Yule: The Last Sabbat or Holiday of the Pagan Year

Yule is the last Sabbat or holiday of the pagan year. It is also the longest night of the year. Decorating for Yule is always fun and I hope you can use some of my ideas in your own home.

Green, red, gold and silver are the colors used for this Sabbat. The scent is of pine, cedar, apple and cinnamon. You can start decorating by going outside and finding pine cones or nuts that are sill on the ground. Those items make great baskets to hang around the house.

Buy or make sachets filled with your favorite scents and then place them everywhere. In drawers, closets, bathrooms, bedrooms, living room and even in your car. Carry the scent of Yule with you . You can make beautiful herbal sachets to hang on your tree or fireplace.

Yule wreaths bring warmth to any home. You can buy these or make your own. I like to use red and green berries, small bows and sometimes dried fruit or potpourri to decorate mine. Wreathes can be placed above any door or in any room. Don't forget to hang mistletoe in your doorways as well.

The Yule log is the most famous of Pagan traditions. Since not every Pagan home has a fireplace some revisions were made so that everyone could have one. Instead of burning the Yule log in your fireplace for 12 days you can instead drill holes in the top of your log and put candles in it. Light the candles for twelve days instead. At the end of the 12 days cut some of the wood off to use to light the candles of next years Yule log. You can decorate your log in all the colors of Yule but make sure nothing can be set on fire. Some even dust their logs with flour to make it look like snow. Its your log so decorate it any want you want.

Bells can be hung just about anywhere as well but make sure to put them on your Yule tree. If they ring its supposed to mean an angel or spirit is present. I wouldn't hang them on doors though because that might get a little annoying every time someone used to door. You could also put them outside on your porch or mailbox.

Sometimes people forget to decorate their mailboxes because they are not inside the house however that doesn't mean we can't make it look pretty as well. Cover it with garland or paint your own Yule scene on the side.