Peace at Home: Building Rhythms of Rest Before the Holidays

When we think of fall schedules, often the first thing that comes to mind—after pumpkins, apple orchards, and hayrides—is back to school or back to the real work hours and constant cycle of activities after quieter summer days. Summer dog days are for the cooling activities during heat, hygge is a winter phenomena, and spring is the season of bursting with life. Fall would seem to follow spring’s suit with its renewed burst of energy in academics, activities, and appointments. But ought autumnal days to be full of rush from real life into holidays? 

It seems that liturgical living according to the seasons would call us away from that frenzy. After all, the bountiful hustle of late summer harvest traverses through cooler days to the final storing for winter as fallow fields and freezing nights overtake the days of plenty. There is a natural pattern of not only honest industry but also storing up and slowing down. The Church mirrors this change as She contemplates death in the threefold aspect of the Church Militant waiting on earth, the Church Triumphant drawing near from Heaven, and the Church Suffering in the dark of Purgatory seeking release with the commemorations of All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day. The seasons dance in tune with mornings darker and days growing shorter. It’s almost as if we are being invited to a rhythm of intentional letting go and contemplation before the midwinter festivities of Christmas and a New Year arrives. 

The trick is mirroring this in our homes and lifestyles when the modern back-to-school and productive-work-persona threaten to dominate. There are, however, a few simple implementations that can be made to keep our path pointed right.

Intentional Lighting

With darker mornings and evenings, it can be tempting to flick on all the lights in a glaring attempt to override the seasonal shift. Nevertheless, intentional placement and use of warm lamps or real candles with their soft circles of light not only supports the body’s circadian rhythm but sets a gentler and more intimate ambiance for the sacredness of those hours. Extra applause goes to those who seek out beeswax flames as burning beeswax is a natural air purifier.

Daily Quiet

Built in daily times of quiet are a threefold blessing. First, they offer the time for consistent contemplation or Lectio Divina, which are essential to the soul’s development. Secondly, they make sure there are spaces for regrouping and planning ahead to avoid frenzied activity. Finally, structured silence allows space for the brain to simply rest and rejuvenate, which in turn fosters real new growth and creativity. 

Simplifying Decor

In a consumerist society, it is truly easy to get caught up in the yearly fads of cheap centerpieces, garish baubles, and wasteful spending on items that only end up in landfill after a couple seasons’ usage. It’s cute and it’s undeniably fun to shop, but it’s also expensive and exhausting. Another alternative is to give it a year of foraging or homemaking decorations from the seasonal bounty around us—harvest bounty, dried foliage, and creative endeavors from items collected around the home that can be easily disposed of by bonfire or cooking after. Less buying into seasonal commercialism also equals more funding for thoughtful art procurements that will stand the test of time with their class and decorum. 

Reordering

Reordering comes naturally to a creature at the end of a cycle and can take many forms. Fall cleaning to tidy up and reorganize physical belongings before the grip of winter is one option. Another is taking the time to reevaluate the family’s extracurriculars and ridding the schedule of the ones that do not benefit a desired rhythm of life. While it may seem strange to do so partway into a semester (especially thinking of those currently adhering to an academic calendar), awareness of what is overwhelming versus fruitful is often easier seen from pauses in the midst of things, and there is some logic to evaluating before the next semester’s committals are required and before holiday options pop up.

Intentional Meals

Creating a steady expectation around mealtimes is also integral to rest. It can be difficult to have the entire family present for every meal, but sacralizing just one specific meal each day sets a dependable rhythm. Warm, nourishing fall recipes intertwined with family favorite dishes and specific articles such as candles or ornate serving ware or simple cloth napkins reused can all help set the tone and create traditions around mealtime. Ditch any sort of electronic or tech devices in the dining room and come up with ways to encourage conversation. Shared with intentional focus on joy and relaxation together, meals become not only a communal bodily fortification but also a recharging of spirit.

Setting rhythms of rest takes time and often great determination, especially in our American hustle culture. Yet each cup of tea (or coffee) drunk by intimate candlelight on a cool morning with a book in hand lingers long into the day with it’s pervading sense of well-being and quiet fuel. Built into a steady habit, it becomes a peaceful anchor that holds fast even as the holiday bustle commences.