In the Bleak Midwinter 2025 - CaLa Joi Ma'at

December 2025 Song Share - Day 7: 'In the Bleak Midwinter', a poem by Christina Rossetti set to music by Gustav Holst (with a nod on the repeat of the lyric 'give my heart' to my secretly preferred setting by Harold Darke 😉🩶). Piano accompaniment by Corrinne May, courtesy of YouTube.

As a child, I walked a Christian path and always adored singing this carol, feeling my soul soar through the lines 'What I can I give Him; Give my heart', filling me with love, humility and compassion.

My spiritual path has evolved some distance away from organised religion and I often rewrite the lyrics of favourite carols and hymns to reflect my reverance for Nature and the Sacred Feminine, but not in this case. Rossetti's poem is SO beautiful, and remains both worldly and hopeful, keeping it relevant to the issues of the day. Poverty, homelessness, giving, compassion, the cost of living and the economic & emotional pressures many feel at this time of year are all present in, and also soothed by, this song.

May we all carry its message of self-acceptance, self-compassion, kindness, simplicity and deep love in our hearts throughout this season of goodwill and on into 2026 💚🕊✨️

#inthebleakmidwinter #christina rossetti #gustavholst #christmascarol #compassion #seasonofgoodwill