Yule Vs. Christmas

"it's the most Wonderful time of the Year!"

Yeah, it's that time of year again, and I'll say it now. I am a Grinch, a Scrooge, A.K.A. a person who does not love Christmas as much as everyone else.

Before I get into the Yule Vs. Christmas topic, I just want to start with a disclosure; This discussion comes from my point of view as a person who was raised Christian and now follows the Neo-Pagan path of Wicca. Many people in my life currently discuss the roots of Christmas and it's links to the original pagan holiday Yule. I do not 'hate' Christianity, but it is a belief system I no longer observe, so I will be critiquing it, if that will upset you, please feel free to ignore this post.

Now, onto the 'debate'. You have most likely heard the traditional sayings like; 'Keep the 'Christ' in Christmas!" and "Jesus is the Reason for the Season!"

I am sure that they are fun to put on socks, but that isn't the true origin of Christmas.

The early term Yule originally derived from the Germanic 'jōl ' or the Anglo-Saxon 'geōl ' which referred to the feast of the Winter Solstice.

If one wishes to celebrate Christmas in the 'Christ like' fashion, they should consider removing items of pagan tradition; Yule Tree, the evergreen trees symbolizing a return of life and light. Mistletoe, used as a powerful healing totem to restore the weary hearts and minds of the house from the long cold winter.

This isn't to say that Christmas can't be linked to the birth of Christ, and I do think that its possible his birth was near the same time, but I personally think it would be more a coincidence or happenstance due to the shifting of calendars and times while humans still worked out the idea of time.

I was raised Christian and I remember Christmas fondly, but I do think that the idea has been thoroughly worn out. Gift giving is supposed to symbolize the gifts that the three wise men gave Jesus, or that's what your christian parents tell you. The notion of giving gifts was once even older than domestic Christianity!

Young men would 'wassail' from home to home and demand handouts from the gentry, this was seen as a a necessary exchange between social classes.

My point here being, celebrate the holiday as you wish! Just consider the 'Reason for the Season' and how it may not be what you think!