Creating Yuletide Family Traditions for the Winter Solstice!

Dec 21, 2022

The winter solstice is fast approaching, and seasonal celebrations like Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah are almost upon us. Today, we’re sharing some yuletide and winter themed treats and traditions you can share with your friends and family!

The Winter Solstice, also known as midwinter, happens when one of the Earth’s poles is at its furthest point of tilt from the sun. Festivals celebrating the occurrence center around celebrating with friends and family and loved ones, enjoying feasts and banquets, lots of singing and dancing, and bonfire fun! It marks the lengthening of days and the shortening of nights, as well. It has many names around the globe including Midwinter, Yule, Longest Night, and Jol. Learn more about different global solstice celebrations here.

Celebrate The Winter Solstice with These Wintertime Traditions and Rituals

Create a Yule Altar – A Yule Altar is created to welcome the return of the sun and the lengthening of the days. To create one, you’ll need golden, silver, or yellow candles to symbolize the sun. Gather items that represent the winter season: pinecones, evergreen branches, pieces of cedarwood. You’ll want to burn some sage or sweetgrass to cleanse the altar with positive intentions.
Burn a Yule Log in the Fireplace or a Fire Pit or queue up a digital one – Historically, Nordic tradition was to burn a whole tree across 12 days leading up to Christmas. Since that’s not exactly sanctioned by apartment management or condo associations (and definitely not feasible for modern hearths) the Yule Log is a popular alternative. If you don’t have a woodburning stove/fireplace in your home, you can always cue up the digital version on Netflix (in regular or birchwood options!) Don’t have a Netflix account? You can always bake and serve a Yule Log cake instead.

Take Some Time to Meditate – Since this is the longest night of the year, set aside some time to meditate and so some soul searching. Reflect on the quiet and peace that blanket the world on snowy evenings. Think about your goals for the upcoming year, and how you can grow as a person and focus on propelling yourself forward towards your goals. Reminisce about the past year, and what you would like to accomplish in the new year as the world begins to thaw and usher in Spring. Focus on being more present instead of “productivity” and how you can connect with your peers, loved ones, and yourself within your own space.

Create Salt-Dough memory ornaments as a family and gift to loved ones – We love making memories together as a family, and that includes creating seasonal Salt Dough ornaments for the tree! Whether you’re using a gluten-free salt dough recipe or the traditional kind of salt dough, it’s a lovely group activity for a cozy weekend at home.

Make some holiday decorations using natural elements: Make some Orange Pomanders with your family. Take small, firm oranges and whole cloves to create this craft. You may use a sharp knife or citrus zester to create patterns on the orange skin (save the peel for your wassail or baking!) Poke the cloves into the orange in pretty patterns (you can use a toothpick or chopstick to pre-make the holes for little ones!