Pink Moon Painting: 9th Dec 24

Winter traditions

Mixed-media on card - Pink Moon © Julia Laing 2024

Warmest winter wishes!

I'm kicking things off with some shop news since it's pretty important for us small business owners right now. Then I’ll share some of my favourite things about Christmas Time.

Shop News

Last week I added a few small but vibrant paintings to my shop including Pink Moon (above) and also made digital gift cards available which start at just £10.

With the Royal Mail getting super busy with all the holiday parcels, I’m closing up my shop for a couple of weeks. If you want to place an order, make sure to do it by Tuesday the 10th, and I’ll post everything out the following day! Until then as a special treat, I’ve made shipping free for all orders over £10. Shop here.

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Exhibition News

The most exciting thing that’s happened recently, was hearing that I’ve sold two out of the three paintings I submitted to the 30 x 30 section of the Society of Scottish artists Annual Exhibition - see the two highlighted here with green dots. I feel very encouraged by these sales, and thankful to the art collectors who have chosen to take my work home with them.

Still time to catch the exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh until Wednesday 11th December.

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Hibernation

Now it’s December the days are mainly dull, grey, cold and wet. Honestly, all I want to do is stay in bed until at least April, with a hot water bottle, and an endless supply of mince pies. I want to burrow, listen, half-asleep, to melancholic music, and wake fully rested and alert when the clocks have sprung forward, the daffs are in bloom and the tulips are on their way. It’s so tempting, but somehow, every day I’m resisting that urge to hibernate. Instead, I’ve rearranged the furniture to make way for our plastic Christmas tree, hung decorations and strung fairy lights liberally. There’s tinsel taped to the sideboard and I’m actively anticipating Whamageddon. I have a drawer full of woollies and I’m not afraid to wear them - all at once if necessary, so bring it on, December! Do your worst! I’m ready for you!

Midwinter is less than a fortnight away - I can hardly wait for those two extra minutes of daylight tagged onto each day and then the light returning slowly but surely, day by day. I’m not trying to wish my life away. There’s still a lot to look forward to even before the New Year. Christmas is always lowkey but I have a few favourite rituals like wrapping presents in front of a log fire, listening to Elvis’s Christmas Album, watching old musicals on TV, and of course seeing family, so we can indulge in eating too much cake. Since I stopped drinking a few years ago I like to have a bottle of fake booze, which I drink from a tall 1960s painted glass tumbler to feel a bit fancy. After the overeating, when the cravings for plain food begin I will make homemade lentil soup, which would be my soup of choice if I had to only choose one.

My favourite Christmas film has to be It’s a Wonderful life, which always amazes me and makes me cry. Don’t get me started on Die Hard - I watched it last year after all the debate about its Christmas film status, and wish I hadn’t bothered. For many it’s a classic but it’s not for me!

I always think I’ll do lots of crafting for Christmas but it rarely happens. More often I’m too busy and it takes until mid January before I finish my Christmas projects - that was exactly what happened when I wanted to make a fairy for the top of my tree in 2020. It was nearly February before I actually finished sewing on all those beads and sequins. Every year since, I’ve enjoyed the ritual of placing it on top of the tree and seeing the sequins twinkle in the fairy lights.

Handmade Christmas tree fairy

I’m looking forward to doing these all again this year!

Do you have any rituals that help you through the winter months? I’d love to hear them if you do.