Falling usually around December 21st or 22nd, Yule is the time of year when the Sun enters the astrological sign of Capricorn, moving out of Sagittarius. More importantly, it marks the point when the Sun starts "waxing" or growing stronger, increasing the day light hours. Though it may not feel it in the months of gray and gloom, January, February and March, the Sun is actually ascending in power and light. Many pagan traditions, particularly those of Europe, saw the masculine divine force, the God aspect, as the Sun. On the solstice the Earth, as the Mother Goddess, gives "birth" to the Sun, the light of the world. Over the winter months this young god grows until assuming his responsibilities as her consort. This is the birth of the Sun God. 

Later, as some sects of the Christian religions converted the pagan people through some fairly questionable methods, the one part of pagan culture the "people of the land" would not relinquish to the new faith was their seasonal holidays. The only way they could win over the pagan folk was to incorporate the holidays into the Christian calendar. The birth of Jesus, the Son of God, similar to the Sun God, replaced the traditional meaning of the Winter Solstice. The date was fixed to Dec 25th, though I've heard some scholars feel Jesus' birthday was originally celebrated during the summer, months, until the pagans of northern Europe were converted. I don't think we'll ever know and at this point it no longer matters. The celebration of Christmas replaced the traditions of Yule, but the pagan ways were too ingrained to go far, simply because they are primal, speaking to our instinctual self, and they are fun!  If you have ever decorated a Christmas tree, burned a Yule log or hung mistletoe and holly; you were rekindling your pagan ancestry. The evergreen tree, a symbol of life in the dead of winter, where everything else was barren, is the reminder of the green to come in the spring. It is a promise of new hope to come. The tree is also the axis of the world tree, the bridge between the shamanic spirit worlds, linking humankind to the gods.  Through ceremony the tree would be taken and invited into the home for reverence. Now when trees are a precious and scarce resource, we questions the wisdom of their use for decoration, but to the ancient pagans, the Yule tree was more than decoration, it was spiritual and ceremonial. The world was very different then. Now, modern neo-pagans tied strongly to the environmental movements often encourage others not to cut down trees for the holiday, but to rather use living trees that can later be planted.

Sacred fires of particularly magical woods were burned at many celebrations. Yule was no exception, hence the tradition of the Yule log. Mistletoe, pine and holly are sacred trees from the Celtic Ogham. Ogham is the tree alphabet, a system of symbols used the druids. Some feel it was also a calendar, but the calendar association could be a relatively modern one. But the Ogham symbols were magical, encoded with the power of the trees. Mistletoe was the fruit of the God, born from lightning, believed to grow only on trees struck by lightning. It is believed the druids would harvest this plant near the solstice for ceremonial and magical purposes, cutting it with sickle and never letting it touch the ground. Holly is associated with the dark aspect of the God, banished with the birth of the young king, who was the new Oak King. The Oak King would be defeated once again by his darker half, on the Summer Solstice. The cycle is eternal. 

Now this year, when you decorate for the holidays, regardless of your faith, remember the history of our modern celebrations and practices. Remember you ancient roots, digging deep into the history of Mother Earth. Remember a time when every act was held sacred. Magic and mystery were found in the simplest of tasks, like decorating a tree. Rekindle this magic, this sacredness for yourself. Blessed Be!