How to Throw a Winter Solstice Party and Bonfire

The winter solstice is a turning of the tides in Mother Nature’s yearly cycle. Arriving on December 22nd this year, the solstice is a time to celebrate the coming of longer and warmer days, followed by the arrival of spring. On this, the shortest day of the year, be sure to keep warm and light your way.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Warm colored table linen
• Old English drinking songs
• Cinnamon sticks
• Balsamic portabello mushrooms
• Dry firewood, matches and tinder for bonfire and fireplace
• Wassail
• Aged cheddar mashed potatoes
• Votive candles for each guest plus extra for mood lighting
• Oranges and whole cloves for your guests
• Marshmallows and roasting sticks
• Salad greens with garlic-sauteed mushroom vinaigrette
• Orange-spiced tea
• Spiced cider

1. If one is available, light a fire in a fireplace and throw whole cinnamon sticks into the fire. This will provide a wonderful smell that permeates the house.
2. Heat the drinks so that when guests arrive in from the cold, they can choose between spiced tea and cider. When hot, lower the heat of the drinks to low on the stove. Save heating the wassail until after dinner has finished, to drink around the bonfire.
3. Place a lit candle at each setting, or if you are having a buffet, place along the buffet table.
4. Lower the lights in the room so that people can see, but the candles and fireplace provide the majority of the light.
5. Use holly or bundles of twigs to make placeholders or napkin rings that fit in with the theme of a sparse winter bounty.
6. If you have any, play raucous old European drinking songs. The Belgian monks had quite a few, Carmina Burana is one example. If you aren’t sure of where to find this music, use an Internet search engine to look for Irish or English drinking songs.
7. Before serving dinner, invite your guests to spike oranges with numerous cloves. If done properly, this can preserve the orange. It also makes the house smell entirely of cloves and oranges. Guests who participate should also take home their work.
8. Serve fare similar to balsamic portabello mushrooms, served with aged cheddar mashed potatoes and salad greens. Keep the food simple and hearty since not much was available to harvest during the winter months in Medieval Europe. Serve with a wine of your choice.
9. If you choose to, start a bonfire in a safe, rock-lined firepit. This may take a good 20 minutes to accomplish. This would be a good time to start heating the wassail.
10. When the bonfire is finally raging, hand out steaming mugs of wassail and sheet music to a favorite drinking/holiday song, invite your guests to join in drinking and singing around the bonfire.
11. While I don’t think that marshmallows were available to Medieval Europeans, I believe that they would have loved to roast them over a bonfire. Invite your guests to participate in roasting marshmallows.
12. Revel in friends and family during this dark day. Bring a little joy to everyone this night by lighting a fire in their hearts.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can, have one person start the bonfire just before dinner is served so your guests don't have to wait for the bonfire to catch.
• Use as little lighter fluid as possible since you wouldn't want to be breathing the fumes when you roast marshmallows.
• Ask friends and family to bring appropriate music with them. This makes them look forward to contributing to a fun night of food, drink and song.
• Besides letting your guests take home any clove-spiked oranges they created, give them a small votive as a parting gift to remind them of a lovely evening.
• Try to use unscented candles. Some of your guests may have allergies to strong scents.
• As with any fires, keep a fire extinguisher close at hand in case something goes wrong.
• Make sure to blow all of the candles out before you and your guests head outside to the bonfire.