We Are Living Among Them
By Anne Mitchell, Chuck Shuman, Suzanne King and Benjamin Kohen | January 2026
December 21 marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. I felt the darkness more than usual. The weight of everything around us — it all felt heavier and more serious than it has previously. The Winter Solstice has been recognized and celebrated for millennia as a time of quiet reflection in the darkness of winter, in anticipation of the return of the light and warmth as the sun begins its journey northward and the days become longer. It is the reason so many of our most important modern family and community holidays occur at this time of year, thanks to the older pagan holidays worshipping the Earth. It seems that Earth is worthy of our celebration as she does create the conditions that allow all life to exist.
The Winter Solstice offers reassurance that the light will return and invites reflection on the year past, gratitude for the coming warmth and a sense of renewal and possibility as the Earth wakes up and grows again. Some of the more modern rituals I grew up with again mirror our older, pagan rituals:
The Yule Log represents the return of the Sun.
Evergreen boughs and Trees symbolizing life when all else appears dead.
Holly and Mistletoe representing protection in the darkness.
Gift giving — honoring and mimicking the Sun’s gift of light and warmth.
Caroling to bless the orchards for providing food throughout the year.
Fascinating to think about.
Until I think about all the holiday celebrations and meals I have shared with family and friends… I stopped participating in the rituals that don’t respect Animals when I fully recognized Animals as equals. My lack of participating in these rituals was, often met with disappointment or ridicule from family and friends. It was, and continues to be, difficult. On the one hand, I want to be part of the human community celebrations and share “good tidings” with fellow humans. I want to be with my family. I want to belong. But how do we wish each other “Peace on Earth” and “Goodwill to Men” while torturing, killing and consuming other Animals? Why aren’t there more of us that recognize that peace on Earth means not harming and killing our Animal kin? This quote by C. David Coats from his book Old McDonald’s Factory Farm explores this idea more fully:
“Isn’t man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife — birds, kangaroos, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice, foxes, and dingoes — by the millions in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the billions and eats them. This in turn kills man by the millions, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative — and fatal — health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year sends out a card praying for ‘Peace on Earth.’” ― C. David Coats
So this year, as I begin actively exploring how to live respectfully with all the Animals and Plants who already call this land home where I now live, the Winter Solstice takes on new meaning. I want to lean into those ancient traditions, reflect on our habits, have gratitude for the Earth and other Animals and believe in and support the Earth’s ability for renewal.
Speaking of renewal, and neighbors helping neighbors — this Pileated Woodpecker lives in the woods near us. He spent quite some time on a Tree just inside the woods recently. Pileated Woodpeckers generally prefer dead wood (snags) over live Trees to find their favorite foods and for living and raising their young. They are huge Birds, about the size of Crows, with black and white bodies and red heads. The hole he created in the tree was impressive. These holes and the cavity he will make to live in this spring will go on to become home to other Animals in the woods. Pileated Woodpeckers only live in a cavity they create once, meaning their old home becomes vacant for someone else to live in the following year. According to Auduban: “Cavity-nesting ducks that can’t excavate their own holes, such as Wood Ducks, rely on these abandoned Pileated Woodpecker cavities to breed.” How wonderful, that he will do the work and eventually another family can have a home.
In addition to the Pileated Woodpecker, Deer also call this land home. This guy rarely comes to the open spaces so this was a special moment. Perhaps he is considering the Winter Solstice and hoping for the additional warmth?
I wonder what these two hear or see or sense? Watching the Animals often reminds me of how lacking my own senses truly are.
With all this in mind, I offer one of the simplest ways to support Earth’s renewal: desist from harming and eat Plants with respect and care. Here are a few wonderful soup recipes for your 2026:
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
This sweet and savory soup was the main part of our Christmas Eve meal this year.
Ingredients
1 Butternut Squash (2-3 pounds)
2 TBS Maple syrup
2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
2 Apples, peeled and chopped (or carrots for a slightly different flavor).
1 large Onion, sliced
2 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
3 1/2 cups low-sodium Vegetable broth, divided
1/2 cup full-fat or light Coconut milk (can substitute Almond, Cashew, or Soy milk)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Peel the Butternut Squash and cut into 1″ cubes.
3. To a large mixing bowl, add the Butternut Squash cubes, Maple syrup, Spices, Salt, and Pepper. Toss with a wooden spoon or spatula until all the squash is evenly coated. Then, spread the Squash out on the baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Bake for 30 minutes until the Squash is tender and slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and add to the soup pot.
5. While the Butternut Squash is in the oven, heat a soup pan or dutch oven to medium heat. Add the Onion along with ¼ cup of the Vegetable broth to the pan and cook until the Onions are soft, usually about 5 minutes. Add the Apples and Spices, reduce the heat to medium-low, add another ¼ cup of the Vegetable broth, cover, and let the Veggies cook for 10 minutes or until the Apples and Onions are fully cooked. Stir occasionally.
6. Add the roasted Squash, Vegetable broth, and Coconut milk. Stir until everything is well combined and bring to low-boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let the ingredients simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Use an immersion blender and blend until smooth and creamy. You may use a regular blender but allow the soup to cool a bit before transferring to the blender.
8. Taste, season with Salt and Pepper, and enjoy!
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
This soup is very easy, using pantry staples. And it’s delicious with Cornbread, or tortilla chips.
Ingredients
Water or Vegetable broth to sauté with
1 medium Onion, diced (red, white or yellow)
16 oz Vegetable broth
1 can diced Tomatoes in juice
1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Pumpkin purée (not Pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 can full fat Coconut milk
2 teaspoons Curry
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Salt to taste
Directions
1. Heat a deep pot over medium heat. Add Onion and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add Vegetable broth, Tomatoes, Black Beans and Pumpkin. Stir well and bring to a boil.
3. Turn to low, and stir in Curry powder, Cumin, Salt and Coconut milk. Simmer for 5 minutes, adjust seasonings to taste and serve.
Italian Orzo Spinach Soup
This soup is perfect for getting some extra Greens in.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons water, or Vegetable broth
1 small white Onion, peeled and diced
1 cup diced Carrots
1 cup diced Celery
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
6 cups Vegetable stock
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced Tomatoes
1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) whole Wheat orzo pasta, or other small whole Wheat pasta
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper flakes
4 cups loosely-packed Spinach/Kale or other Greens
Salt and Black pepper
optional: freshly-grated vegan Parmesan cheese for serving (or see Vegan Nut Parmesan recipe below)
Directions
1. Heat water/broth in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add Onion and sauté until soft.
2. Add Carrots, Celery and Garlic and sauté for an additional 10 minutes.
3. Add Vegetable broth, Tomatoes, orzo (pasta), Thyme, Oregano, crushed Red Peppers and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
4. Stir in the Greens and cook for a few minutes until it is bright green and wilted. Taste, and season with Salt and black Pepper as needed.
5. Serve warm, garnished with vegan Parmesan.
Vegan Nut Parmesan
Ingredients
1 cup raw Walnuts or Cashews
4 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
½ tsp Garlic powder
½ tsp Salt
Directions
1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and mix/pulse until a fine meal is achieved.
2. Stores for two months in an airtight container in the refrigerator and is great on lots of soups, bowls, salads, pasta dishes…
Meet the Authors
First and second photos: Chuck Shuman
Third photo: Anne Mitchell
