Get Ready! Yule is right around the corner.
I love holiday decorating - as long as it’s fun and easy. I also like when it is inexpensive!
These decorations will bring joy and meaning to your holiday. For those of you in the broom closet - these are perfect because only you will know the true meaning of the decor!
What is Yule?
Yule is the mid-winter holiday that pagans around the world celebrate. During these darkest and often coldest days we, much like our ancestors, long for green plants and sunshine.
Yule's colors are red, green, and gold.
Decorating With Fruit
Apples are the epitome symbol of fertility. They represent the womb and something that is alive and growing. If you are in a tropical region of the world, the orange has the same symbolism.
You can hang red apples right on the tree. They also look very pretty in a glass bowl lined with evergreen branches.
Slice oranges into “wheels” and dry them. Then hang them on your yule tree to represent the solar symbol of Helios.
Read our article on Heliogenna Celebrating the Greek God Helios
A fun decoration project for children and adults is to push whole cloves into a piece of fruit. This helps to preserve the piece of fruit as well as smell delightful. Tie it up with a pretty ribbon and you have yourself a Yule decoration.
2. Pine Cones
Go for a hike and gather some pinecones. (So much more fun than buying at the store, however, that is an option).
Look for evergreen branches that may have fallen and thank the tree for the gift.
Just placing greenery and pinecones around the home brings a festive flavor and delightful scents.
My father made the sleigh below and every year I gather pinecones and mix them with some pretty yule-colored balls. I add some branches around it and it makes a beautiful and sweet-smelling decoration.
Photo by Ame Vanorio
3. Jingle Bells
Did you know Jingle Bells was actually written as a Thanksgiving song? It was written in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont a Unitarian (very liberal church). Listen to the lyrics because Jingle Bells is quite the party song of the day. Fast horse, drink with a lady, amid the snow and laughter!
Bells have been used in pagan cultures for thousands of years. The oldest known bells date back 10,000 years to Neolithic China.
Bells are used in a variety of ways. To call the Gods, help us focus and be attentive during worship, to start or end a ritual, or invoke the four elements.
The bell is feminine and represents air.
Bells on doors offer protection. I found these bells at Dollar Tree - a great deal on a fun Yule decoration. Plus my cats love them.
Bells on a door offer protection from evil spirits. Photo by Ame Vanorio
4. Decorate a Tree for Wildlife
As pagans taking care of nature and the creatures of the earth is just something we do.
Decorate a tree with wholesome foods for the wildlife in your neighborhood.
See our article Celebrate Yule For Pagan Families for some step-by-step guidelines.
This squirrel treat is great for families.
5. Design Your Own Ornaments
Get some clear ornaments and fill them with a variety of things.
Some ideas:
Greenery and tiny pinecones
Herbs and flower petals
Colored ribbons
You can even place ingredients for a spell inside.
6. Walnuts
Gold-colored walnuts were actually a thing in the Victorian Age.
Simply cover some whole shelled walnuts with gold spray paint. Attach a red ribbon and hang. They will be like little suns glistening on your tree.
7. Fragrant Chair Decorations
These bunches of herbs make great decorations to attach to a chair, stair railing, or hang from a tree.
Fresh herbs such as rosemary, sage, marjoram, thyme, and bay leaf make a great long-lasting decor.
You can mix in some greenery and tie the end with a pretty ribbon.
Picture from Midwest Living
8. Pentacle Ribbon
You can make this as small or as large as you have space and supplies. Several years ago I put one on the side of my barn.
Start by drawing a star with chalk. You may wish to use a ruler to assure all your sides are the same length.
Place a screw at each of the five points. Don’t screw it all the way in but leave an inch out to wrap ribbon around.
Take the ribbon and wrap around the screws - just like if you were drawing a star.
9. Norfolk Pine
The Norfolk pine is actually a tropical species and makes a great houseplant. They are widely available during the holiday season.
Just like our ancestors, you may be wanting to enjoy the greens of nature. This plant is a fantastic way to enjoy some living green in the middle of winter.
In addition, you won’t have to dispose of it after the holidays. You can keep enjoying it all year.
My cat Gidget under the Norfolk pine tree. Photo by Ame Vanorio
10. Yule Log
Find or purchase a round log between 4-6 inches in diameter.
Decorate your log by wrapping it in ivy or fir branches.
Yule log wrapped in ivy. Photo by Rosser
Author, Ame Vanorio, is a lifelong pagan who loves to celebrate the winter holidays!
Winter-nights is the first celebration that happens during the Norse or Norrøn winter, culture-wide. Like many of the Winter celebrations, it is one of coming together as a community and boosting the morale of everyone to aid in the survival of winter.