New traditions for Christmas 2020

Wrapping up the year

As we’ve been working on our brilliant exhibition, E A Hornel: From Camera to Canvas, we’ve been thinking a lot about all things Japanese. This next idea was inspired by furoshiki wrapping, a zero-waste alternative to regular wrapping paper.

What you need

• A square piece of fabric

What you do

Any fabric will do for this task – you could use scraps you may have around the house, repurpose something old, or make something new. All you need to do is cut it into a square that’s the right size for your gift. We’ve been poring through all of the gorgeous fabric samples from the Weaver’s Cottage collection for inspiration!

As this is quite hard to describe without pictures, we recommend searching online for the best ways to use furoshiki wrapping to present your gifts. There are lots of methods out there, ranging from the ‘simple yet effective’ to the ‘devilish but decadent’. We’re sure you’ll find the right solution for you!

As furoshiki wraps are not damaged or destroyed during the wrapping and unwrapping process, they can be used year after year. In some households, each person has their own cloth(s) that their presents are wrapped in, year after year. This has the added bonus of making everyone’s presents easy to spot under the tree, so your 2020 Christmas will be zero-conflict as well as zero-waste. If you’d rather your fabrics went on to a new home, you could encourage the recipient to reuse and re-gift!

Festive birdwatching

Have you ever noticed how many birds manage to flap, squawk and flutter their way into the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’? Of course you have. But, did you know that there’s a Scottish version of the much-loved carol that contains – if you can imagine such a thing – even more birds?

What you need

• Binoculars (optional)
• A camera (optional)
• A piece of paper
• A pencil

What you do

First, take a look at the following ditty. The perfectionists among you might like to learn this carol and carry it away, as the song suggests, but you could also jot it down on your piece of paper to keep it handy.

The king sent his lady on the thirteenth Yule day,
Three stalks o’ merry corn,
Three maids a-merry dancing,
Three hinds a-merry hunting,
An Arabian baboon,
Three swans a-merry swimming,
Three ducks a-merry laying,
A bull that was brown,
Three goldspinks,
Three starlings,
A goose that was grey,
Three plovers,
Three partridges,
A pippin go aye;
Wha learns my carol and carries it away?

In this version of the carol, we lose the French hens but they’re replaced with plenty more birds that you’ve a better chance of spotting in Scotland. We’ve never heard of a shop selling tiny, chicken-sized berets, so we’re not even sure it’s possible to distinguish between a French hen and a Scottish one.

‘Spink’ is the Scots word for ‘finch’, so you’re looking for a goldfinch there. A ‘pippin go aye’ is a peacock, so we’ve included this majestic fellow from Hill of Tarvit to give you a head start.

For each bird you spot out in the wild, you get the same amount of points that there are birds in the song (so three for a plover, but only one for a goose). You get an extra five points if you see a real-life peacock, and an extra hundred if you happen to spot an Arabian baboon. Frankly, we hope you don’t. Whatever you see, you can use your paper and pencil to keep score.

While you’re out looking for birds, remember to be quiet and to stick to the paths – that way you’ll keep your boots dry and you won’t disturb any birds which may be nesting on the ground. Keep your distance and try your best to disturb the birds as little as possible.

If you spot any of this yuletide avians at our properties, let us know by using the hashtag #ForTheLoveOfScotland – we’d love to see any photographs you take too.

Socially distanced adventure trail

As you’ll only be able to mix with a maximum of two households during the Christmas period, there may be some people that you won’t get a chance to see. Never fear! This is a game that depends on the players staying apart!

What you need

• 5–10 stones (or more, if you’re feeling ambitious)
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• 2 or more players

What you do

Decorate each stone with a design of your choice. You could go purely decorative, spell out a word across your stones, or paint a question on each one. If you need some ideas, check out the Canna cat trail, or take inspiration from one of the artists represented in our collections – we’d love to see your Margaret Macdonald monoliths and Ramsay rocks!

Once you’ve decorated your stones, distribute them around your local area, a park or any outdoor location of your choice. Your friend then has to walk around and find each one – either collecting photographs of each design, working out the word or message they spell out, or correctly answering the questions.

You could ask your friend to do a similar challenge for you, which you could complete at the same time in a different location. There’s potential for a race to the finish here, if you’re feeling competitive.

Please make sure that you don’t use any glitter, sequins or other plastics when creating your stones – sticking to painted designs will mean that your trail has the added bonus of being environmentally friendly.