Gifts for Your Favorite Wiccan at Yule (Winter Solstice)

Yule, or the Festival of Winter Solstice, arrives at almost the same time as Christmas, usually around the 21st - 23rd of December. In fact, Yule was the first pagan holiday that was Christianized in 354 CE when Emperor Constantine officially made Christianity the official religion in Rome. During that time, many of the traditional pagan holidays were converted into Christian holidays.

Things that most people take for granted as being symbols of Christmas, were actually pagan symbols first. This includes the Christmas tree, mistletoe, holly, candles, wreaths, pine bough decorations, wassail, caroling, gift giving, and the Yule Log. There is no documentation that Christians decorated their homes using these items or had a Christmas tree before the year 1605 A.D.

Even so, there are many "witches" today who still practice a spiritual pagan religion and one of the oldest is known as Wicca today. Having a friend or family member who practices this religion, it should not be a hardship to celebrate Christmas along with Yuletide. However, what exactly does one get a witch for Yuletide? A family member who is a Wiccan gave me several ideas for Yuletide gift giving.

Because the religion is based on the four elements (earth, wind, water, fire), with the spirit sometimes listed as a fifth one, along with the Earth as a goddess, anything pertaining to that will make a nice gift. Even fantasy items such as dragons and fairies are used by many.

Crystals and some gemstones make wonderful gifts. Ornaments in the shape of the sun, stars, and other pagan symbols are also a way to celebrate your friend or relative. Make a wreath out of natural items such as pine boughs, holly, mistletoe, pinecones, and springs of rosemary. You can add bells, stars, and lights to the wreath also. You may also want to try making handmade ornaments out of pinecones, acorns, small animal ornaments, cinnamon sticks, a decorative piece of bark, and sprigs of holly berries to go on their Yule tree.

Runes and tarot cards are also popular gifts, along with pillar candles in different solid colors such as white, red, black, yellow, pink, blue, and green since there are different reasons for each color. Another great gift idea is to give a set of different herbs including sage, rosemary, saffron, lavender, and lemon grass. Essential oils in scents of rose, juniper, myrrh, cinnamon, patchouli, geranium, tangerine, orange, and citrus would be nice.

Jewelry is another idea and can be something as simple as a pentacle necklace or a trinity knot ring. Symbols representing the moon, sun, stars, and the Tree of Life all make wonderful gifts as wall hangings, rugs, and tapestries. Bells made out of crystal and desktop water fountains make grand gifts. Giving a live pine tree is also a neat gift and will last for years.

Some of the younger witches would also love a tattoo featuring one of their favorite symbols. Giving a gift card to a good tattoo store to cover the cost would be hugely appreciated (and they may even make a special spell for you).

You can even wrap your gift in almost any Christmas wrapping paper with any design, including Santa Claus, bright or earth tone colors, snowflakes, candy canes, and stars - the sky is the limit - (maybe literally). Many cities now have Wiccan or New Age stores or you can order online by searching the Internet using keywords such as Wiccan, witch, New Age, Pagan, and Yule.

Source:

How The Winter Solstice Became Christmas