Yule: 5 Kid-Friendly Ways to Celebrate the Winter Solstice

Hello, my magickal friend, and happy Yuletide season!

Today we’re going to talk about different ways to celebrate the Winter Solstice that are kid-friendly and fun for you too. First, we’ll learn a little bit about Yule, which is another name for the Winter Solstice, and why we celebrate this time of year. 

Many other holidays are celebrated around this time of year as well, from Christmas, to Hanukkah, to Kwanza, to Saturnalia, and many more. Every culture has its own reason to make this season one for celebration. We’re heading into the heart of winter and people need hope and cheer to help get them through the cold time.

What is Yule?

Yule is the Wiccan holiday celebration of the Winter Solstice. This is the celebration of the rebirth of the Sun God. This is the darkest time of the year, so being able to celebrate the light returning to the world and the beginning of the waxing year is important for our spirits to be sustained through the cold of winter. 

Yule is the time of year when the days are shortest and the nights are longest. Wiccans celebrate the time of Yule, the Winter Solstice, Midwinter, and the longest night of the year. This holiday ends the waning year, and after this day, the days start getting longer again. 

Why we celebrate Yule

It’s important to keep in mind why we are celebrating. Often, the meaning of the celebrations during this time of year get lost in the busyness and obligations we get caught up in. This holiday is more than just gifts and holiday parties and year-end bonuses. 

This holiday is about celebrating the togetherness and the return of the light and the hope that will get us through the winter. The gift-giving should be done with thought and generosity, not for greed or consumption. Holiday celebrations should be joyous, not obligatory. We need to model the true meaning of this holiday for the next generation. 

This is a great time of year to introduce kids to the Wiccan celebrations. There is already an air of excitement and merriment so it’s easy to slip in a few lessons on why we celebrate the Yuletide season. Below are a few fun ways to celebrate the Yule holiday that are also fun for kids. 

Making spell ornaments

Making spell ornaments for Yule is a great craft to do with kids. You can take clear plastic fillable ornament bulbs (they should be available at your local craft store during the holiday season) and decorate them. This is a fun way to engage kids’ imaginations. 

You can have the kids think of something that they want to manifest, and let that theme guide their decorations. Then, once they are decorated and set, you can have the kids fill the ornaments with things that will help they manifest what they desire. 

The ornament filling can include herbs, small crystals, colorful paper, images of what they want, bells to call in fairy help, or anything else you can think of to help guide their manifesting. Then, once the ornaments are filled, have them write down their wish on a piece of paper and put it into the ornament. Then, make sure to put the cap back on so the ornaments don’t spill. 

Once the ornaments are complete, then the kids can say a little spell to bring in the manifesting magick. Have them try something like this:

Universe please hear my plea

And bring my Yuletide wish to me

Now by the power of three times three

As I will it, so mote it be!

Then have them sit for a minute and imagine themselves receiving what they want. Once they have a picture in their minds, then have them incorporate their ornament in the holiday decoration. 

Go A-Wassailing

To go “a’wassailing” is to engage in seasonal revelry, usually with feasting, singing, and a good deal of drinking. Gather some friends or family and have some fun with the traditional Yuletide wassail. 

This is where the tradition of caroling came from. Folks would go to the houses of friends and neighbors, entertaining them with songs of the season in exchange for food and drink. The traditional beverage of Yule celebrations was wassail, which is traditionally based with juices and winter spices (and alcohol for adults). 

Here is a recipe for traditional non-alcoholic wassail:

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts apple cider
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• ½ teaspoon whole cloves
• A grating of nutmeg
• Several small apples
• A couple of small mandarins or tangerines
• A small handful of kumquats, raisins, and/or cranberries

Put everything in a pot and simmer gently until the apples’ skins burst. Then serve hot or warm. Enjoy with friends and family with songs and celebration! 

Make a Yule log

Make your Yule log from a sturdy piece of well-seasoned firewood or a piece of dry “found wood” (Do not cut from a live tree!). Before lighting, prepare your log in sacred fashion. Anoint the wood with pine, cedar, or other evergreen oils, concentrating on a “good Yule” and giving thanks for the ways the evergreens endure and the way the wood helps protect us from the cold. 

