One meant to be felt and experienced and truly lived. A month that is filled with rest, silence, wisdom, power, love, and hope. If I am too busy, if I do not soak it in, if I do not stay present, then I will miss the deepest meanings and the most twinkly moments found in these darkest, most festive days of the year.
So, this is my hope for this December - to find a way to create and enjoy a slow, soft, twinkly, grounded December. To align my inner life, that yearns for and basks in the gifts of the dark, with my outer life, so I live in rhythm with the dark, cozy, soft energy of this month.
I still want to be festive and celebrate and do all of the holidaying things that I love the most, but I want to do it all mindfully and intentionally.
I envision a December filled with long, cozy dark nights. Of warm and glowy gatherings of friends and family. Of candlelit evenings with mulled wine or hot chocolate. Of December mornings with only the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree while I journal before starting my day. Of wandering the city sidewalks dressed in holiday style. Of attending church services to connect with memories of past Christmases. Of cold walks among the trees by the river that runs through town. Of celebrating old traditions and creating a few new ones as well.
This December, I have decided to continue my weekly letters and podcasts. Instead of focusing on the mood and energy for the whole month, I want to slow it down and take it one week at a time. I want to really sink into the gifts of a warm, dark, festive December.
So, join me each Sunday, as we open up the gifts of the darkness of December, one week at a time.
1 December - week one: quiet. soft. hushed.
8 December - week two: magic. power. love.
15 December - week three: traditions. wisdom. grounding.
22 December - week four: cycles. light. hope.
29 December - week five: hibernation. solitude. rest.
I’ll be sharing my letters on Substack and also on Spotify and Apple podcasts. I would love for you to join me as we spend a few moments gathered together in the darkest month of the year, to discover the gifts and wisdom of this holiday season.
Welcome, again, my friend to this December. Welcome to a week filled with a quiet, soft, hushed stillness. Move slowly into the month and mindfully into the holiday season. Hang the twinkle lights, light a candle, find a place for some solitude, and let the sacred darkness set the mood for a calm, cozy, meaningful month.
I’ll be in touch in a week. Love to you.
xoxo. liz.
☀️ Sunrise/sunset times in Norrköping, Sweden (1st week of December)
02 December - 8:21 / 15:07
✨ 🌙 Sacred Days + Folk Festivals this week
01 December New Moon
01 December First Sunday in Advent
08 December Second Sunday in Advent
🎵 The playlist
Soft, cozy tunes for the first week of December.
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