~ William Shakespeare

Happy Winter Solstice!  Depending on what time zone you live in, the Solstice happens either Wednesday or Thursday.  Here in California, the annual mark of the shortest day of the year occurred Wednesday evening at 9:30 p.m.  For those living south of the equator,  summer and winter are reversed and this time of year brings their longest day.  In fact, locations in the Antarctic Polar Circle receive 24 hours of daylight now.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice represents the quiet season.  It is a time for moving indoors.  It is a time to look inward, both into our homes and into our hearts and minds.  Now is the time for curling up on the couch with a good book or watching an old movie as the wind blows cold and the rain pours down from the clouds outside.  The winter season is also the perfect time for quiet meditation.

Problem is, the start of the winter season coincides with the busy and sometimes downright chaotic holiday season.  It can be tough to find any time or place to quiet the mind when there is so much to do and so many demands on our time and attention.  With all of the to-do lists, social occasions and emotional triggers that the holidays bring, our minds can seem as crowded as a shopping center parking lot on Christmas Eve.  

When too many thoughts are swirling around my head, when the problem is not that I can't hear myself think, but that I can hear nothing but the chaotic conversations of my inner dialog, I know it is time to use an old trick I learned from Samantha Stevens.

When I was a little girl, I would come home from school every day and watch reruns of Bewitched, an old comedy show about Darren Stevens, an regular-guy-type advertising executive and his wife Samantha, who happened to be a witch. Samantha had made a promise to Darren that she would not use her magical skills and try to behave like an everyday housewife, but every once in awhile she cheated and cooked up dinner in a matter of seconds or made the nosey lady across the street disappear.

One of Samantha's best skills was her ability to stop time for a few seconds.  If things got crazy or out of control she would wiggle her nose (the source of her power) and stop everyone and everything in the room in its tracks.  This would give her a few moments of peace and quiet and then she would scrunch her nose up once more and everyone would return to whatever they had been doing.  I like to employ this very method when I need to quiet the noise in my head.

The next time your mind is full of too many chaotic thoughts, simply imagine all of them freezing in place.  Hold that image of the contents of your mind suspended motionless within the space between your ears.  Take a few deep, slow breaths. Take a look around you and become aware of the present moment.  Feel the connection you share with everyone and everything.  Now close your eyes and take a look inside your mind at the frozen images that represent your thoughts. Imagine yourself walking around them, as if in a museum.  The things your thoughts depict are probably not as overwhelming when you realize that you can control the speed and direction of their activity in your mind.

Celebrate the quiet season.  Freeze the hectic activity in your head.  Enjoy some chill time.

~~~~~~~~~

Celebrate the holiday season by whipping up a Candy Cane Semifreddo. Semifreddo is a yummy Italian dessert that is chilled or frozen.  The name means "half frozen" or "partially frozen" but it is totally delicious!  It tastes like a wonderful peppermint ice cream but no ice cream maker is necessary to make this holiday treat.

2/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup of crushed candy cane pieces (8 candy canes or 4oz)

To crush candy canes: place in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin, mallet or heavy jar to crush.

Line two 8" x 4" x 2 1/2" loaf pans with plastic wrap.  Set aside

Whisk the eggs with the sugar in a medium bowl until well-combined and lightened in color.  Over medium heat, warm the milk in a small heavy sauce pan (do not boil).  When the milk just begins to bubble a little, pour the milk very slowly into the egg/sugar mixture, whisking constantly.  Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat slowly until thickened, stirring constantly (mixture will be the consistency of runny pudding).  Let cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extract.  Cover and chill in fridge for a few hours.

Whip the cream to stiff peaks.  Gently fold whipped cream and candy cane pieces into the custard mixture until completely combined.  Pour into plastic-lined loaf pans.  Cover with plastic wrap, then foil.  Freeze at least four hours.

Remove semi-freddo from loaf pan, peel off any plastic wrap and cut into slices.

Makes 10 to 12 servings