6 Ways To Add a Little Magick To Your Yule Celebrations

Did you know that decorating a tree during the month of December is actually a Pagan ritual? Here are several ways to celebrate Yule with nature-based materials, handmade incense, and more.

Evergreen trees and branches are typically used during the Winter Solstice/Yule as symbols of life, triumph over death, healing, health, and fertility — especially during the coldest days and longest nights. Over the years, the tree tradition, as well as hanging wreaths and mistletoe, were adopted by modern-day Christians as a way to celebrate Christmas, but its roots still remain, well, distinctly Pagan. 

Yule, celebrated on December 21st (as well as the days before and after too), marks the shortest day of the year, as well as the sun’s return to bring more light in the coming days. It’s a time for celebration, introspection, and feasting with friends and family. It’s a time to get cozy and reflect on the prior year, as well make wishes for the new year to come. Here are a few tips, blends, and tools to help you celebrate Yule this year and add a little warmth and magic to your days. 

Create handmade, nature-based decorations 
Oranges, which symbolize the energy of the sun and health, are especially beautiful when used as Yule decorations. Simply slice a few oranges very thinly and press with a cloth to remove excess juice. Sprinkle the oranges with some salt and pop them in the oven for several hours until they dry out. Once they cool and harden, you can then string them up on thread or twine and hang around your house as Yule decorations. 
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Photo by Tanja Tepavac on Unsplash

Try Enchantments’ Yule Blend
Formulated specifically for Yule, Enchantments’ hand-blend Yule incense and oil is designed for use during the Winter Solstice. It’s a warm, mystical blend with an enchanting scent to bring a little joy to your days and nights. Simply add a teaspoon or tablespoon full of the incense to a fire-safe dish or small cauldron and touch fire to it. You can use it while you decorate the house, meditate, or anytime during the festivities. If you opt for the oil, you can add some of it to a clean, glass spray bottle, fill the rest with water and a touch of alcohol or witch hazel, and use it as a magickal spray. Or wear the oil as you would a perfume during the Winter Solstice. 

Enchantments’ Yule Blend is $15 for a half ounce of oil or $10 for a full ounce of incense, available both in-store and online. Cauldrons can be purchased in two sizes: $30 for a small size or $50 for a medium size (and they should last you a lifetime). 

Take a ritual bath with dried herbs
Add a few drops of cedar oil and pine oil to a small bowl of sea salt (not epson or table salt). Add in a sprig of rosemary and some dried hibiscus flowers (for color). Alternatively, you can steep some elderberries in hot water on the stove and add the liquid to your bath. Draw a hot bath and add in your sea salt blend and add in some coconut milk (if you have it around). 

You can purchase hibiscus flowers for $3.50 per half ounce, as well as elderberries, rosemary ($2 per half ounce), and sea salt at Enchantments, either in-person or online. Note that Enchantments’ herbs are not for ingestion and are for magickal purposes/use only. 
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Photo by Joyce Adams on Unsplash

​Decorate a Yule wreath
Go on a nature walk and bring a small satchel with you. Find evergreen branches (but “ask” the tree before you take it), colorful leaves, pine cones, and berries (or anything that catches your eye for your wreath) and place them in your satchel. When you get home, take some floral wire and wrap them into bunches. Then, wrap the bunches onto a metal wire base or create a grapevine made with flexible twigs and intwine them to hold the circular shape. You can also use eucalyptus branches to make the vine base. Next, use hot glue to add flower embellishments, pine cones, and berries. 

Burn frankincense and myrrh resin
For a cleansing, protective, and purifying blend, mix frankincense and myrrh resin and place into a fire-safe bowl or cauldron. Frankincense invokes solar energy, which is good for the Yule season when welcoming back the light, while myrrh has a lunar energy. When added together, they represent balance between the dark and light, as well as harmony and healing. You can add an instant light charcoal underneath to burn the resin and waft through your house, sprinkling in more resins as the fire burns. 

Myrrh and frankincense tears can both be purchased online or in the store for $4 per half ounce.

Add a little magick to your feasts
Infuse your Yule dinners with a little intention magick! Every herb, spice, and vegetable has a magical association and when coupled with intention while cooking, you can create a beautiful feast that benefits you both physically and spiritually. Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs is a great book to learn more about magickal herbal and food associations, as well as Enchanted Kitchen and Kitchen Witchery. Enchantments also offers a range of books in the brick-and-mortar store, which make for great gifts, too. ​