Yule Crafts

Make Your Own Yule Ornaments

If you want to bring the spirit of the Yule season into your home, there are few better ways than by making your own holiday ornaments! Monotheistic religions don’t have a monopoly on winter celebrations, so if you’ve got a tree to decorate, you can make some simple ornaments to help you rejoice in the winter solstice season.

Make salt dough decorations in Pagan-friendly shapes like suns, moons, and stars. You can use cinnamon and applesauce to make spell ornaments for healing, prosperity, or love. Want to keep an earth-friendly theme to your Yule decorating? Why not use the elements found in nature as part of your decor? Decorate a pine cone with simple things such as seeds, acorns, feathers, and other found items – all of which are easy to make into ornaments and other decorations. Bend a few chenille stems together to make a simple pipecleaner pentacle, or fill an empty glass ornament with magical items to create a spell bottle that you can hang right there on your Yule tree!

• Cinnamon Stick Bundles – Bundle a few short cinnamon sticks together using a bit of slender ribbon and tie a bow and a loop at the top.  Then glue on little sprigs of holly, pine or dried flowers like rose buds, marigolds or baby’s breath, tucking the stems under the bow.
•  Bay Balls – Take some Bay leaves.  Fresh is best but if all you have is dried, then soak them overnight in warm water to make them pliable (that means you can bend them more easily without breaking them).  The next morning, pat them dry.  Next, take a Styrofoam ball and use Tacky Glue to cover it with bay leaves.  Start at the bottom of the ball and work your way toward the top so they overlap a bit.  Some of the leaves you may have to hold in place while the glue dries so they don’t pop up. Cloves or rosebuds stuck through the leaves into the ball will help hold the leaves in place and look pretty besides.  A very pretty effect is to “dust” your finished ball with a light spray of gold paint.  Pin a pretty loop of ribbon or gold cording to the top to hang it by.
• Pinecone Ornaments – If you have pine trees in your area, collect the fallen cones.  If not, you can buy the cones in a craft store.  Cover the very edges of the pinecone with glue and sprinkle glitter over the glue. It will look like the cones are tipped with frost – very pretty! You can also simply spray paint the cones gold or silver and then immediately sprinkle them all over with iridescent glitter. Pinecones are light enough to just tuck into the tree’s branches or you can glue on a ribbon loop to hang it with or twist a loop of wire around the base.
• Cinnamon Stick Pentagrams – (this project uses hot glue, so parents might wish to help younger children) Soak 5 cinnamon sticks (each about the same length) overnight in warm water.  In the morning, pat them dry and form them into a pentagram. The soaking will make them pliable so that as you overlap them, they will bend more easily.  Hot glue the ends together and then wrap the ends also with twine or raffia and tie it off.  Use extra raffia to create a loop at the top for hanging.
• Yule Sachets – Take about a 4 inch square of lace or fabric (if you’re going for a very “organic”, natural look for your tree, then burlap works well)  In the center, put a tablespoon of Yule sachet mixture,  bring the ends of the fabric up and tie ribbon or twine around the top making a little pouch with the herbal mixture inside.  Tuck a sprig of holly, mistletoe or little birch pinecones into the ribbon. If you can find a rubber stamp at the craft store with a sun, star or moon on it, you can stamp the outside of the fabric with a picture before adding your herbs.
  • Yule Sachet Mixture – 2 parts fragrant pine leaves, 1 part rosemary, 1 part cinnamon, 1 part cloves, 1 part dried orange peel broken into little pieces.   Add a bit of cinnamon oil; stir it up good and let it sit for a few days in a closed jar.

• Pomanders – Tie a loop in a length of ribbon leaving the ends long enough to wrap around a small orange, lime or lemon.  Wrap it around the fruit and then tie it at the bottom.  If you want you can cut the ends off, let them dangle or even add a tassel. Then, poke large cloves all over into the fruit.  You can use a nail, wooden skewer or even an old crochet hook to get the holes started if you want.  Completely cover the fruit with the cloves or create a pattern with some of the fruit showing through.

• Gilded Acorns – Often, when you find acorns on the ground, their little caps have come off.  If that’s the case, then collect both caps and bases.  If not, then remove the caps yourself when you get home.  Paint both halves with spray paint or craft paint using either gold or silver.  Then cut a slender ribbon about 3 inches long and glue each end to the inside of the cap so that it forms a loop.  Then glue the cap back on to the base of the acorn. When it’s done, you can paint the cap with watered down white glue and dust it with glitter.

• Cinnamon Ornaments – Put about a cup of applesauce in a strainer and let it sit & drip for a few hours.  Then combine1 cup cinnamon with one tablespoon each of cloves and nutmeg.  Add 2 tablespoons of white glue and ¾ cup of drained applesauce. 
  • For a more intense fragrance, you can add about ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and/or apple oil.  Mix it all up with your hands until its a smooth ball, all mixed up.   (be careful to wash your hands after handling the oils.  You don’t want to accidentally get any in your mouth or eyes). Roll it out about ¼ inch thick and either cut shapes out with cookie cutters or use the templates below.  Use a straw to poke a hole in the top. Let them sit out to dry for a few days, turning them over once or twice a day so they don’t curl up. Then, poke a ribbon through the hole to hang them with.

