Celebrating Yule - 20 - 23 December

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Yule is the time of Year with the shortest day, meaning that the days will start to get longer and the we can celebrate the sun reemerging. Many of the traditions for Yule link in with those of Christmas and I often hear Pagans who hate Christmas because of this. There is no reason why the holidays can’t be shared and blended together, especially if you are celebrating with those who like to follow Christmas traditions. There is no right or wrong way to celebrate your faith, it is your life and it is personal to you so celebrate In whatever way works for you. 

- Feasting

- Yule log 

- Wassailing

- Gift giving 

Once again a Wiccan tradition involving food. It seems like every other week we are celebrating something with food, and why not. It is such a great way to bring family and friends together. It’s a way of connecting and sharing, giving our bodies the nutrition it needs to keep doing it’s wonderful things, enabling us to be the best version of ourselves. 

A Yule log is a lovely way to have a part of nature involved in your home and your Yuletide traditions. Find a small log, one that is naturally lying around, please don’t harm any trees, and decorate it with foliage and candles. Use it as a centrepiece during your meal and then afterwards burn it as a symbol of the sun and the renewing of the days. 

Wassailing is traditionally done to bless the apple orchards, drinking, eating, singing and being merry to not only bless the harvest but ward off evil spirits to encourage a fresh harvest. Whilst this is not needed in todays world it is still a fun tradition to uphold to bring you together with friends and family. 

Giving is one of the foundations of wellbeing, it is an excellent way to build bonds and show someone you are thinking about them. It also makes you feel good to give people things that make them happy. The thing is with gift giving is it’s often associated with buying people presents but thinking outside the box you can give people the gift of a kindness, do something good for someone less fortunate, donate to charity or volunteer. Giving doesn’t necessarily mean spending.