As the Scottish saying goes, the nights are fair drawing in. The long days of
summer give way to the season of long nights. We Orcadians have celebrated the
Winter Solstice, or Yule, since ancient times, because it marks a turning point in
the year and means each day gets longer, until the endless light of the “Simmer
Dim” returns. We do make the most of the winter, celebrating from Guy Fawkes
to Christmas to Hogmanay, with bonfires, fireworks, fun, fairy lights and festive
fellowship to get us through the dark time.
And here in Orkney, there’s the Ba, played on Christmas and New Year’s Day. The town of Kirkwall divides up into two teams, depending on where you were born, called the Uppies and the Doonies, and the aim is to get your team’s “Ba” to your goal first. Main street is the pitch, it’s utter chaos and anything goes! We even created a Ba line of jewellery inspired by this unique tradition that features the striped ball in cufflinks and a necklace.
Christmas is an especially precious time for us, when family from near and far
gathers around a crackling fire to catch up, play games, tell stories, indulge in a
turkey dinner (and a dram or two) and of course, the gifts - opening yours as well
as experiencing the joy of watching your loved ones’ delight as they open that
special gift that you picked out especially for them.
No matter how you celebrate Christmas, we have loads of gift ideas for everyone
on your list, in a range of styles and for every budget. Whether they have
Scottish, Celtic or Viking heritage or simply love beautiful, hand crafted gifts that
will be cherished for a lifetime, we have designs that span so many interests and
symbols.
Think iconic symbols like the Celtic cross and Viking runes. Or gold and silver
jewellery inspired by the flora and fauna of Scotland, like Highland coos, puffins,
Shetland ponies, whales, seabirds, flowers and shells. Or gorgeous collectible
contemporary ranges, all designed by Scottish artisans and created by hand in
our Orkney studio using traditional methods.
For men, we have handsome Celtic and Viking themed jewellery pieces, like kilt
pins, cufflinks, pendants, plus tartan caps, ties and accessories made in Scotland.
For the wee ones, there’s our Peedie Folk range of delicate silver jewellery just
for kids. You can even create a personalised gift set with our range of jewellery collections, including coordinating necklaces, earrings, bangles and charms.
Another favourite Christmas gift idea is one of our gorgeous tartan scarves, serapes or stoles, paired with a Celtic or Viking brooch. Let’s not forget gifts for the Outlander fans in your life, with our line of officially licensed jewellery and tartans. If you are waiting until Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you are just in time, as we offer worldwide shipping, and you can choose free gift-wrap at checkout. Just be sure to order by December 12 so that Santa has time to deliver it by Christmas!
From Steven, Fiona and the entire Aurora Jewellery family, we wish you and
yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!