Pagans - what are your Yule traditions?

[SuperBunny]

I'm just being nosey really - I'd love to hear what other people do.

And, how do you deal with christmas?

we celebrate yule by having a big fire and food that goes well with a big fire, and planting spring bulbs in the garden

although am not really a pagan-I don't believe in any mystical stuff. I just think its good to mark the year with celebrations.

Hi, it is the first year ds and I will not be celebrating christmas, I don't see the point and shall be doing it the pagan way.

I have 'borrowed' some lovely ideas from your thread.

avenanap x

I am a bum-biting militant atheist and I enjoy celebrating at midwinter/Xmas in the traditional/secular British way: friends, family, presents, food and drink.
I decorate the house with trees and tinsel and baubles (but no crib/nativity cos it's not relevant to me) and tend to send cards with Season's Greetings on (hey, it's less vulgar for a Brit than 'Happy Holidays').

Having said that, I am rather looking forward to taking DS on a Winter Solstice Tree Walk this year - it was advertised in the local paper as 'come and learn about native trees on the shortest day' which sounds lovely so unless it's pissing down we will go and do that.

Not a pagan - not anything really. I too go for non-religiousy cards, preferring seasonal images - snow, holly that sort of thing.
Being a Scot, where Xmas wasn't celebrated for many years (when my parents were young it was a normal working day) there's rituals around new year. Apart from all the first footing stuff, we've got a couple of things we do. We keep the tree once the celebrations are over, chop the branches off, and let the trunk dry out. Store it for the rest of the year, and then use the logs on the fire at the start of the new year - if you have a real fire that is! Also, as soon as the bells have finished chiming at midnight, we all go to the front door and open it to welcome in the new year. Don't know where these things come from, but they're part of our celebration

Well I'm pagan and you have that wrong

I celebrate Saturnalia the traditional ancient Roman way feasting, merry-making and gift-giving.
If this sounds terribly familiar, before the calendar was changed in 1582 by Pope Gregory, the winter solstice was December 25th. Saturnalia was from Dec. 17-25 , the 25th marked the solstice and the birth of Sol Indiges ( an ancient Roman god).
So I'm working on a big Italian dinner for my friends 😄