- Christmas Cookie Baking Competition in the North Pole
- Santa's Reindeer are Preparing for Christmas Eve!
- Santa Begins the "Naughty or Nice List"
- Beaded Christmas Wreath and Beaded Candy Cane Ornaments
- The Poinsettia
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The Yule Log
The Yule Log, as we have come to know it, is a rather large piece of wood, cylindrical in shape, that is placed inside the fireplace and burned on Christmas Eve (in preparation for Santa’s arrival).
Or, you may know it simply as a little cake that resembles a wooden log!
Either way, they both originated from the same place. Northern Europe. While different regions would make use of the Yule Log in various ways, it was always used as part of Christmas Eve festivities.
More often than not, the Yule Log was bought inside, lit in the hearth, and kept burning from 12 hours to 12 days. Which could be where the 12 days of Christmas idea came from.
During the Yule burning ritual, it was believed that a household would enjoy good luck in one form or another to every member of the home that the warmth of the fire from the Yule Log touched. Normally this mean a life full of health, wealth, and happiness.
It was also considered a tribute to Odin, the Norse god of war, wisdom, and death. And, in Scandinavian culture, the name of Odin was actually Jolnir. It is interesting to note that the first three letters in the aforementioned name was also the name of a popular Solstice festival and when pronounced it sounds like “Yule”.
This tradition finally made its way to England, where the gathering of the Yule Log was an entire family involved event. Family members would venture out into the forest, select a huge tree, chop it down, make one great log from a portion of it, and drag it with ropes back to their home. The log had to be big enough to keep ablaze for 12 days.
It was widely believed that if you participated in the dragging, you would have good luck throughout the following year.
After the log had finished it’s burning cycle, a small bit of it was saved back for lighting next year’s Yule Log. Indeed, some of the ashes from the Yule Log were scattered throughout home owner’s fields to ensure a healthy crop the following year.
What a great tradition! We still keep this going in the Northpole. It is fun and we sure do need the warmth!
Christmas is in 323 days
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