Feel free to carve or write runic signs, writing, or sigils on the wood’s surface. Written prayers and petitions can be tied to the log with Yule colored ribbons or string. Light your Yule log with ceremony, ideally in a dark room or outside. As the smoke rises, imagine your prayers, petitions, and wishes being sent to the universe in the smoke. 

Please remember to practice fire safety. Make sure your Yule log fire is well contained and that you have a fire extinguisher or other fire prevention equipment on hand, in case of any emergencies. No one wants their holiday ruined because of carelessness. 

Once the Yule log has burned itself out, collect the cooled ash to use in any future fire spells or magick you may do. Make sure this is stored in a special place. Discard any remaining ash before the next Yule holiday. 

Give gifts

Gift-giving is a great way to celebrate the Yuletide season. Whether it’s exchanging presents with loved ones, or participating in a charity like Baskets of Love, the act of gift-giving is good for the soul and a truly generous way to celebrate Yule. 

The important thing to remember with gift-giving is that it should be from the heart, not the desire to get presents. Gift-giving is a symbol of charity and generosity. When you give without expecting reciprocation, then you’re truly embodying the spirit of the holiday. 

With kids, it’s important to explain to them the purpose of gift-giving. Helping them understand the reason we give gifts is going to give them a new perspective on the holiday. By teaching them that giving gifts is about embracing the spirit of generosity and charity, they will be more apt to approach the custom with joy for the act of giving, rather than making it all about what they get. 

Decorating for the Yuletide season

Making you home a festive expression of the Yuletide season is a great way to celebrate the Yule holiday. A lot of the modern day holiday decorations are based on ancient pagan traditions, so make your home as merry and bright as you want. 

One decoration that represents a pagan tradition is the use of evergreen plants in the home. Traditionally, they were used to invoke the energy of eternal life and blessings for survival through the winter months. So hang your evergreens to represent the spirit of eternal life. 

The colors of the season (red, green, white, and gold) are representative of the different aspects of Yule. Red represents the fire of the Yule log and the birth of the Sun God, and green represents all of the evergreen plants and the eternal spirit of the holiday. White is for the snow of the season and gold represents the Sun. You can use these colors in your holiday decorations. 

The use of stockings calls in the spirit of the Santa character, which is loosely based on the stories of St. Nicholas and the ride of Odin, King of the Norse Gods. They journey through the night looking for good children, then they give them gifts in the stockings they had left hanging up to dry in the night. 

These are just some of the few ways that you can use traditional pagan decorations to celebrate the season. Below I’ve provided a simple spell to help you embrace the spirit of Yule. 

A Simple Spell to Call in the Yuletide Spirit

Here is a simple spell to help you call in the Yuletide Spirit, even if it’s not Yule. 

Materials needed:

• Red, green, and white candles
• Lighter or matches

Sit for a moment and envision yourself surrounded by a winter wonderland. Engage all of your senses. Feel the crisp winter air, then smell the delicious scents of baked goods and warm fires. Taste the hot cider and cinnamon. Hear the soft crunch of the snow beneath your feet and the sound of jingle bells in the air. See the bright lights and the winter greenery around you. 

Once you have ensconced yourself in the senses of the season, turn your attention internally. What thoughts do you have about this time of year? How does this season make you feel? Embrace the holiday cheer and joy into your heart. Once you feel your heart lighten, light the red candle and say:

Yuletide fire burning bright

Bring joy to my heart tonight

Let me feel the season’s light

Set my world to turning right

Then light the green candle and say:

Boughs of holly and evergreen

The spirit of Yuletide help me glean

Banish feelings harsh and mean

And help the everlasting spirit to be seen

Finally light the white candle and say:

Spirit clean and bright as snow

Fill me with a Yuletide glow

With your guidance my heart does grow

Your joy and love I’ll always know

Once you’re done, sit for a moment and focus on the burning candles. Feel the Yuletide spirit fill your heart and soul. Anytime you want some Yuletide cheer in your life, then you can light these candles and repeat this spell. 

Until next time, my friend, be well and choose joy! Blessed be!