Welcome to the December issue of the Bone Garden monthly newsletter! After a brief hiatus in November to recover from the Halloween market season, we're finally back (now in the first week of the month) and we are so happy y'all are here. Get cozy, pour some cocoa, and settle in for some wintry magic. As always, you can scroll straight to the end for shop updates and upcoming events, or read on for a broader look at Yule, a solstice spell to reignite your inner light, some herby gift ideas, and a seasonal Spotify playlist, plus some holiday discounts just for our readers!

Yule & The Winter Solstice | December 21, 2025

WTF is Yule?

Blessed Yuletide, baby! We're back with another deconstruction of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, and this time we're exploring Yule. There's been a popular theory floating around that all of our modern Christmas traditions were actually stolen from ancient pagan festivals like Yule, and though there may be some truth to that idea, the actual origins of both Christmas and the Wiccan Yule are considerably more complex. I have neither the time nor the patience to get into where all of today's Christmas traditions come from (spoiler alert: all over the place!). Instead, let's dive a little deeper into what Yule used to be, what other pagan festivals were going on at the time, and WTF Yule is today.

Yule began as a passage of time, marking the months around the winter solstice for the ancient Norse and Germanic pagans. Traditions surrounding Yule (jól in Old Norse, ġēol in Anglo-Saxon) were, for the most part, significantly darker than today's Yuletide festivities. In our Samhain issue, we discussed how the the Celtic pagans believed the liminality of the autumnal equinox caused a thinning of the veil; Germanic pagans observed a similar thinning as the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, approached. This dark season was marked by sacrifices to Odin (aka Jólnir), oath-making, heavy drinking, and singing to scare off the spirits.

It wasn't until the 9th century that the various versions of the word "Yule" started becoming synonymous with Christmas, evolving into its contemporary use (the word for Christmas in most Scandinavian countries today is either jól or jul, not to mention"Yuletide carols being sung by a choir..."), which has understandably led many to wrongly believe that Yule is just "Ancient Christmas." But if any ancient pagan holiday influenced the evolution of Christmas as we know it now, it was probably the Roman festival, Saturnalia. Saturnalia was an agricultural and fertility festival honoring the god Saturn, held over the course of several days at the end of December. During Saturnalia, everybody got time off work, decorated their homes, feasted, gave gifts, and had a jolly old time! Sounds a little more Christmas-y, no?

The contemporary observation that Christmas may have absorbed some of its traditions from Yule or even Saturnalia totally tracks in a general sense; however, most modern Christmas traditions (Christmas trees, Santa Claus, reindeer) can easily be traced to their respective origins, which are generally much more recent. So much of what we know about ancient pagan celebration is lost to time and the exact ties between Yule, Christmas, Saturnalia, and any other midwinter celebration, ancient or otherwise, are tenuous. There is a lot of information out there being distributed as fact that is really no more than conjecture (not to mention the way Christian nationalists have co-opted their version of Norse history to uphold white supremacy). I left a lot out of this little essay simply because I couldn't find reliable sources to back up what dozens of witchy books and blog posts had to say. Did early Germanic ritual often involve trees and burning fires? Absolutely! Does that mean Christmas trees and yule logs are direct descendants of those ancient traditions? Not really! Most of it stems back to customs that arose in medieval, Christianized Europe, and some of it is even more modern than that.

Ultimately, the most significant thing the ancient pagans may have donated to Christmas is its date on the calendar. I know, I know -- "but Hannah, isn't Christmas Jesus' birthday?" The truth is, we don't know the exact date or even the time of year in which the historical Jesus was born. Depending on their own exegesis of the New Testament, many historians believe he may have been born in the spring, or perhaps the fall, or the 6th of January. What we do know is that Christmas itself wasn't formally celebrated on the 25th until 336 CE, at a time when Christianity was still young and aiming to convert as many pagans as possible. We also know that in the late 3rd century CE, Emperor Aurelian introduced a new holiday, Sol Invictus, dedicated to the cult of the sun god and celebrated on none other than December 25th. It's entirely possible -- plausible, even -- that the decision to place the birth of Christ on December 25th may have been little more than an extremely smart marketing decision by the early Christians. Co-opting the existing festivities of Saturnalia and Sol Invictus softened the blow of leaving paganism behind for those who converted and created room in society for Christmas to eventually overshadow the pagan celebrations altogether.

Of course, Yule is still celebrated today, but it's turned into something else entirely. The Wiccan Yule (that's right, we made it full circle) is a contemporary holiday that coincides with the solstice and draws on many of the (potentially, theoretically) ancient traditions referenced above. Some Wiccans celebrate Yule as the day the Oak King defeats the Holly King, beginning his reign that lasts until the summer solstice, when days start becoming longer once more. This legend is relatively modern, dating back to the 17th or 18th century, but it was inspired by the nature-based Celtic pagans and their beliefs around various trees and their meanings. Many Yule traditions (Yule logs, Yule trees, red and green decor) also look a lot like Christmas traditions -- some see it as a "reclaiming" of Christmas' pagan roots, but as we've established, those roots aren't quite as strong as many believe. For those of us who don't identify as Wiccan, though, there's still plenty to celebrate on the solstice, between the thinning veil and the promise of longer, sunnier days ahead! Whatever you want to call it, this time of year is a powerful time for ritual, divination, and celebration. Keep reading for some solstice suggestions from Erika!

