The Calm Christmas Podcast with Beth Kempton

• 🎄🎧Season 5 Episode 1 ✨Do You Hear What I Hear?✨

  The UK’s #1 favourite Christmas podcast is back for a fifth season of cosiness and calm, hosted by bestselling British author Beth Kempton. Here in Episode ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ we begin the new season of the Calm Christmas Podcast in Scotland, with the beautiful words of baker Flora Shedden, owner of Aran Bakery, which perfectly capture what us 'Keepers of Christmas' sense and love about this time of year - the contrast between the cold outdoors and the cosy inside, the warmth we try to bring to our homes, to our communities, the details we notice when we pause long enough to look and listen to what is happening in nature and so on.We will share a hot cuppa and conversations about ease, joy, endings and new beginnings, and much more including:·      Gentle planning·      All about Advent Calendars·      A little bit of poetry·      A lot of love for birds·      A round up of podcast listeners’ favourite Christmas music recommendations·      Our old favourites – Nature, Wellbeing and Traditions Corners·      A viral Christmas poem written for you·      A warming soup recipe courtesy of Flora Shedden·      Get ahead tips·      Some lovely goodies for youWith inspiration from @florashedden @aranbakery Jane Struthers, Christopher Winn, Bing Crosby, The Harry Simeone Chorale, Guinness World Records, @alixklingenberg @fogchaser @angelaferrarofanning @jenchillingsworth @rspca_officialEnjoy!Beth XxLINKS TO LOVELY THINGS· Head to @bethkempton on Instagram for the chance to win our first festive book giveaway of the season, with prizes for you and a friend!· The Alternative Advent Calendar (free, daily from Dec 1) on Instagram @bethkempton· Register for the Winter Writing Sanctuary at dowhatyouloveforlife.com for free (runs Dec 29-Jan 4)  https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/product/winter-writing-sanctuary-2025/· The Greatest Christmas Music Selection Ever at calmchristmas.substack.com BOOKS, WEBSITES ETC MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE· Winter in the Highlands by Flora Shedden· Winter Story by Jill Barklem (with gratitude to the person on Substack Notes who reminded me that the cosy version of my life is very much like a Brambly Hedge mouse)· The Book of Christmas by Jane Struthers· The Book of Christmas by Christopher Winn· Quietly Wild by Alix Klingenberg· Advent Calendar record on Guinness World Records· The Holiday (film)· The Snowman (film)· Do You Hear What I Hear? (music) – Harry Simeone Chorale version | Bing Crosby version· A Simple Carol by Matt Evans @FogChaser (music)· Merlin ID app by Cornell Lab for iPhone | for Android· RSCPA advice for feeding wild birds https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/birds/feeding Ingredients for Flora Shedden’s Roasted Squash and Apple Soup recipe (from Winter in the Highlands by Flora Shedden, published by Quadrille)Note: For the method you can listen to the podcast or find it in Flora’s book Winter in the Highlands (Quadrille) p.16Serves 4-6 butternut squash (about 900g / 2lb), peeled and deseeded, then cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) slices2 eating (dessert) apples (about 250g/9oz), cored and cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) slices1 large onion (about 250g/9ox), cut into wedges4 garlic cloves, peeled bu left whole45g (1 ½ oz) fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped45g (1 ½ fl oz/3 tablespoons) apple cider vinegar10g (1/2 oz) sage leaves1kg (2lb 4 oz) chicken (or vegetable) stockOlive oil, for cookingSea salt and freshly ground black pepperYoghurt, to serveFor the crispy breadcrumb topping50g (2oz/1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs50g (2oz/generous ½ cup) pumpkin seeds10g (1/2 oz) sage leaves, the smaller the better, but if large tear in halfOlive oil, for frying  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit calmchristmas.substack.com

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• 🎄🎧Season 5 Trailer ✨Winterlude✨

