How to Celebrate Yule With Children

While children tend to enjoy any festivities or holiday, Yule (a traditional name for the winter solstice) is a longstanding favorite. This is an especially important tradition if you're a pagan who doesn't celebrate other religious holidays. It can be very rewarding to find special ways to celebrate Yule with children

Instructions

1. Decorate a Yule tree. Like many aspects of modern Christmas celebrations, evergreen trees have strong links to Yule. Involve children in decorating a tree outside or choosing an indoor tree from a farm. Decorate it with lights and ornaments, or, if you prefer a more natural approach, use a needle and thread to make long garlands of popped corn and cranberries that you can feed to the birds when you're done with your garland.

2. Bake cookies together. Cut-out cookies are particularly fun for kids. Try making gingerbread people or sugar cookies in seasonal shapes such as stars, snowflakes and evergreen trees. Decorate your cookies with colored sugar or piped frosting if you like. Use your cookies for a Yule feast, or share them with friends, family and neighbors.

3. Decide whether you will exchange gifts. Because most of the world is doing it, Yule can be a fun time to participate in this tradition if your family wants to. Remind children of the purpose of giving gifts and avoid excessive materialism by helping children to enjoy giving and receiving handmade gifts or other simple tokens of affection.

4. Discuss the ways this season has been celebrated throughout history and in different parts of the world. Read stories about seasonal deities including Krishna, Isis and Horus, Mithras, Jesus and Mary, and the Oak King. Also talk about the astronomical fact that Yule is the shortest day of the year coupled with the longest night, a day that was traditionally considered to be the turning point when the sun was reborn and the summer began to return.

5. Let older kids stay up all night to while away the dark hours with stories, songs, food and games, and to greet the "newborn" sun in the morning.

Tips & Warnings

• Children who aren't Christian may be confused by the cultural prevalence of Christmas themes in public venues. Discuss how Yule differs from Christmas and let them help decide what traditions your family will observe.