Navigating through this darker season isn't exactly my cup of tea. By 6 pm, it feels like midnight, and I find myself eyeing the clock, contemplating if it's too early to call it a night. Sound familiar?
Yet, in the midst of this darkness, there's an undeniable invitation to slow down, to savour the hushed beauty that this season brings.
Nature, with its silent wisdom, encourages us to connect and embrace the gentle dance of life's rhythms.
As the Winter Solstice approaches this Thursday, the sun will gracefully embark on its shortest journey across the sky. It's a poignant reminder from nature about life's cyclical nature, urging us to harmonize with the ebb and flow of the seasons.
With this incredibly mild weather we’ve been having it’s hard to believe it’s also the first day of winter.
Here on the farm, we'll be celebrating the winter solstice by crafting and lighting our handcrafted ice lanterns.
Creating these stunning lanterns is remarkably simple. All you need are plastic containers or tin cans, water, natural sprigs of greenery, berries, and tea lights or candles.
These ice lanterns will add a magical touch to any winter evening over the holidays
Here's how to make your own ice lantern:
- Begin by scouring your recycling bin for containers, opting for larger ones like tomato cans and smaller ones like soup, pop cans, or ice cream containers. Clean them thoroughly.
- Look for containers that nestle together, leaving a space between them for the lantern. Introduce a smaller weighted can (rocks work great or ice cubes) in the middle to create room for the candle.
- Pour water slowly into the gap between the two containers.
- Enhance your creation by adding sprigs of greenery, berries, fruits, cranberries, teeny pinecones, or any other treasures you find.
- Carefully place the assembled lantern in the freezer or outside overnight if the temperature is low enough.
- Once frozen, reveal your beautiful lantern by removing the ice from your makeshift mold—those recycled cans.
- Extract the rocks from the smaller inside container and run warm water around the outside of the can and the bottom. If necessary, fill the inside can with very warm water and empty it out to help release the inside mold..
- With the inside can free, run warm water around the outside container until it releases. Gently pull the lantern out of the can.
- Admire the beauty you've just created and place your ice lantern on a fireproof surface that can catch water.
- Insert a tea light inside the lantern and light it. Even indoors, these lanterns can last an evening; outdoors, in cold weather, you can relight them for several days.
A word of caution: crafting these lanterns can be addictive. Once you've made one, you'll likely find yourself eager to create more. Experiment with different-sized containers—the possibilities are endless.
Crafting these simple yet beautiful ice lanterns is a really fun way to connect with nature and usher beauty and light into our lives.
You can watch a how to video here
Now, go —make some ice lanterns; you'll be glad you did!