Yule Smudge Sticks

When Yule rolls around — December if you’re in the northern hemisphere, or in June for our readers below the equator — one of the most notable aspects of the season is that of the scents and smells. There’s something about our olfactory system triggering certain memories and recollections, and the Yule season is no exception. Aromas like pine needles, cinnamon, mulled spices, frankincense – all of these are reminders of the winter holidays for many of us.

Smudging is a great way to cleanse a sacred space, and most people use smudge sticks made of sweetgrass or sage for this purpose, but why not use more seasonally appropriate plants at Yule?

Some types of plants definitely work better than others. For instance, certain members of the fir family begin to drop their needles as soon as they begin to dry, which means you’ll end up with needles all over your floor, and not in your smudge stick if you use them. On the other hand, the trees with the longer, softer needles seem to work really well, and lend themselves nicely to a project like this.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Scissors or garden clippers

Cotton string

Seasonal plants such as evergreens (pine, fir, juniper, balsam, and cedar), as well as other scents you find appealing – try using rosemary in addition to the pine, fir, and juniper.

Trim your clippings down to a manageable length, between six and ten inches, but if you’d like to make shorter smudge sticks, go right ahead. Cut a length of string about five feet long. Put several branches together, and wind the string tightly around the stems of the bundle, leaving two inches of loose string where you began. Tie a knot when you get to the end, and leave a loop so you can hang them for drying. Depending on how fresh your branches are – and how much sap is in them – it can take a few weeks to dry them out. Once they’re done, burn them in Yule rituals and ceremonies, or use them for cleansing a sacred space.

Winter Nights Incense

Scents have a way of making time stand still for us sometimes, and the aromas of the winter holidays are no exception. For many people, re-creating the smells and emotions of our childhood, or even of some distant ancestral memory, is part of the magic of the Yule season.

To make your own magical winter night’s incense, first determine what form you’d like to make. You can make incense with sticks and in cones, but the easiest kind uses loose ingredients, which are then burned on top of a charcoal disc or tossed into a fire. This recipe is for loose incense.

If you have friends who might enjoy making incense with you, invite everyone over for an incense blending party. Ask each guest to bring an herb or spice of their choice, and stock up on spoons, bowls, and small jars – baby food jars are perfect for this – ahead of time. Once everyone has combined their ingredients, divide them up evenly and spread the love!

Magical Gingerbread Poppets

As Yule rolls around, many of us get into crafting mode – and that is as good a time as any to work a little holiday magic. Why not take the holiday tradition of gingerbread men, and turn it into a practical poppet working?

A poppet is essentially a magical doll, designed to represent a person – traditionally, they’re made from cloth or some other sort of fabric. Because we’re not going to eat these, we’ll simply be making them from felt and other craft materials, and stuffing them with magical ingredients.

Then you can give them as gifts, hang them on your holiday tree, or put them around your house.

Here are just a few ideas for magical gingerbread poppets that are appropriate for the holiday season:

Love poppet: Make a poppet to represent the object of your affection — remember that in some magical traditions it’s frowned upon to make a specific person the target of your working. If you are simply trying to attract love to yourself, but you don’t have a specific person in mind, focus on all the desirable qualities you want to see in a potential lover. Stuff your poppet with small bits of rose quartz, rose petals, parsley and peppermint.

Prosperity poppet: The holiday season is a good time to focus on prosperity. Fill the poppet with a bit of cinnamon, orange, or ginger, and maybe even a small coin to get the message across.

Healing poppet: When you make this poppet, be sure to indicate what – and whom – you are trying to heal. Focus all of your energy on the ailment in question. Fill with lemon balm, feverfew, ivy, and pine, as well as bits of turquoise and bloodstone.

Protection poppet: Create poppets that represent each member of the family, blending herbs and stones into the clay. Use hematite and amethyst, as well as basil, patchouli, and coffee for filling.

Finally, decorate your gingerbread poppet with craft paint, fabric scraps, buttons, or other embellishments. Stitch a loop of ribbon into the head so you can hang him or her on your Yule tree – or give it to a friend!

Yule Herbal Sachet

Herbal sachets are a great way to use up bits of scrap fabric, and they have the added bonus of making your home smell amazing! A sachet is simply a cloth pouch or bag stuffed with aromatic blends of herbs, flowers, or other goodies. Believe it or not, there’s a rich history behind the use of herbal sachets. You can place herbal sachets in your dresser drawers to give your clothing a soft seasonal scent, or tuck them under your pillow, so you can breathe in the aromas of Yule as you fall asleep. 

Use one of the sacred plants associated with the Yule season, such as mistletoe, holly, or evergreen boughs to make a herbal sachet.

Yule Simmering Potpourri

Bring the scents of Yule into your home by blending up your own batch of potpourri. Keep it in a Mason jar so it will stay fresh. To use, simply scoop a half cup of mix into a small pot, and cover with a few inches of water. Allow to simmer on low heat on your stovetop, adding water as the potpourri reduces down. You can also use a small potpourri-sized crock pot. 

