this is wht my friend does for yule with her children and how she explains it.
i think she does a beautiful job!
~~~~~
"We celebrate it as the birthday of the sun- it falls around Dec. 22, on the winter solstice- the birthday of the sun because it is the longest night, and shortest day of the year and then when the sun is "born" that morning the days gradually become longer once again and the nights shorter.
So this has all sorts of symbolic meaning-all of us have taken a journey to the underworld and things have gotten dark for us, and then we emerge into the light, and isn't that a time for celebration?!
The goddess is giving birth to her sun.
here is a quote from Celebrate the Earth:
"Winter Solstice marks a point of dramatic natural change on Earth. This is simultaneously a time of balance and change. From this point on the sun rises earlier and earlier, each time adding a little more of his light and warmth to the cold and silent days of winter. On Yule we honor the Goddess, Mother Earth, for giving birth within her womb during the darkest time of the year from Samhain to Yule, so does she create the light at Winter Solstice."
I love Yule!
The celebration starts on the sunset of the solstice and ends on the sunset of the next day....
It is such a happy, joyous holiday, a celebration of light.
We celebrate it by letting the kids sleep in their clothes, and we will get up early before sunrise, and go to the natural rec park for the sunrise. I am going to bring hot chocolate to keep us toasty (major coffee for me! ) and we make a big deal about how the sun is rising and being born (night before we read the story). And when it does we jump around and holler and celebrate.
Before we leave, we will be stringing a tree with a string of dried berries, pine cones dipped in peanut butter and rolled in birdseed and popcorn,ect. for the wildlife.
If we or the kids are having one of those "off" days, we will simply go into the backyard to witness the birth, and string a tree there for the wildlife.
But its really special to go someplace wild and trek in the early morning snow!
When we come back we walk into a darkened house- in the table as the centerpiece is a big candle (I have rubbed with eo, ect) and pine cones or whatever I decorate around it) and we are all quiet and we light the candle, and this symbolizes the birth of the sun too. I just say something simple as I light it, like "and the goddess gives birth to her son, the sun, and we feel his light all around our hearts today."
We make a big breakfast of banana nut pancakes or waffles with yellow food coloring (tumeric) to symbolize big suns.
During the day, we keep it pretty mellow- I think if you have to many planned activities you can feel pressure. But things to do as a family for options are making yule cookies, when kids are older you can do all sorts of designs like make a cookie rune set or what have you.
Make a snowman in front of a window and make it with edible things for the birds.
This year, Indio is really into birthdays so I will be baking a cake with a candle, and we will sing happy birthday to the sun- that is a real way he can understand the holiday right now I think.
Paper snowflakes, homemade yule tree decorations...
At night a special dinner, and we exchange one present with the only requirement is that it is homemade. I think this year I might make Indio a tape of his favorite songs, and Ben a book with pictures I take of all his favorite things/people.
I love the idea in Celebrating the Great Mother about building a sacred cave with the kids! What a great book!
When the kids are older I want to do stuff like put on a small play about the birth of the sun, and other ideas.....gotta run, kids!
Shawna"
We will also be seeking a HP/HPS for Imbolc/Candlemas on Feb 2, 2002.