Christmas is coming. Can you feel it in the air? I can, and I love that feeling. And it’s why I am here with you again, for a special edition of the Calm Christmas Podcast.  Rather than a whole series this year, to honour my own need for proper rest this winter I have created you a bumper special episode, to help you settle in to a cosy winter. This one is longer than usual at almost an hour, so get yourself a hot cuppa, or pull on your boots and head out for a lovely long walk as you listen. This episode includes the most important question to ask yourself right now, a host of journaling prompts, our nature corner, recipes, wellbeing ideas and tips for getting ahead for Christmas.With inspiration from Nigel Slater, John D Burns, Edward Step, Melissa Harrison, Clare Foster, Andrew Montgomery, Lia Leendertz, Jody Vassallo, Mark Diacono, Keratin Niehoff, Laura Fleiter, James Martin, Paul Hollywood and BBC Good Food.I hope this podcast will help you locate Christmas as an anchor in the stormy seas of winter in this world right now.GIVEAWAY: To be in with the chance of winning a copy of Spice by Mark Diacono and a personalised, signed copy of Calm Christmas by Beth Kempton, enter on Instagram @bethkempton (deadline midnight UK time on Friday December 2) Take good care, Beth Featured in this episode:- Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus) - The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater (4th Estate) - Wild Winter by John D Burns (Vertebrate Publishing) -  Edward Step in Nature Rambles: An Introduction to Country-lore, 1930, in Winter: An anthology for the changing seasons edited by Melissa Harrison (Elliott & Thompson)- Winter Gardens by Clare Foster and Andrew Montgomery (Montgomery Press) - The Almanac 2022 by Lia Leendertz (Gaia) - The Yogic Kitchen by Jody Vassalo (HQ) - Spice: A cook’s companion by Mark Diacono (Quadrille) -  Advent by Kerstin Niehoff and Laura Fleiter (Murdoch) - The Fearless Writer Podcast - James Martin’s homemade mincemeat recipe / Paul Hollywood’s mince pie recipe Ingredients for recipes shared are available here. Transcript available here.

Welcome to The Hush – that precious, liminal space between Christmas and New Year. In today’s episode, the final one of this series, we explore the idea of ‘less doing, more dreaming’. These are the days in-between. This is a precious time to breathe deeply, savour moments with loved ones or alone and feel the world slowing just for a moment. It's a time for reflection and releasing, meandering, and dreaming. This episode includes a very special visualisation to help you open up to what might be calling you, along with some prompts to explore in your journal ahead of the new year. With inspiration from Susan Coolidge. I hope you love this final episode, and that it ushers you gently into the new year, with a heart full of hope. Beth XxPS Don’t miss my free poetry challenge #tinywinterpoem coming to my Instagram feed @bethkempton in January!Featured in this episode: New Every Morning by Susan Coolidge in The Poetry Pharmacy, edited by William Sieghart Download a FREE copy of my Perfectly Imperfect 2022 Digital Planner here and start visualising what might be next for you.  

So here we are in Christmas week! This week I am sharing a few quiet words and a couple of festive recipes (for you and for the birds) to bring a sprinkling of calm as the festivities peak. With inspiration from Julia Baird, Emma Mitchell, and Maya Angelou. Wishing you whatever kind of Christmas you want and need this year.Beth XxPhosphorescence by Julia Baird p.286  (William Collins)Making Winter by Emma Mitchell  (LOM Art)Untitled by Maya Angelou in Celebrations: Rituals of peace and prayer by Maya Angelou  (Virago)Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)Ingredients for featured recipes:(1)   For the birdsYou will need:250g block of lard250g wild berries like rosehips or hawthorn, or dried fruit like dried cranberries or sultana, wild bird seed, and porridge oats (250g in total, in any combination of berries, seeds and oats)A saucepan of boiling waterA heatproof bowl to make a bain-marieYoghurt pots, fibre plant pots or coconut halvesGarden twine(2) For you2 litres still or sparkling cider or apple juice 2 large or 3 small apples, washed, cored and sliced but not peeled3 oranges or 8 tangerines (washed and sliced but not peeled),1 lemon (zest and juice only)1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 8 cloves, 6 short cinnamon sticks6 tablespoons brown sugar

Ease yourself through the holiday preparations with this gentle episode all about rest, including a host of ideas for taking care of yourself as winter moves in. With inspiration from Liza Dalby (@lizadalby), Jilly Shipway, Shiva Rea (@shivarea108), Lucy Brazier (@brazier.lucy), Claudia Hammond (@claudie_hammond_), Gareth Owen, Katherine May (@katherinemay_) and Sonoko Sakai (@sonokosakai).Featured in this episode:East Wind Melts the Ice by Liza Dalby (Chatto & Windus)Tending the Heart Fire by Shiva Rea (Sounds True) Yoga Through the Year by Jilly Shipway  (Llewelyn)River Cottage Christmas by Lucy Brazier (Bloomsbury)The Art of Rest by Claudia Hammond  (Canongate)Wabi Sabi: Japanese wisdom for a perfectly imperfect life by Beth Kempton (Piatkus) Winter Days by Gareth Owen in The Oxford Book of Christmas Poems edited by Michael Harrison (Oxford University Press) Wintering by Katherine May Japanese Home Cooking by Sonoko Sakai (Shambala)Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)Jennifer Piercy’s Melatonin Magic yoga nidra meditation is here on Insight Timer.  You can download a FREE copy of The Perfectly Imperfect 2022 Digital Planner here, to help you reflect on the year and look ahead to 2022. Ingredients for the featured recipe (makes 4 servings)•   3.5 cups or 830ml dashi stock - there are wonderful recipes for making your own dashi in the book, but you can also buy it as stock from places like the Japan Centre.•   3 tablespoons of white or red miso•   2 oz (57g) mushrooms of your choice, stems removed and sliced 1/4 inch or 6mm thick•   4oz (113g) soft or medium-firm tofu, cut into 1/4 inch (6mm) dice•   1 teaspoon yuzu or lemon peel, pith removedYou can buy dashi stock from Japanese supermarkets and stores such as japancentre.com.

A lovely, relaxing episode to ease you into a place of restfulness this winter, including a beautiful meditation, some gorgeous winter poetry, and some tips for finding calm in the chaos. With inspiration from Hakuin, Brian Patton, Roger McGough, Mark Strand, the Royal Horticultural Society (@the_rhs), Joey Hulin (@joeyhulin_writer), Isobel Carlson, Donna Hay (@donna.hay), and Country Living (@countrylivinguk).Featured in this episode: Untitled poem by Hakuin from Three Zen Masters by John Stevens (Kodansha)Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)First Snow in the Street by Brian Patton in 100 Best Christmas Poems for Children, edited by Roger McGough  (SPCK Publishing)Lines for Winter by Mark Strand in Poem for the Day Two edited by Retta Bowen, Nick Temple, Stephanie Wienrich and Nicholas Albery (Chatto & Windus) Your Spiritual Almanac by Joey Hulin  (Laurence King)RHS Gardening Through the Year by Ian Spence (DK) The Seaside Year by Isobel Carlson (Summersdale)Country Living Christmas (magazine) Christmas Feasts and Treats by Donna Hay  (Harper Collins)Ingredients for the featured recipe (Rocky Road)Makes six1kg of dark chocolate (chopped)2 tablespoons vegetable oil130g sweetened dried cranberries 200g marshmallows250g Turkish Delight pieces50g of coconut flakes 140g of shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped