The Winter Solstice—the longest night of the year—just passed us, here in the Northern Hemisphere. This is traditionally a time to honor the season of darkness, and to celebrate the returning of the light. 

While the seasonal glow that often adorns Christmas trees, windows, or entire front yards bedecked in billowing blow-up character displays can instill a feeling of cheer, there is another holiday light display that I especially love that pays homage to the quiet ephemeral beauty of this season: ice lanterns.

A finished ice lantern featuring cedar, pine, and crabapples. (Photo by Heather Rivérun) 

In my family, this unique nature craft is a favorite to make from the Solstice through New Year’s. From the harvesting of the adornments, to the arrangement, to the anticipation of the big reveal, their creation invites you to slow down and appreciate nature’s gifts of the season. 

Where I live, in the northern U.S., evergreens abound. Their greenery and certain small pinecones are excellent additions to these luminous windows into the winter harvest. Pops of color from red winter berries add cheer and interest. Dried flowers can provide a delicate beauty and remind us of the yields from the brighter days that will eventually come once again.

Ice lanterns aglow. (Photo by Heather Rivérun)

The Process

The process for creating the ice lanterns is simple, and is as follows:

• Gather containers
  • Reusing plastic food containers from things like bulk yogurt or hummus work well for the exterior form. Have fun with shapes and sizes. 
  • You’ll also need containers to create an inner cavity that will house the candle. Smaller plastic containers work well for this. 
    • You’ll also need a weight for this inner container, so that it will remain submerged as the exterior form freezes. Rocks work well for this application.

An assembled ice lantern prior to freezing. (Photo by Heather Rivérun)

• Harvest decorations 
  • Grab garden shears or scissors and a basket, and head out to your yard or neighborhood. 
  • Whatever you can find will be fun, but great options include: evergreen trimmings, tiny pinecones, red berries (like holly, crabapple, or wintergreen), dried flowers, and delicate branches (again, red is a fun option here, think dogwood or certain varieties of Japanese maple). 
    • I like to use native plants when possible, as it is a true representation of the season in your area.
    • Note that some dried flowers can tinge the water slightly yellow if too many are used due to the tannins leaching.

Ice lantern featuring pine, cedar, pinecones, and dried hydrangea blooms. (Photo by Heather Rivérun)

• Craft your arrangement
  • Fill the container that will be the form for the ice lantern about 2/3 of the way full with water, adjust as necessary.
  • Place the interior, weighted container inside. If it attempts to float, add more weight and, if needed, dump out a bit of water from the exterior container.
  • Add the natural items you’ve foraged evenly around the container, pushing them down to fully submerge.
    • I’ve found that less is more. An even dispersal of sparse items often lends itself to a delicate and artful outcome. Less added material also helps the lanterns freeze more effectively.
  • Freeze your assembled arrangement—outside if your weather is consistently below freezing, or in the freezer. Try to keep the weighted, interior container centered when you leave your lantern to freeze.

A freshly made ice lantern with holly and evergreen foliage. (Photo by Heather Rivérun)

• Enjoy
  • Once your lantern is completely frozen remove the weights from the inner container and fill with warm water until it releases from the ice. Remove the inner container. 
  • Turn the exterior container upside down over a sink and gently run warm water over it until it releases.
  • Add a votive or tea light candle, light, and watch your work of art come to life. 
    • You can keep these outside or burn inside on a plate to catch the water as it melts.
    • If you’ve made these in advance, keep them in the freezer until the special night when you’re ready to enjoy them.

Lighting up a winter’s night. (Photo by Heather Rivérun)

Welcoming the Light

Ice lanterns are a unique, free, and interactive art project that’s fun for everyone. I’ve made these with my family members of all ages, friends, and by myself. It’s truly a delight to see how they turn out every time. 

One thing I love about this creation is that to make ice lanterns, you don’t have to be an artist—Mother Nature takes care of that. Whether you endeavor to make them a brief addition to your seasonal decor this year, or adopt them as a new tradition, enjoy the process of slowing down, paying attention, and co-creating something with nature—it’s worth celebrating. 

Ice lanterns lighting up the Winter Solstice. (Photo by Heather Rivérun)