  Welcome back friends! This is the trailer for Season 5 of The Calm Christmas Podcast, the UK’s favourite festive podcast hosted by me, author Beth Kempton. Have a listen to this cosy introduction to ‘Season 5: Winterlude’ to discover all the goodness I have in store for you before Episode 1 ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ is released on Thursday November 13.The Calm Christmas Podcast is a hymn to the passage of time in our lives as we acknowledge the closing of the cycle of another year. It is a place for honouring all we have been blessed with and all that we have lost. It is a reminder to tune in to what we really care about, and an invitation to pause in the chaos of the season to notice the departure of autumn and the arrival of the darkest time of the year.Our ancient longing for connection, warmth joy and magic is the song of winter – we hear it in the howling of the wind and the creaking of the trees, in the traditional carols and jaunty pop songs, in the laughter that rings out as we pop a cracker, in the memories that spill out with the baubles, in the single voice filling the cathedral with the sounds of Once in Royal David’s City.This podcast will honour it all, and I hope it will be a good companion throughout the coming season.Season Five ‘Winterlude’ will carry us from early November through to January 1, offering a weekly calling back towards slowness and calm. There will be seasonal stories and recipes, memories and journalling invitations, craft ideas, get ahead tips, wintery words and the sharing of traditions from listeners all around the world. Most of all, there will be companionship, as we, the Keepers of Christmas, settle in each week for a moment of pause and a little bit of festive magic. As the darkness begins to inhale the light, may our gathering be a lantern to guide us through the season and into the new year. Beth XxPS Be sure to subscribe to calmchristmas.substack.com where you will find all of the podcast archives, free wintry essays into your inbox and some lovely festive goodies (including my FREE printable Calm Christmas planner) waiting for you. Find me on Instagram @bethkempton or on Substack @bethkempton RECOMMENDATIONS + REFERENCES:-> FREE registration for the Winter Writing Sanctuary at https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com-> Winterlude by Bob Dylan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM-1X4SjkU4-> FogChaser on Susbtack https://fogchaser.substack.com/-> Subscribe to the Calm Christmas Podcast on iTunes or at https://calmchristmas.substack.com From @BethKempton This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit calmchristmas.substack.com

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• 🎄🎧Season 4 Episode 9 ✨First Light✨

  ✨ Friends, we are here at the threshold of the year, with our final episode of Season 4 of the Calm Christmas Podcast. What an absolute joy it has been to travel through the winter with you again this year. Thank you. I hope this episode sends you into the new year with hope and anticipation for many good things ahead.Episode 9 includes:* ✨Space for dreaming, and peeking through doorways* ✨An invitation to begin the new year with a deep breath, open heart and fresh eyes* ✨Talk of Twelfth Night* ✨Moonpennies, brimstone butterflies and the Wolf Moon of January* ✨The simplest of simple comforting recipes* ✨A series of questions for contemplating legacyWith inspiration from Laura Pashby (Small Stories with Laura Pashby), the Tavistock Local History Association, Down Like Silver, The Simple Things Magazine, Bex Partridge, Lia Leendertz (Lia’s Living Almanac), Emily Silva, Joey Hulin and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.I hope to see you for Season 5 in November 2025. In the meantime, you might enjoy my year-round private writing membership SoulCircle for weekly inspiration throughout the year. You can find out more about it here, and join here (choose ‘Monthly’ to try it out or ‘Annual’ to get two months free.If you have enjoyed Season 4 of the Calm Christmas Podcast, I would be so grateful if you could leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts here or Spotify here. And be sure to subscribe so you get notified when the podcast is back.With so much love for the year ahead,Beth XxDo what you love in 2025. Last chance for my annual gratitude sale!Up to 50% off all my classes in my annual gratitude sale, on here now but ending very soon.Links* A brief history of Twelfth Night by the Tavistock Local History Association * First Light by Down Like Silver* My Substack essay ‘I did an oracle card reading for us, for the year ahead. This is what it said.’ * The Simple Things Magazine January 2021* Bex Partridge @botanical_tales on Instagram* Link to join my private writing community SoulCircle (choose Monthly to try it out or Annual to get two months free * To be notified about details of my upcoming free mini class Write for Love Write for Money, all about the nuts and bolts of Substack, be sure to subscribe to my Substack at bethkempton.substack.com.* Free Calm Christmas Planner (by me!)Referenced books + recommendations* Chasing Fog by Laura Pashby (Simon & Schuster) p.217 * The Almanac 2018 by Lia Leendertz (Gaia) p.2 * Sunrise Gratitude by Emily Silva (Rock Point) p.7 * Kokoro: Japanese wisdom for a life well lived by Beth Kempton (Piatkus) p.185 * Ring Out Wild Bells by Alfred, Lord Tennyson on the Scottish Poetry Library website Ingredients for this week’s recipe* Jacket potatoes* Butter* Sea salt + pepper* Fresh garlic or garlic powderGiveawayThe prize (for you and a friend to enjoy together) includes:- Two personalised, signed copies of my book Wabi Sabi - Two copies of The Meditation Yearbook by Joey Hulin - Two annual memberships to my private writing community SoulCircle To enter head over to my Instagram @bethkempton. Good luck! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit calmchristmas.substack.com

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• 🎄🎧Season 4 Episode 8 ✨Winter Wonderland✨

