Celebrate the Winter Solstice with Yuletide Cheer

Dec 21, 2021

What is the Winter Solstice?

The Winter Solstice is on Tuesday December 21st at 10:59 EST in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s the shortest day and longest night of 2021. It has many names around the globe including Midwinter, Yule, Longest Night, and Jol. Learn more about different global solstice celebrations here! Celebrate with your loved ones and our list of festive Yuletime traditions on today’s blog.

Did you know:

The word Solstice is based in Latin, combining the word for sun (sol) and word for standing (stit) as in “the sun stands still.”
Ancient Romans celebrated the agricultural god of Saturn at the Midwinter Festival of Saturnalia.
The days get colder following the Winter Solstice, contrary to the fact that the days get longer and it stays lighter each day.
December 25th is the Yuletide celebration, inspired by the Sun Day, where people would burn a tree to celebrate the return of the sun and longer days.
The Winter Solstice in China is celebrated as the Dongzhi Festival, a lucky day when the sun is more active, the past is gone, and hope is on the horizon. Traditional foods consumed are dumplings or glutinous rice balls.

Celebrate The Winter Solstice with These Winter Traditions

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 – 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.

Enjoy some Yuletide “wassail” cocktails! Wassail is a festive warm drink with mulled spices consisting of: 2qts apple cider, 1.5 cups of orange juice, ¾ cup pineapple juice, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. You can also add a splash of Rum or Whisky if you wish!

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 present and how you can connect with your peers, loved ones, and yourself within your own space.

Exchange Nature-Related Gifts with Loved Ones – Yule is a time to celebrate the changing of the seasons as the days grow in length and nights get shorter. Get your loved ones gifts that remind them about the beauty of the world around them! Focus on things made from natural elements, plants for their home, bulbs or seeds to be planted in spring, or perhaps some books about nature or a documentary celebrating Earth! 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!.) They make a gorgeous holiday gathering centerpiece, or temporary ornament for live Christmas trees.
Read a Wintry Theme Book with Family and Friends – You can try “The Mitten” by Jan Brett; “The Winter Solstice” by Ellen Jackson; “The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice” by Carolyn McVickar Edwards; “The Solstice Badger” by Robin McFadden; “The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice” by Wendy Pfefer and Jesse Reisch.