Altar cloth colour: Red.
Candles for" bank of candles" & table: red. Cauldron candle: green. Extra white, red & black candles needed.
Ritual wine/ale: Sweet wine, ale, mead, spiced wine.
Greenery: Pine, Holly, Fir, Ivy, Mistletoe, Bay, Rosemary & any other evergreen you can gather at this time, the whole house should be decked in green. A live Pine or Fir tree should be used as the Yule tree & be dressed in tinsel & ornaments. If it snows in your area use snow in your water bowl.

Drape white sheets over the furniture that has been pushed aside to create ritual space to symbolise snow.

Paint a dead branch gold & hang apples from it. Use red ribbons on cauldrons handle. Hang Rosemary on your Yule tree & add to your ritual bath.

Dress code: Traditional, black. Modern any colour.

Incense & oil: Myrrh, Rosemary, Cloves. Oil used is Rosemary or pine.

Ritual Foods: Vegetable soup. Roast meats. Pickled or curried fish. Dried fruit & nuts, Vegetables & fruits in season. Lentil, bean & potato dishes. Apple, fruit & nut cakes, tarts & biscuits. Gingerbread, Ginger Hot pudding & ginger biscuits. Almond crescent cakes. Yule cake & pudding. Wholewheat bread & Garlic bread. Honey cakes. Pinenuts. Trifles & tipsy cakes. Brandy sauce & custard.

Drinks include: Ale. Beer. Ginger wine & Brandy. Mulled spiced wine. Mead, Sweet wines. Whisky. Apple juice. Berry juice. Ginger beer & ale & fruit & herb teas.

To prepare such a log, obtain a length of natural wood with the bark on. The log will now have to be split so that it can rest on the flat side or flattened enough on one side to keep from rolling. A third method is to nail 2 flat strips of wood to t he base. Once the log is steady & secure drill 3 holes on the top to form holders for your red Yule candles. Decorate with evergreens & red, gold & green ribbons & glitter.

Light your candles at sunset & chant. "MAY THE YULELOG BURN BRIGHTLY, MAY ALL GOOD ENTER HERE, MAY THERE BE WHEAT FOR BREAD, MAY THERE BE CAKES & ALE & WINE & MEAD AS THE WHEEL TURNS EACH YEAR."

Pack away carefully each year, keep the greens to burn on your next Sabbats.

Use long strands of willow & form a large circle. Tie green ribbons for each Nature Rite & red for each Solar Festival. When you have tied all 8 in place insert your Holly, Mistletoe, Pine, Cypress, Fern , Rosemary & ivy. Bells & glass balls may be added. Now bless your Yule wreath & hang on your front door with these words. " Honour be to you Beloved Threshold Guardian, Blessed Be thy name. Welcome all who come in peace this Yuletide. So mote it be."

Let us Pagans not abandon the so called Christmas tree. This tree is of Pagan origin & is known to us as the Yule tree which honoured many Gods in our ancient past. We as Pagans always use a live tree that can later be planted to honour the Gods, never use a plastic tree within circle. Many Gods are associated with trees & we also believe in the dryads or tree spirits called Devas in the East attending our Yule Rite & thus empowering it with their presence. Yule trees are decorated in many ways as we can see below.

Decorate with white popcorn & silver & gold streamers.

Decorate with crystals & place crystal clusters around the base. Take egg white & sugar & paint on the tips of the branches to represent snow.

Decorate with silver & gold ball & glitter.

Decorate with small polished semi- precious stones tied to the branches & scatter around the base, use multi- coloured streamers..

Gild as many different types of seed pods in gold ,silver, bronze & copper & hang from tree, use gold & silver glitter.

The spice tree, take kumquats & pierce them with cloves & hang with strong red thread, then hang the following with red thread, Cinnamon bark, Cassia bark ,Nutmegs & mace. Tie red ribbon around the base.

Hang sea shells from the tree, these can be plain or gilded. Decorate base with river sand, corals & larger shells.

Tie small bags of potpourri to the tree, cover base with moss & dried flowers.

Hang assorted chocolates from tree, add glitter streamers.

Hang moon, star & sun symbols & place gifts around base.

Hang tree with assorted toffees & place tartan ribbon around base.

Hang brass & silver bells on tree & use glitter & lights.

Hang dried & sugared fruit from tree & place green & red Toffee apples around base.

Hang tree with magical symbols such as Ankhs, hearts, equal armed crosses, pentacles, witch balls, [silver balls.] wish bones, snakes, frogs, 4 leaf clovers, fig signs, keys, dragons, cats, miniature broomsticks, wands, small bunches of wheat, acorns, dried herbs tied in bunches, sun symbols, crescent moons, butterfly symbols, Celtic crosses, peace signs, scarabs, & many more.

Decorate tree with gilded acorns or gilded pine cones.

Decorate tree with all sorts of nuts.

Hang as many sugared sweets such as lolly pops, walking sticks & toffee apples. Scatter boiled sweets around base.

Hang blown painted eggs from tree, using protective runes & other symbols.

These are just a few ideas, use your own imagination.

BLESSED BE