Celebrating Christmas/Yule/December Holidays

[crazyms]

This may not be the right forum for this so please feel free to move if needed. I know it's really early but I'm already planning for the holidays this year. We're having a complete change in our holiday traditions starting this year after my grandmother's passing and I'm also wanting to work on some crafts for the holidays so I'm starting early.

I'm looking for ideas for celebrating the holidays. I'm a little undecided on how and what to celebrate though. I've always celebrated Christmas with my family and my kids love it so I want to keep doing it but we're not Christian so it's not a religious holiday for us. I want to start celebrating Yule with the kids but I've never celebrated the holiday before so I'm not sure where to start.

My biggest issue is the two holidays. Does anyone here celebrate Christmas & Yule? How do you do it? Some of the things I've been considering... are gifts done for each? Which one? If you at one time celebrated Christmas and now only do Yule what/if any Christmas traditions do you keep? Is there a Yule tree? Do you talk about St. Nick? Just looking for some ideas and info about how other families deal with this. I don't mind the idea of taking out Christmas and celebrating Yule only for myself but the kids enjoy some of Christmas like the tree, stockings, and Santa. Any thoughts?

[philomom]

Yule is just Norse for "wheel". It literally is the new year beginning at the solstice. It can have many of the same trappings xmas has if you so wish. Evergreens, yule logs, roast beast, mistletoe, gifts for kiddos and bonfires or booze for the grownups.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule

We do a Soup and Solstice party on the 21st each year. No gifts. A tiny decorated potted tree with sun ornaments. Greenery, bonfire, silly songs about the sun and soup and bread for all the neighbors still home at this time. We don't have any "rituals" because we aren't real pagans but we make great fun of the "return of the sun" and ring bells or sing songs. Here's a link, you could pick and choose from many cultures, the winter solstice was very important in agrarian times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Solstice_Celebration

Back to families.. my  parents swore they would indoctrinate my kids to santa and all that even without my consent. So, hubby and I traveled for a few years at xmas time to avoid family. We would visit at non-religious times like July 4th or Labor Day. Then, once the kids were old enough that I felt we had debunked all that we wanted to.. we literally "came home" and started our own traditions. No, we've never done santa. I do do a holiday card each year with a good family photo inside. We have amazing, quiet winter holidays after the 21st when everyone else is still pulling their hair out we are peacefully tucked into our nest making treats or playing games together.