A Joyous Yule to All

An annual reminder that not everyone celebrates Christmas, and most of the folks who do celebrate it differently than most of the other folks. I’m a case in point.

We started to migrate away from what’s become a traditional western Christmas at least a decade ago, making the season less about overconsumption of goods, garish displays of supposedly seasonal decorations, and spending money we didn’t really have on presents no one really needed so that it’s more about family, friends, and food.

Not being of a particular faith (or any faith, really, but that’s a subject for another day), we’ve selected Yule as the basis our winter-solstice celebration and adopted or built our own traditions around it.

My roots are a combination of British and northern European. My wife’s are a bit more mixed than that, with branches that spread across more of Europe than just the north. The kids, of course, get both sides of that. We’ve essentially picked and chosen a handful of traditions we like that can be found somewhere in the family tree and shifted our celebration so that it’s spread out more and not just focused on one day.

Yule runs for twelve nights beginning on the winter solstice. We bring a few bits of nature into our home, make some special food, and mostly try to enjoy each other’s company and that of whoever we visit or who visits us. I’d like to think that last piece is the same throughout the year, but life is hectic so I’d certainly be idealizing some things. Yule isn’t about parties, though it’s possible there may be one of those at some point, but about a reminder of the important things during the darkest part of the year.

And at the same time, we remember that there are literally dozens of different celebrations adjacent or semi-adjacent to the winter solstice. Whatever you choose to celebrate, I hope it brings you all the joy and love you need right now. In that spirit, I wish a joyous Yule to all.

Be well, everyone.