A Scottish Winter

24 days of books, nature and the art of seasonal living
in Scotland

From the 1ˢᵗ to the 24ᵗʰ of December, a video, an article and a letter each day.

Free. One letter a day from 1 to 24 December. Unsubscribe whenever you wish.

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Scottish literary advent calendar

Three ways into each day

A video

A quiet film to settle into each evening, with the light low, the voice unhurried and long pauses where you can simply look. It is less something to watch than somewhere to rest for a while, with a little of Scotland carried into your room.

An article

The page you can come back to long after December has passed, where each day opens out slowly: the story behind it, the books and places that gave it shape, and the small details that deserve a second look. A companion to read with something warm to drink.

A letter

A letter that arrives each evening, written as to a friend, the kind you might read twice. It holds what the video and the article leave unsaid: a thought, a small personal detail. Every letter is an invitation to conversation, so you’re welcome to reply.

This year I wanted a place that would hold still, so I chose a country and gave it twenty-four days.

Where the usual advent calendar offers a cardboard window each morning, our literary version opens a door each evening onto a piece of Scotland: a book on one day, a recipe on another, a visit to a place worth knowing or an everyday ritual that makes a winter feel generous and comforting. I wanted twenty-four days of discovery at a gentle pace. I would love for you to wander through them with me.

Alexandra

The Daily Advent Letter

Letters for a Scottish winter

If the video is the window and the article is the library, the letter is the chair by the fire where we finally sit down together. Add your email address below and it will be waiting for you every evening from December 1st.

The opening of a letter from last year’s Belgian edition

Free, like the rest of the calendar.

The Sixth Edition

New here? Visit the earlier calendars

A Scottish Winter is the sixth Literary Advent Calendar from The Ritual of Reading. The previous editions are gathered on one page, to explore at your own pace.