Blend together:

3 Cups dried orange peel

1 Cup dried lemon zest

4 Cinnamon sticks, snapped into thirds

1/4 Cup whole cloves

1/4 Cup pine needles

A pinch of allspice

10 juniper berries

Mix in a bowl and then keep in a tightly sealed jar until you’re ready to use it. If you’re feeling really crafty, make a big batch, divide into several jars, and then tie with a decorative ribbon or piece of raffia. Add a note card, and give as gifts for your friends at Yule!

Yule Greeting Cards

It’s hard to find Yule greeting cards commercially, and often when you do locate one you like, they can be expensive. Because there’s not a huge market for Pagan greeting cards, even during the Yule season sometimes it’s just easier to make your own. With a little imagination—and a couple of kids to help out if possible—it’s really easy to make stylish Yule cards that your friends will love. You can make a couple of different kinds of cards, depending on how much time you have, and your level of craftiness.

Before you get started, make sure you have craft supplies on hand. Things like card stock in a variety of colors, stamps, paint, ink pads, and markers will all make it easy to create your own cards. Glue, paste and glitter are useful too.

RUBBER STAMP GREETING CARDS

You’ll need card stock in the colors of your choice, an ink pad, a rubber stamp with some sort of Yule theme to it—a blazing sun, pinecones, a stag, even Stonehenge—and a paint marker or calligraphy pen. One the front of your card, use the rubber stamp and ink pad to create a Yule design. On the inside, use the paint marker or calligraphy pen to write a simple Yule greeting, such as Solstice blessings from our family to yours or May the light of the Sun shine on your family this Yule season.

SNOWFLAKE CARDS

This is a lot of fun if you have small children. Get a pile of cardstock in different colors, and some white paper and scissors. Fold the white paper into eighths, and have your kids cut out snowflakes. Then glue the white snowflakes onto the front of the cardstock. Use your paint marker or calligraphy pen to write a Yule greeting on the inside. Remember, snow can be magical!

SILLY SUN CARDS

Cut out circles of yellow construction paper, and thin strips in yellow and orange. Paste a circle in the center of the front of a card, with the strips radiating out from behind it like the rays of the sun. Once the glue has dried, have your kids draw funny faces on the suns. Write a greeting on the inside of the card.

STAINED-GLASS CARDS

You’ll need black card stock for this one, as well as a variety of bright colors to create your design. Create a sun or other design by cutting small pieces in bright colored paper. Place them on the black card stock, leaving black lines between the colored pieces, creating a mosaic or stained-glass effect. On the inside, paste a light-colored strip of paper for the written greeting.

KRAMPUS CARDS

The legend of the Krampus has become part of pop culture in the past few years, so why not send out a Krampus card? Find an image of the Krampus that you like, attach it to the front of a blank greeting card, and mail them out to your friends!

COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CARDS

Although you probably can’t find too many options when it comes to Pagan greeting cards in the big-box discount stores, with a little digging, you can find a lot of independent artists who have created Yule cards. Another great place to check? Your favorite metaphysical or witchy shop — and don’t rule out the clever, creative folks on Etsy! 

Winter Solstice Oil Blend

This is a fairly simple blend of oils, and is designed to evoke the scents and smells of the winter holiday season. As you’re mixing it, picture what it must have been like for your ancestors, seeing the sunlight burst onto the horizon on the winter solstice, hundreds and even thousands of years ago. Consider how cold they must have been, with only the glow of a fire to warm them, on the longest, darkest night of the year – and the relief they must have felt at the return of the sun.

To make Winter Solstice Oil, use 1/8 Cup grapeseed oil or other base oil of your choice. Add the following:

4 drops pine oil

2 drops orange oil

2 drops cedar oil

2 drops juniper oil

2 – 3 small lumps of frankincense, finely ground

As you blend the oils, visualize your intent, and take in the aroma. Know that this oil is sacred and magical. Label, date, and store in a cool, dark place. Use during your Yule celebrations to anoint participants or tools, or simmer on an aromatherapy burner.

Make a Tree Topper from Found Natural Items

If your family puts up a holiday tree, it can sometimes be hard to find just the right tree topper. After all, you may not be into angels, Santa Claus might not be your thing, and some of those gold stars are pretty floppy. So why not celebrate the natural aspect of the season, and make a tree topper out of the gifts the earth provides?

Collect an assortment of the following:

Sticks – try to find five with a similar diameter

Nuts, berries or acorns

Small pinecones, dried fruits or cinnamon sticks

Feathers

Vines, bark or dried moss

You’ll also need some raffia or cotton string and a hot glue gun.

Cross the sticks over one another to form a star. Use a dab of hot glue to hold them in place while you wrap the raffia or string around the intersections of the five sticks.

Add nuts and berries, pinecones, feathers or pieces of bark to embellish your star. Tie a piece of raffia or string into a loop at the top, and hang your star on the top of your tree.

Wigington, Patti. “Yule Craft Projects for the Winter Solstice.” Learn Religions, Aug. 28, 2020, learnreligions.com/yule-craft-projects-4147322.