Many people celebrate winter by going to local markets, baking holiday sweets, or enjoying a drink by the fire. If you’re seeking a deeper connection with yourself and especially God during this season, here are 10 winter rituals to help you stay mindful, plus guiding wisdom found in Scripture!
The Winter Solstice has been celebrated around the world for centuries and across many cultures. It falls on December 21 (in the northern hemisphere) and is the longest night of the year, marking an official start to winter. This day symbolizes patience, preparedness, new beginnings, gratitude, and hope.
It’s easy to want to stay inside from the cold or resist the natural ebb and flow of seasons; for many people, winter is associated with vitamin deficiencies or winter blues. But today is actually a return of the sun, a celebration of light amid dark to help lift spirits and bring more joy into the season ahead. A change that lends itself well to Advent!
While the sun and daytime often represent Jesus (read about the Summer Solstice here), the moon and nighttime are associated with Mary. With Christmas right around the corner, it’s also special to stay mindful of Mary during this time and the journey leading up to this joyous day. The Advent story begins with Mary saying yes to God, her and Joseph showing obedience and humility following where He’s leading them, even when it was difficult or didn’t make sense.
Most people celebrate Winter Solstice with light and days growing longer, but it’s also a time to be mindful of the moon and stars and all the hidden beauty that shines against the darkness of the night. Too often, it’s easy to brush past current seasons in eager anticipation of what lies ahead. But it’s equally important to take stock of the present moment, finding gratitude for the dark and difficult times, and each step of the journey leading up to here.
Changing seasons are a natural occurrence, offering hope that no matter how stressful life is, or how overwhelming the world becomes, the earth keeps spinning as it has and will continue to do. So let this day be a quiet invitation to turn inward, reflect on how God may be speaking to your heart, and how you can say yes to following Him in your own journey.
Here are 10 wholesome ways to celebrate Winter Solstice as a Christian, and prepare for the new season ahead!
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1. Watch the moon rise
If it’s a clear night then bundle up, grab a hot beverage, and some blankets to spend it outside under the moon and stars. Enjoy the evening in sweet solitude or host a small gathering to stay up and watch the moon rise!
It’s the longest night of the year, so why not savor it by listening to music with loved ones, reflecting on the past year, or sharing hopes and dreams for the future.
2. Share a meal
Make a seasonal meal and dine by candlelight. Some popular food choices:
- Stew with meat, squash, potatoes, winter vegetables
- A charcuterie board (or any whole foods to snack on) such as nuts, berries, grain crackers, root vegetables
- Nut-based flour for bread, muffins, cakes, or cookies
Sharing a meal always has a way of bringing people closer together. If you’re curious about how to cultivate more coziness + connection, checkout this must-have book on all things hygge!
3. Create a playlist
Start a collection of songs inspired by the moon, stars, or nighttime!
4. Have a fireside reflection
Have a fire, outside or in, letting the warmth remind you of Jesus coming to light world and offer us hope. You could even write something down on paper to burn in the fire, watching the flames and hearing the calming crackle as you surrender it over to God.
If an actual fire isn’t possible, you can also make lanterns or put up fairy lights. Any symbol of light to help reflect on your current heart space, things to let go of, or future goals and accomplishments.
5. Make a dream candle
If you’re into creating candles from scratch, why not make a dream candle? Simply engrave a dream, wish, or aspiration onto the candle wick tab before pouring in the wax. You can also create a simple label to fit around the container if you’re not into candle making—just make sure to put the dream on the inside of the label, so it’s hidden 🙂
The idea is, once the candle burns out, your dream is supposed to come true! But as with anything, it’s important to surrender our human wishes to God’s will. Even if your dream doesn’t come true in the time or way you had hoped, it’s a good way to check in after the candle has burned to an end, and assess if anything has changed or ways your faith has grown in the waiting.
6. Decorate with nature
Anything from the natural world helps brighten up the indoors this time of year! Choose from some of these wintry plants to represent the following:
- Holly: friendship, good luck
- Evergreen: immortality, hope
- Oak: wisdom, strength
- Pine (or pinecones): joy, healing
- Mistletoe: peace, happiness
- Birch: new beginnings
7. Give back to nature
Return the favor by hanging fresh slices of apples, oranges, and carrots in a tree for animals to feed on. Or create a natural bird feeder out of a pine cone with peanut butter rolled in bird seed.
If you decorated your Christmas tree with this natural DIY garland, you can also set out strands of leftover popcorn, or “recycle” it outside in the new year once you no longer need holiday decor.
8. Read or write poetry
Read poetry inspired by the moon… or write your very own! Here are some favorite moon quotes to spark inspiration:
The moon was so beautiful that the ocean held up a mirror. Ani Difranco
May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life. Apache Blessing
May God grant you always… a sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering angel so nothing can harm you. Irish Blessing
With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy? Oscar Wilde
As if you were on fire from within, the moon lives in the lining of your skin. Pablo Neruda
I carry the sun in a golden cup, the moon in a silver bag. WB Yeats
If you’re more interested in visual art, pickup this celestial moon sticker in The Beacon Road Etsy shop!
9. Make moon milk
Also known as warmed sweet milk, or a cinnamon bedtime drink, heated moon milk helps calm your system, making it a popular nighttime elixir. Higher fat milk or unsweetened non dairy milk are best to help keep sugar intake down before going to sleep!
To make, heat 1 cup milk over medium high heat. Add 1 tsp honey or syrup, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Whisk to combine or use an electric frother.
Some optional add-ins include 1/8 tsp cardamom, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp turmeric, and a pinch of black pepper.
10. Start a dream journal
Create a dream journal and decorate the margins with celestial imagery—moon phases, stars, and cool colors like blue, purple, or navy, with accents of gold.
Each morning upon waking, write down any details you recall from dreaming. Over time, you can reflect on past entries to see if there are any emerging themes or symbols to pray about further.
Or get instant access to this digital Dream Journal—print it out or use digitally on a tablet!
Bible Verses Inspired by the MOON
- God made two great lights—the brighter light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night. He made the stars also. (Genesis 1:16)
- When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them? You have made them little lower than the angels, and crowned them with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:3-5)
- Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have established the heavenly lights and the sun. (Psalm 74:16)
- I will not take My love from [them], nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter what My lips have uttered… I have sworn by My holiness… it will be established forever like the moon, a faithful witness in the sky. (Psalm 89:30-40)
- He made the moon to mark the seasons… (Psalm 104:19)
- From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, declares the Lord. (Isaiah 66:23)
- It is the Lord who provides… the moon and stars to shine by night, and who stirs the sea into roaring waves. (Jeremiah 31:35)
Scripture Warning Against the Moon
Here are some Bible verses to meditate on just as much (if not more) than the above. God is very clear in Scripture about not placing anyone or anything above Him as our Lord. While having a winter fire, sharing a meal, or being mindful of Mary and the moon aren’t inherently wrong or sinful, these verses help reexamine your intentions before acting on anything if your heart’s not in the right place.
- When you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. (Deuteronomy 4:19-20)
- If I have regarded… the moon moving in splendor, so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high. (Job 23:26-28)
- The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger. (Jeremiah 7:18)
- And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Revelation 21:23)
≫ What other activities help you rest in the Hope that Jesus alone offers?
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