How We Celebrate Yuletide // Winter Solstice
What is Yule?
Yule is an indigenous winter festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples, but celebrated by many cultures. It is a midwinter celebration centered around winter solstice, the halfway point of the winter season. Since the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, we begin to see more and more light in the coming in the coming days. The celebration of Yule is one of the oldest winter traditions in the world.
Later, when Christianity came to the British Isles, Christians adopted aspect of the festivities into a celebration of the birth of Christ, also known as Christmas.
How we celebrate
Welcoming The morning Sun
Given that the solstice is all about the return of light and spending time in nature, we love to start our morning with a sunrise if we have one! Winter sunrises are just a beautiful way to start the day too. As our days will see more light, we will be able to spend plenty of days enjoying the sun and our snow! Traditionally, bells are rung to welcome the sun as it rises. If you had a fire going to keep you warm, it is traditionally left to burn down as the sun rises as will. The fire was holding space for the sun, and as the sun rises, it becomes the fire. After the sun has risen, a simple ritual or meditation to honor the returning light would be a wonderful way to express gratitude for new beginnings.
After our morning routine, I like to fill our day with winter activities and crafts. These have become increasingly fun as our children get older. I remember doing holiday crafts with my grandparents. I think the importance of closeness and crafting surpasses the mere act of gift-giving during this season. The act of crafting together can also enhance family bonds, as shared laughter, conversation, and collaboration create lasting memories that will be treasured for years to come. Ultimately, prioritizing closeness and crafting over purely gift-giving ensures that the true spirit of Christmas is celebrated and that our relationships are nurtured in meaningful ways. We do this in a variety of ways throughout the season, but some of our favorites during the solstice are:
Frozen sun catchers
Bird feeders
Making outdoor lanterns or tissue paper jar lanterns
Making twig stars or ornaments
Decorating outdoor trees
Afternoon
Around lunch time, we always take an afternoon walk. During winter solstice, however, I like to make our walks a little special by practicing mindfulness, having a scavenger hunt, or visiting a new trail. I also like to use this as an opportunity to forage any items we made need for crafts or recipes today. If the Solstice falls on the weekend, we may even go for a lantern lit walk after dinner. We usually make slow-cooker meals in the winter. But if not, then we will all make dinner as a family after our walk. If you want to embrace the spirit of giving by exchanging handmade or thoughtful gifts, now would be the perfect time for that! Consider incorporating elements of nature, such as a handcrafted ornament, homemade herbal teas, or other various ways to add a personal touch to the presents.
Evening
After dinner, we enjoy ending our night with more light inspired activities. This will be the first year making a Waldorf solstice spiral! I’ve always wanted to make one in years prior, but we never had snow. I know snow isn’t a requirement, but I personally feel like it isn’t truly winter solstice without it. We usually do an activity as a family, such as a puzzle, game, or watching something together by the fireplace to end our night. I would like to add a campfire in future nights too, but we have to end our nights indoors to get our toddler in bed for now.
Other traditional evening activities could include lighting a Yule log. Ignite a Yule log in the fireplace or bonfire outdoors to symbolize the triumph of light over darkness. As the log burns, you can reflect on the past year’s challenges and achievements, set intentions for the coming year, sing songs, and share stories. Engage in activities that emphasize the importance of community, storytelling, and the preservation of cultural heritage. Another hygge way to end the night would be to adorn the home in candles. A candlelight ritual is a traditional way to end the night and symbolize the returning of light and warmth.
What we eat
We’ve made many Yule inspired meals over the years and I didn’t realize how different each one was until I looked back through my pictures. We like to include the typical elements of a yule feast: bread, a form of meat, winter vegetables, and, of course, dessert!
Over the years we’ve made:
Tenderloin, green beans, & rolls
Slow Cooker roast, veggies, & rolls
Split pea & ham soup
Coconut lentil curry, rice, & naan
While dinner is cooking, we love to set the table together as a family. I like to bring in various greenery from our surrounding areas, baked pinecones to decorate the table, our dried oranges, and candles.
Of course, you could take a more traditional approach with your treat options. Filling the kitchen with freshly baked gingerbread will add a sense of coziness! Warm spiced cider or mulled wine with a hearty fruitcake will add a touch of decadence to the festivities. Traditional Nordic treats could even make their way to the table, such as Saffron Buns, ebelskive pancakes, or honey hearts. Whichever foods you decide to bring to the table, they should bring the family together with a sense of hygge: closeness and coziness.
Our typical dessert is the traditional Buche De Noel! It’s such a complicated cake to make and takes a lot of time, but it’s one of our favorite ways to spend time together. Unfortunately, we missed getting pictures of some of our cakes. One year we made a birch version, the next year we did a chocolate, and one year my mother bought a beautiful poinsettia one. This year, it will be a white cake with pretzel trees!
Your winter solstice celebration doesn’t have to involve anything crazy, as long as you include nature and light! There are so many different ways to celebrate, too.
How do you celebrate the winter solstice?