Tomorrow is the summer solstice. The longest day of the year, where the Sun is at its highest point in the sky, and the official start of the summer. In other words, cause for some seriously merry festivities. Historically marked by my dad with a stoic, yet respectful comment and accompanying toast, it has always been a quietly important event in our family, but it is exciting to really celebrate it with my friends and family as an adult. It is traditionally a time to celebrate light and sun, fire and warmth, growth and prosperity, fertility and abundance. And all of those things we hope to mark in a small way tomorrow night, at a dinner party with some friends.  If you don’t have anything planned yet, or even if you do, here are some small ideas to inspire you.

8 Simple Ways to Celebrate The Summer Solstice:

1. Eat outside. A solo date with the setting sun, alfresco dinner picnic with your lover or a party with friends, there is simply no better way to mark the start of summer. A quick supermarket picnic after work will suffice, or an elaborate hand made feast would be wonderful too. My e-book, A Soulful gathering, has dinner styling tips for 2 of 200. Its focus is on making use of what you have! Available here.

2. Gather flowers. Flowers are bursting from hedgerows and gardens, field and forest; especially after all the rain we’ve had in the UK. So get out and pick some to bring indoors, or make some floral crowns.

3. Watch A Mid Summer Nights Dream (I love the one with Anna Friel and Calista Flockhart!). I can’t wait for my next night in to watch this. It’s one of my favourites. Make sure you have lots of flowers and candles around too!

4. Celebrate fire! Fill your home or garden with candles. Fire is an important part of mid summer celebrations. Bonfires are lit to ward off night creatures; both real and imagined, and celebrate the essence of the sun. Candles are a quick and easy way to introduce it, and a floral or citrus scented candle would work very nicely indeed. if you’re lucky enough to be able to light a fire in your garden (safely, of course!) then tomorrow is the perfect opportunity.

5. Take some time to reflect, soak up all of the extra solar energy, and revel in something so much bigger than ourselves. There is something rather life affirming about marking these things; connecting with ol’ mother earth and being humbled by the enormous, mind blowing and magical things she does.

6. Reflect. Think back to the winter solstice. How beautifully you have grown since the last solstice. Allow yourself to be proud of the growth you have experienced. even if you just survived, because that is SO worthy of celebration.

7. Do some solstice journalling. Practice gratitude for the good, the ‘light’ in your life and work. What is abundant and growing in your life right now? Take inspiration from the strong energy of the sun. Where is your strongest energy being directed? Does this need to be redirected anywhere else? Is there anything you would like to leave behind, any stories or beliefs you’d like to burn in a solstice fire- either literal or figurative?

8. Do a mid year review. Now is the perfect time to check in on the goals you made earlier in the year.

My solstice celebrations are starting this evening with dinner with friends and I’m hoping to create a little celebration with my kids tomorrow if I have time! I’ll get their summer books out, cook a meal (which we’ll hopefully eat outside!) and toast some marshmallows over the firepit. Do you plan on celebrating?

P.S if you want more help with putting on a dinner for your loved ones, my ebook, A Soulful gathering has tons of do-able tips!. Available here.