An advent calendar of Winter Folklore

You can BUY your very own set of Winter Folklore Advent cards here in Hannah's Etsy shop.

This time last year I had an 8 week old baby and was in the middle of that crazy newborn period where any sense of day and night is lost. A four hour cycle of feeds, gurgling, sleeping and crying was the rhythm of my life. The clocks had just gone back, which until parenthood had always been 'the good one!'. Another winter lockdown was looming - I was feeling a bit daunted and needed a creative outlet.

The anthropologist in me started to wonder about how other cultures navigate their way through winter, sometimes plunged into even more darkness than the Peak District in December! I started to research and discovered a treasure trove of wonderful customs, traditions and beliefs from around the globe.

Carving vegetables, whistling up at the sky, leaving a colander on your doorstep, looking after a pet log... all of them featured. It confirmed for me that people are resourceful, creative and a little bit brilliantly bonkers. I was also struck by how many of the seasonal traditions which follow life's natural rhythm are focused on nature and loved ones (as well as some slightly mystical creatures!). It really resonated with what so many of us had been shifting our focus towards during this mad time. I wanted a way to share these little stories with people.

I've always been a fan of an advent calendar and perhaps surprisingly it's never been much about the chocolate. My mum once made me one with a big jar of olives - one a day to see me through December! For me it's not about the religious significance either, it's about a small ritual each day that creates a moment of joy and how that can build excitement for the great gathering that is Christmas.

Last Autumn I was really missing people. Some of my dearest and nearest are a good four hours away. I was also really aware that everyone was having a tricky time; the fundamental pillars of our lives had been shaken. Many of my pals also work in either the hospitality, charity or culture sectors. It meant big job changes/losses, relationships in new contexts, empty museums... I wanted to gift them a little curious comfort.

So that's how it started. I wrote the text over a couple of weeks in the precious window of 'me' time, after dinner but before I should really try and bank some sleep. I did the original image research mainly on the night feeds. A global adventure from my breastfeeding sofa bed! And then I got them printed on photo paper, packaged them up and posted them off. Fifteen sets of the makeshift first edition flew out to doormats across the UK.

One of those sets landed with my dear friend Hannah Broadway and her family. We met working together in Bristol at the interactive science centre now known as We the Curious. We immediately got on like a house on fire and over the intervening 15 years have navigated pretty much all the major life events together. Although I did meet her the week after her wedding to Felix so I missed that one! She is a constant source of creative inspiration, comfort and curious conversation for me.

So when Hannah suggested that a 2021 edition should become our first official collaboration, I was totally flattered and definitely on board. I knew that her style would be perfect to animate these little glimpses into lives around the world. Even so, I was and am totally bowled over by what they've become. I love how they are a coherent set but each card has its own unique flavour and spirit. I am so excited for them to be in more people's hands and then adorning mantlepieces this year and then subsequent years, maybe even become a tradition of their own?

And so I find myself one whole trip around the sun later. The clocks went back last night and another winter is beckoning us all. I am so proud of this project. I can't help but grin wildly when I look at the cards. For me they represent lots of what I'd like my other resources to draw upon - joy in the creativity and resilience of people, respect for different cultures and worldviews and little bite-sized bits of inspiration to keep us all keeping on in our own lives. They give me hope.

You can BUY your very own set of Winter Folklore Advent cards here in Hannah's Etsy shop. Maybe you have a pal who finds the winter tough and would like a daily slice of joy? Maybe you have some friends who want to help their kids revel in the best bits of humanity? Maybe you need an idea for that really awkward relative? The calendar is just the ticket.