The Calm Christmas Podcast with Beth Kempton – Details, episodes & analysis

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

Come on in out of the wind, my friend. I am so glad you found this old cottage, hidden away as it is in a small village in the South West of England. Come on through to the kitchen, pull up a chair. There are gingerbread stars fresh out of the oven and steaming tea in the pot. How have you been, my friend? I am so glad you are here and I’ve got so much to share with you.

What a joy it is to welcome you to a third season of The Calm Christmas Podcast, timed just as autumn turns to leave and in its shadow offers us a glimpse of winter. Here on the podcast we trace the turning of the seasons in nature and in our minds and hearts, we seek out ways to be more mindful about the approaching holidays, and I offer inspiration and tips for using this time to rest and restore after another full year. This third season is all about seeking slow.

This episode includes:

·      The importance of slowing down for making the most of the holidays and for taking care of ourselves

·      Tips for slowing down

·      Allotment chit chat and our regular nature corner

·      Christmas traditions from around the world (including several shared by listeners!)

·      An autumnal crafting project

·      Two lovely autumnal recipes

·      Get ahead tips and more!

Lovely things for you:

·      GIVEAWAY - To be in with the chance of winning a copy of Rosie Steer’s gorgeous new book Slow Seasons and a personalised, signed copy of Calm Christmas by me, Beth Kempton, enter on Instagram @bethkempton (deadline 4pm UK time on Sunday 12 November)

·      CALM CHRISTMAS PLANNER – Download yours for free here (if link is broken go to dowhatyouloveforlife.com)

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 or buy a copy from Amazon or any good bookshop. Or why not get the audiobook and listen to one chapter a week up to and through the holiday season?

Take good care,
Beth
(@bethkempton on Instagram / bethkempton.substack.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com)

Featured in this episode:

·      Reading from Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A little book of festive joy by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)p.15 / US edition here (Scribner)  

·      Research about the health benefits of bananas here

Ingredients for recipes shared can be found here.

Friends, it's nearly time! The Calm Christmas Podcast is back for a new season. Our theme for this year is 'Seeking slow this winter'. The new season will begin on November 8, and then new episodes will drop every weekend until the new year. Over the past few years Christmas has become, for many, overcommercialised, and a time of stress and exhaustion. The Calm Christmas Podcast is about turning away from that kind of holiday season, and instead finding joy and spreading cheer without sacrificing our wellbeing.

My name is Beth Kempton – author, mama, Christmas lover and host of this, The Calm Christmas Podcast, which I send out weekly in November and December, from my kitchen table in a small thatched cottage in Devon, in the South West of England. 

This season is all about slowing down, and I hope it’s just what you need this year.
This has been the hardest year of my life. It has also, in many ways, been one of the most precious. It is on the back of those shadows and that light that I bring you Season 3 of The Calm Christmas Podcast, and I hope it will be a lantern leading you through the darkness of late autumn and winter, into a fresh new year. 

Each week I offer ideas for inviting in the kind of Christmas you want and need this year, inspiration for getting outdoors and noticing what is happening in nature, holiday traditions from around the world including many shared by you lovely listeners, crafting ideas, journaling prompts, rituals, moonwatching, stargazing, recipes, book recommendations, ideas for making your home festive and cosy, mindful gifts that won’t cost you a fortune, and perhaps most importantly, a moment of quiet in the rush of the season, to breathe, and plan how to make the most of this time with those you love, to honour those you miss, and treasure what matters to you most.

I hope you will make space for The Calm Christmas Podcast this year. Subscribe now, mark your calendar for November 8 and join me back here for Episode 1: Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, which is all about seeking slow this season.

And please, tell your friends. Let’s make this Christmas – and this whole time of year – different and special, or whatever you want and need it to be.

 *********************************************
The Calm Christmas Podcast has been recommended by Vanity Fair,  Ideal Home Magazine, The Times, Radio Times, The Handbook, Great British Podcasts and more. I hope you love it!
Beth Xx (@bethkempton on Instagram)

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 Xx

PS 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 Xx

• Phosphorescence 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 birds

• You will need:
• 250g block of lard
• 250g 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 water
• A heatproof bowl to make a bain-marie
• Yoghurt pots, fibre plant pots or coconut halves
• Garden twine

(2) For you

• 2 litres still or sparkling cider or apple juice
•  2 large or 3 small apples, washed, cored and sliced but not peeled
• 3 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 sticks
• 6 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 removed

You 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 six

• 1kg of dark chocolate (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 130g sweetened dried cranberries
•  200g marshmallows
• 250g Turkish Delight pieces
• 50g of coconut flakes 
• 140g of shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped

This episode is all about nesting – getting your home and heart ready for the winter, with natural Christmas decorations, and ideas for mindful crafting. With inspiration from Laurie Lee, Ariella Chezar (@ariellachezardesign), Lucy Hunter @lucytheflowerhunter, Truman Capote, Lizzie Kamenetzky, Cleo Wade @cleowade, The Royal Horticultural Society (@the_rhs), and my mum!

Featured in this episode:

• A Village Christmas and Other Notes on the English Year by Laurie Lee (Penguin Classics)
• Seasonal Flower Arranging by Ariella Chezar  (Ten Speed Press)
• The Flower Hunter by Lucy Hunter (Ryland, Peters & Small)
• Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)
• A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote in The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories edited by Jessica Harrison 
• Winter Cabin Cooking by Lizzie Kamenetzky (Ryland, Peters & Small)
• Heart Talk by Cleo Wade (Atria)
• Slow Down and Grow Something by Byron Smith and Tess Robinson (Murdoch)

Download my free guide to creating a wreath HERE  and ideas for other natural decorations HERE. 

To be in with a chance of winning a signed copy of The Flower Hunter by Lucy Hunter and a signed copy of my book Calm Christmas, head over to Instagram @bethkempton. The deadline for entries is 4pm UK time on Friday December 3, 2021. 

Ingredients list for featured recipes:

Salt dough

-       1 cup of plain flour

-       Half a cup of table salt

-       Half a cup of water

French onion soup

Serves 4

-       25g unsalted butter

-       3 tablespoons olive oil

-       1kg large onions, very thinly sliced

-       250ml dry white wine

-       1 litre rich beef stock - or you could replace with vegetable stock for a vegetarian version

-       Freshly grated nutmeg

-       A small handful of fresh thyme sprigs

-       2 fresh bay leaves

-       75ml good quality Madeira

-       1 day old baguette or other crusty bread, cut into slices

-       1 garlic clove

-       150g Comte cheese, grated (or you could use a vegetarian cheese)

-       Sea salt and ground black pepper