But Hannah! You're Jewish! What about Hanukkah? I know, I know, I'm sorry, this month is very Christmas-centric thanks to all the (sort of) pagan influence, while Hanukkah is its own stand-alone ancient thing. For a witchy approach and some Hanukkah ritual suggestions, I recommend this lovely blog post from Jewitches!

xo, Hannah

Winter Solstice

The word Solstice stems from the Latin word sol ("sun") and sistere ("to stand still"). During the time around the solstice (both the winter and summer), the Sun seems to freeze in the sky as it journeys across it's lowest (Winter) or highest (Summer) peak.

On the Winter Solstice we celebrate the longest night of the year, the ending of the waning season, and the rebirth of the sun. Although the sun shines it's shortest on this day and we may be headed into the thick of the winter season, in actuality (for us in the Northern Hemisphere) Earth begins it's journey back towards the Sun. It only gets brighter from here!

Many cultures around the world have celebrated this time of year for centuries, honoring the returning of the light in the sky. To name a few, in addition to those mentioned above: St. Lucia’s Day, a festival of lights in Scandinavia; Shab-e Yalda or “Yalda night” an Iranian festival to honor the longest night, and Dong Zhi or "Winter Arrives," the Chinese celebration of the winter solstice.

Winter tends to feel like the darkest time -- some of us experience the blues, colors are gray and dreary, and we end up spending most of our time indoors. But picture a snowy mountain on a sunny day. The reflection of the Sun on the snow makes the whole surrounding area ignite with brightness. This soft, white sheet over the Earth bounces light every which way, making the whole world seem alive. So while the days may seem drab and dull, quiet and cold, and lacking the colors of spring, think of the falling of the snow as the sprinkling of new light across the land as the days grow longer and darkness is left behind.

Altar Magick

Things to add to your altar:

bells, yule log
herbs: evergreen, mistletoe, cinnamon, wormwood
crystals: bloodstone, snowflake obsidian, garnet, red jasper
candle colors: red, green, silver, gold, white
deities: the Horned God, Persephone, Dionysus, Ishtar, Odin, Saturn

Ritual Magick

As we prepare for the returning of the Sun, let us also re-ignite and call back power to our inner flame. Grab a white candle (any size will do!). If you don't have access to a candle, find a candle app for your phone, or put on a YouTube video! The white is to signify newness and is reminiscent of the snow you may see during this time of year. Find a quiet place to do your spell work. Ground yourself through some breath work or a moment of meditation, then read the spell aloud.

Shortest day and longest night,
The Sun is on its way
To bless us with its warm return
And keep the cold at bay.
But even in our darkest days
I still remain with sight.
The light above and light within
Are ever burning bright.
I call back power for myself
As light returns this day
A Phoenix rising from the ash
New life from the decay.
A candle white to signify
The rebirth taking place
And so shall I refresh, renew
By slow and steady pace.
As I wish it, so it is.
Above, below, without, within.

xo, Erika

December Spotify Playlist

The first half of this playlist is meditative music that you can use during the ritual above.

The second half is a little wintery, a little cozy, and a lot fiery - bring on the sun!

𝔚𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔖𝔬𝔩𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔠?..

The Solar Plexus • Chakra He...

PREVIEW

Herbal Journal

Disclaimer: I only started studying and working with herbs in earnest last year. My goal for this section of the newsletter is not to teach you herbalism but to share what I'm discovering along the way so we can explore plant medicine together! If you're looking for stronger resources to enhance your herbal knowledge, I recommend doing your own research to find a teacher or herb school that speaks to you -- the teachers I've been learning from lately are Katja and Ryn with Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism; Ayelet Hashachar with Doll Herbalism; Brunem Warshaw with Well Deep Remedies; and Khadija Khansia with Ayni Herb Farm

I've been hard at work this fall crafting some herby holiday gifts and I'm excited to share what I have in mind! If you are my parents, Denny, Liz, Tiv, Shannon, or Caleb, stop reading lol these are for you. Also hi friends :)

Okay here's what I have planned! I'm making Winter Wellness kits to gift for Hanukkah and Christmas. Each one will contain:

-One bottle of sage throat spray

-Horehound lozenges

-A warming winter tea blend

-A hydrating tea blend

-A nervine tincture to keep the winter blues away

-A thyme/oregano steam

-A rue sachet for psychic protection

I'm so excited to put these all together! I'll share more details, pictures, etc. in January when they're all done!

xo, Hannah

Upcoming Events

KRAMPUSNACHT

12/22

We are so excited for this Holiday Horror Market at Balcon, presented by Monstrous NYC and Apocalypse Noir! We'll have the usual witchy goodies, some festive themed pocket altars, and Erika on tarot (duh).

If you're in NYC, swing by -- it's spooky, it's gay, it's festive, and it's FREE!

CHAMPAGNE JAM

12/19 & 12/20

Philly, we're back! The Front Bottoms' annual Champagne Jam is being held at The Fillmore later this month -- if you have tickets, be sure to come early because Erika will be reading tarot at the official pre-show!

Come find us for a free reading and then find us after for the concert, where Hannah will be screaming every word.

And guess what...

Still looking for holiday gifts? Use the code BGNEWS any time before December 20th to get an exclusive 20% off!

You can find all of our regular products and order custom spell kits and pocket altars at our

Etsy shop!

And don't forget to follow us on Instagram at @bonegardenapothecary!

Bone Garden Tarot & Apothecary

✨Bone Garden Monthly Newsletter - December 2025✨