  ✨ This quiet time between the bookends of the festive season – a time I call the Hush - is a beautiful opportunity to slow down and reflect. January will be here before we know it, after all. So, instead of rushing towards it, let’s meander for a while, giving our minds and hearts a chance to assimilate and process all that’s happened over the past twelve months.Episode 8 includes:* ✨An oracle card for the Hush* ✨A beautiful journalling prompt inspired by the Celtic ‘Omen Days’* ✨Talk of firelight* ✨A wonderful recipe for a Christmas sandwich with sprout slaw* ✨Traditions and stories from listeners all over the world* ✨Some thoughts on New Year’s EveWith inspiration from Denise Linn, Charles Darwin, National Geographic, Felix Bernard, Richard Bernhard Smith, Michael Buble, Jessie J, Kerri ní Dochartaigh, Lisette Cheresson, Andrea Rice, Ruth Allen, Charles Lamb, Nikita Gill and Lauren McDermott.Don’t forget, if you feel like seeking solace in words this winter, don’t miss my Winter Writing Sanctuary which begins TOMORROW (Saturday December 28) and runs until January 5. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can register for FREE here.Wishing you peace and calm during the Hush,Beth XxPS You can also listen on Apple or Spotify.Winter Writing Sanctuary sign up - starts tomorrow!- Register here for free (runs Dec 28-Jan 5 online)Do something different in 2025- Up to 50% off all my writing and personal development classes in my annual gratitude sale, on now here.Links* Darwin’s trip around the world on NationalGeographic.org * Winter Wonderland by Felix Bernard and Richard Bernhard Smith. I do love the Michael Buble version and the Jessie J version is fun * The Omen Days: On witnessing the world by Kerri ni Dochartaigh on Substack * For a host of reflection questions, see the end of my free Calm Christmas PlannerReferenced books + recommendations* The Sacred Forest Oracle by Denise Linn (Hay House) * The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (Bloomsbury) * The Yoga Almanac by Lisette Cheresson and Andrea Rice (New Harbinger) p.245 * Weathering by Ruth Allen (Ebury) p.131 * New Year’s Eve by Charles Lamb * Keep Calm at Christmas (Ebury) * On The First Frost of Winter by Nikita Gill in Cosy Poems edited by Gaby Morgan * Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)Ingredients needed for Lauren McDermott’s ‘Christmas sandwich with sprout slaw’ recipe* Crusty bread* Some raw sprouts* Olive oil* White wine vinegar* ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard* Salt + pepper* Cranberry sauce* Stuffing* Roast turkey* Sliced pigs in blankets* Emmental cheese* Butter* Pot of gravyWatch Lauren making it here.Images: Holly Bobbins / Unsplash This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit calmchristmas.substack.com

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• 🎄🎧Season 4 Episode 7 ✨Let it Snow✨

  ✨As Christmas Eve approaches, let’s pause a moment, sense the hovering magic, and rest in the beauty of the world. This episode is, essentially, me sending you a Christmas wish. I hope you love it, and I wish you whatever kind of Christmas you want and need this year.Episode 7 includes:* ✨The most famous Christmas poem ever written* ✨A glimpse of the ocean from a wild corner of Cornwall* ✨Talk of snowflakes and dreams of snow* ✨Ice fires and memories of years gone by* ✨Christmas Eve traditions from listeners all over the worldWith inspiration from Clement Clarke Moore, Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn, Moya Cannon, Professor Brian Cox, Suzie Dent, Nancy Campbell, Richard Skrein, Dot May Dunn, Sketchbook of Washington Irving and St Nicholas himself.Don’t forget, if you feel like seeking solace in words this winter, don’t miss my Winter Writing Sanctuary which begins on Saturday December 28 and runs until January 5. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can register for FREE here.Sending Christmas blessings your way,Beth Xx08PS You can also listen on Apple or Spotify. And in case you missed it, you might enjoy my wintery essay ‘For the Love of Tiny Things: A short note about small joys, and a little festive puzzle for you.’Winter Writing Sanctuary sign up- Register here for free (runs Dec 28-Jan 5 online)Inspiration sale!- Up to 50% off ALL my classes in my annual gratitude sale, on now here. Ending very soon!Links* A Visit from St Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore * Let it Snow by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn made famous again in the nineties by Boyz II Men featuring Brian McKnight * What can snowflakes tell us about our universe? with Prof Brian Cox on the BBC* Free Calm Christmas Planner (by me!)Referenced books + recommendations* Snow Day by Moya Cannon in Keats Lives by Moya Cannon (Carcanet Press) * Roots of Happiness by Suzie Dent (Puffin) p.12* Fifty Words for Snow by Nancy Campbell (Elliot & Thompson) p.207* Fifty Things to do in Snow by Richard Skrein (Pavilion) p.126* Christmas Around the Village Green by Dot May Dunn (Orion) p.1* Old Christmas, from the Sketchbook of Washington Irving p.72* Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)Images: Holly Bobbins / Unsplash This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit calmchristmas.substack.com

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