started a new job that has been taking up a lot of my time. I wanted to pop in and ask what each of you may be doing this Yule time. Any new altar set ups?
You may want to re-upload the images, as they still say processing & haven’t come through
I haven’t started setting up anything for Yule, but I do have some ideas for things that I am going to be making around my home. But no idea what I want to do as far as my space or altars yet… guess I should probably start thinking about that! It’s been a while since I have changed my main altar, so it’s time anyway. Now time to think, think, think!
Welcome, @Intentional_Witch- it’s always lovely to hear from you! I hope your new job has been going well
I’m so excited for Yule!
We’ll be making a Yule Log Cake again this year as it was a big hit last year (although I think I ate half of it myself ) and going to see a seasonal light show right before the solstice There are a few seasonal things I want to bake (spice cookies and gingerbread) but other than that I haven’t got much set in stone yet.
Good morning I love your picture you posted! That candle holder has its own special magickal appeal Very pretty!
As of right now, I have zero plans I’m hoping to maybe have a fire in my fire pit, go look at some Christmas lights, bake a cake, etc. But my Solstice celebration tends to get lumped in with my family’s secular celebration of Christmas.
Oh, I may actually hold vigil for the Sun this is something I’ve seen Lora O’Brien talk about doing for the solstice. She holds vigil for the sun, staying awake from sunrise to sunrise on the solstice to honor the return of the Sun. I haven’t thought too much about that. It depends on a lot of things in my household
It’s good to hear from you! I hope your new job is going well
Your plans sounds terrific! If you make the Yule log cake would you please post it. I’ve never seen anything like that.
My Yule time and Winter solstice as combined into baking and decorating. I use silver and white red and green. I love baking cookies and pie at the time. I’ll bake of course a pumpkin but I also love sweet potatoe pie, and I’ll bake an apple crumble crisp with cinnamon. By the winter solstice I’ll have a new journal and vision board setup for the upcoming year.
I’ve got my little tree up but haven’t decorated for real yet. I’ve only just started to spread the glitter around! I like your altar though, it’s real pretty!
Merry meet! I will be having a fairly busy season as I celebrate Yule while also participating in Christmas celebrations with my family - including hosting Christmas Eve dinner for 15 people. The day before I plan on performing a house blessing and I will perform a water saining before the new year. I’m most looking forward to Mother’s Night and celebrating my ancestors as well as a sun vigil on the Solstice.
If you’re interested in learning more about the history and ways to make a yule log, there’s a discussion called Yule Log, Can it Be Any Log? that has some fun pictures of everyone’s logs- both cake yule logs and wooden yule logs
Your celebrations sound absolutely divine- in a very delicious way! Wishing you all the best with your baking and crafting- I hope you enjoy and have fun with it!
Thank you, Jeannie! It did turn out to be pretty tasty- I’ve been counting down the months until it’s take to make it again! I suppose we could make one at any time during the year, but it feels so right at the solstice, like we’re taking part in a special (and yummy!) tradition
Mother’s Night is the first of the twelve nights of Yule. I have found a lot of variations, but in general it is a night to honor our maternal ancestors. Some people also honor goddesses such as Frigga. I will have an altar set up and bake the types of cookies we did growing up (some will be left as an offering).
Ooo… I had never heard this either! Thank you for the information & teaching me & the coven something new to at least some of us!
I’m still thinking of what I should change, add, and what have you to my 2 altar setups. I’m not really sure yet. I have some things I’m making, but still brainstorming the rest.
From what I have read about it, it is generally just a Yuletide tradition. I’ve read about it from people self described as Wiccan, Pagan, and Heathen. Some parts seem to come more from western Germanic traditions, others seem to be from Scandinavia. I like the guide to celebrating the 12 days of Yule by Jenn Campus, but there are a lot of different sites with info about it if that doesn’t resonate with you.
I just checked out their website- it looks like they’ve got a blog with lots of information on the 12 days of Yule! Gonna have to read through it Thank you so much for sharing the recommendation, @charlotte2!
I wish you all the best- have fun with it! The rolling part can be a little tricky, but even if it gets a bit crinkled, the cake still tastes delicious