Seasonal Natural Decorations

A personal homage

Welcome to my wee corner of Substack. I am a seasonal artist living on the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. I am the custodian of approximately two acres of land that includes a woodland, a meadow and my wee garden. I offer a seasonal book arts project for paid subscribers if you are interested and you can read more about that HERE. Grab a cuppa and lets delve into our relationship with the shifting seasons….

As the festive period approaches I begin to gently gather. The Winter Solstice is the day that I bring the outside in. Leading up to that day you will find me out wandering gently gathering beautiful finds from the natural world that speak to the season. I am particularly mindful of the language of flowers at this time of year and gather ‘with meaning.’ I grow Holly on my land as it offers us domestic happiness and, thus, reminds me of my late grandmother who turned this into an art form. Pine gives us a sense of hope and so is perfect as the wheel of the year turns. I always gather some rosemary which is in flower at this time and gives us a sense of remembrance. It reminds us of those that are no longer with us. My dried hydrangea heads are always a feature on my Christmas Day table as they give us gratitude.

Wreath making is an importance Solstice task and I tend to made ‘everlasting wreaths’ using dried flowers that I dress with fresh ivy over the festive period. Lavender is a big part of my wreath making process as it brings us a sense of calmness and I feel this is vital to hold on at this time of year. I don’t buy into the commercial madness of Christmas, preferring to work with Mother Nature to create a connected time of year that I love, deeply. Dried statice is also always present as it gives us fond memories that are so important as families come together.

So my approach is to weave wee messages into the festive period as a way of communicating what this time of year means to me. I think it is the mum in me that drives this. My children are often all over the world but at Christmas we are often back together again and this is important.

When it comes to the table that is my job. It is a large table made out of recycled wood and sits the six of us well. I dress the centre of the table as we serve ‘off table’ which suits me fine!

Actually, it is debatable whether I dress the table or Mother Nature does it for me. My pine branches are laid down first and then the spaces inbetween are for the dried material such as pine cones, cinnamon sticks and dried orange slices. It really is very simple but most effective. A few tea lights dropped in my pressed flower recycled jam jars and we have a Christmas table.

One final offering. By bringing the outside in at this time of year we feel the energy that the natural world offers us. It grounds our celebrations in what is important to us. We are a family of walkers and spend all year wandering so, at this time of year, we pay homage to just how important the natural world is to us. Come the new year it is all popped into the compost heap to feed the soil just as it should be.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a merry Christmas and a joyful 2025. Sending love,

Fiona x

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