Solstice Bundle
Each Solstice Bundle contains all the supplies needed to create your own gathering on the winter solstice, December 21st. This appreciation circle also works well as a New Year's activity.
Order the bundle for yourself or gift them to friends and family.
For years I've been leaving Solstice Bundles on front porches for local friends and neighbors. Seasoned Solsticers often gift these bundles as early holiday presents too.
We've gathered all the necessary materials in a convenient package to be delivered to your door, saving you the hassle of scouring the internet at an already busy time of year.
With everything you need, your family can get right to the most important part, sharing a special time together.
One convenient package includes:
◊ Spiralbound Instruction Booklet ◊
Your step-by-step Solstice Guidebook, bound and printed on high-quality cardstock.
Note: there are three slightly different Instruction Booklets - select the one best suited to your group:
Solstice - Adults and Families with Children (Over 8)
Solstice - Families with Young Children (Under 9)
Solstice - Groups of Two
Note: Save this booklet to use from year to year!
◊ One Box Stockmar Narrow Decorating Wax Sheets (12 colors) ◊
Narrow beeswax sheets in 12 different colors for decorating white pillar candles. These thin, pliable sheets can be cut into different shapes, kneaded or molded and stuck onto paraffin candles.
Each sheet is approx. 8 x 2 inches.
Stockmar have created the highest quality art supplies for over 100 years. Using carefully selected raw materials, Stockmar creates exceptional products that are known for their clarity, brilliant hues and consistentcy. They contain no heavy metals and are non-toxic.
Contains colors: Carmine Red • Vermilion • Orange • Golden Yellow • Green • Blue • Purple • Rust • Black • Pink • Gold • Silver
On Solstice when we focus our attention on this creative process, time slows down and we are brought closer together. For over thirty years this wax has been our go-to medium for symbolically illuminating and illustrating our current lives. This tactile exercise gets to the heart of who we are in this moment in time.
◊ One Tall Red Taper Candle ◊
Premium, rustic, Danish Kiri taper. These 12-inch dripless, unscented, long-burning candles are made of pharmaceutical paraffin wax. Burn time twelve hours, 100% cotton core wick. 7/8 inch diameter, will fit in any standard candle holder.
This candle represents our ancestors. On Solstice, after the white pillar candles are decorated and the lights are turned off, this red singular candle is lit to honor and evoke all the people who loved us into being. Then, the individual white candles are each lit, one by one, from this central flame.
◊ White, Unscented 3' x 3' Pillar Candles ◊
3" x 3" unscented, plain-white pillar candles for decorating. These Stonebriar pillar candles are poured with quality paraffin wax and feature an extended burn time of 40 hours. Each candle comes with a lead-free and 100% cotton wick for a clean, smokefree burn.
This particular size and shape candle makes the perfect canvas for decorating with the Stockmar wax sheets. Your meaningful wax images will easily stick to the sides of these sweet little guys. This shape of candle has been our tried and true for over thirty years.
Note: Every person participating needs a white candle to decorate.
You do not know how much is being held inside until you meet your father's eyes and tell him how much you love him.
Solstice was not a part of my life as a chld. It was introduced as a way to mend some hurt between my dad, myself, and two younger (young adult) siblings. There had been a lot of fighting and friction. Unsaid words and unanswered questions. It was hard to imagine sitting in that circle and speaking our heart's most loving truths.
Look. you're probably saying to yourself: "Yeah, that's great for YOUR family. You don't know MY family. We would never do that." And maybe you're right. But have you ever tried?
The way the solstice process is outlined allows for a gentle entry into vulnerability through a shared craft. Making the candles is so creative and can be done in complete silence. My family did this process with loud music, jokes, and takeout. After the candles are finished, you can focus on talking about each other's candles and what you see in them. It can be as deep as you want. But you will be surprised with how much comes up when you start to vocalize love. There were things said between parent and child that never would have been uttered without this structure to guide us. Will this fix every childhood wound? No, but it will begin to errode the walls. The paths of emotion will wear down over time and practice and become clear paths that you can return to easily without needing a guide.
Yes, it's so scary. But the scariest thing is never trying.
I have peripherally experienced the Solstice Circle for several years in thanks to social media but it wasn't until this last year that we learned that Christine had created bundles so other families could be guided through this beautiful celebration. I've longed to find a deeper, more meaningful tradition to celebrate than the material calendar of holidays. Acknowledging, appreciating, and sharing the gift of the darkest day of the year by filling it with light and love (and food!) has ticked all of my spiritual boxes. This is a tradition I look forward to celebrating year after year and I'm filled with gratitude for the work done to make this possible for other families like mine.
I've been looking for a way to celebrate solstice with my family as I believe it is important to mark and celebrate the changing of the seasons, especially winter. I'm also a mama of two boys, and want to do everything I can to teach them emotional intelligence, and that their emotions are teachers, not things they need to hide of feel shame about. This solstice bundle, so beautifully laid out and beautifully thought out, helped us start an amazing tradition helping us with all the above!
My 3.5 year old was reluctant at first, as new things are hard at this age, however once he got going.. he didn't want to stop! We actually lit the candles and turned off the lights for several nights after solstice per his request:)
I'm so thankful for Christine and her family for all their hard work in creating and organizing these bundles to share with families!
The solstice circle is such a beautiful way to have an evening of intentional, cozy family time. Sitting around by candle light having deep meaningful conversations.
Last year, eager for a way to carve out time and create new traditions away from the bustling of other holidays, I invited my partner to join me for our first Solstice Circle. It was so delightful and special; I knew it could become our special touchstone before Christmas time and New Year’s.
This year we invited my parents to join us and the sweetness increased tenfold! I’m so excited to have brought them into the ceremony and included them in this beautiful practice of recognizing one another’s light.
Everyone participated with such open hearts. It was so meaningful to set aside time and be intentional with one another. I’m sure we’ll make it a tradition for years to come. And I love to see our collection of candles grow!
Growing up my family didn't celebrate the solstice and it actually wasn't until I became an adult that I realized it's something many people do celebrate all over the world in many different ways! My husband though has always paid special attention to this date as he really looks forward to longer and lighter days. When I heard about The Solstice Circle celebration I thought what a perfect tradition to start with our budding family. Having welcomed our first baby into the world earlier this year it felt right to focus on connection and love.
The Solstice tradition is one of my most favorite family traditions, I look forward to this intentional celebration every year with my family. The single night of connection extends into our daily lives, and it is such a beautiful gift. I am unbelievably grateful for this tender tradition that has shaped the communication patterns in our family and brought us all closer to the heart of it all.