Yule: A Celebration of Light and Warmth [Paperback]

The history at the beginning of this book has very little to do with Yule. It seems like more of a justification of pagans celebrating "Christmas without Christ".

Morrison's "history" is very suspect - for example she makes the mistake of reffering to the Greek world as Persia. I think this book demonstrates the danger of doing most of your research on the internet.

I give this book 2 stars only because of the ritual content. I was inspired by what she had to offer in this respect.
If you do buy it, to get the most out of this book, skip the fluffy beginning and go right to the meaty bits.

I wouldn't say that the actual style of writing in the book is childish, however the suggested craft activities do seem to be geared very much towards children, and a lot of the information given about "yule" seem like the kind of stories parents would tell children before bed-time.

Another problem with this book is that it doesn't really have much religious content, it seems more like a Christmas craft ideas book, and, although no-where does it say that this book is designed specifically for Wicans/Pagans/etc, coming from a best-selling Wiccan author I expected a lot more religious content. As was previously mentioned it is Christmas with hardly any religious content.

I would only reccomend this book really to parents with children below the age of 12ish, as it offers nothing more than slightly tacky ideas of "things to make and do"

Ms. Morrison starts out by presenting us with the origins of Sun-welcoming from its days in ancient Egypt as the festival of Horus and moves us through time to present day celebrations of light. Included in this are brief descriptions of the origins of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Yule, all which honor in some fashion the return of the days of light and/or the aspect of God. This is not a study of the origins of Yule or Christmas, but an observation of the commonality of the various holidays that cluster around the Winter Solstice. There is also a brief overview of how many other countries celebrate this time of year when the God is honored and/or the change in the season is celebrated.

The rest of the book covers these celebrations, with discussions ranging from omens and superstitions, to food and drink, to crafts and gifts that make this season special.

We look at lore regarding animals, monsters, food and gifts, the traditions of hanging stockings over the fireplace and those wonderful weather words of wisdom to mention a few. There is also Yule trivia and facts.

The second part of the book gives us the crafts, recipes and Dorothy's wonderful spellworkings that help to celebrate this time of year. She covers preparation for the holiday, decorating ideas and traditions, a little history/mythtory about the obligatory tree and it's decorating and some ideas for holiday cards.

Then there is the "Gifting, Feasting and Festing" which includes ideas for home made gifts (bath salts to potted plants), party preparations and unique ideas (from setting up the guest list to planning party games) and, of course, the food. And many are graced with some ideas of how to make each "magically special" with Dorothy's well known spellworkings. Make birdbaths with terra cotta flower pots and add a special spell for the birds to safely enjoy them. Make a "floating holiday centerpiece" with candles, a punch bowl and assorted items and include a holiday blessing for all those who will sit at the table. These are but a few of the delightful items included in this book for your holiday pleasure.

The book is easy to read and use. There are illustrations that make this book a celebration in print, not to mention the stellar cover art all by Kate Thomsson. And, of course, what would this book be without Dorothy's wonderful recipes and words of wisdom.

This book is not about the origins of or any one particular holiday nor is it about any specific path. This book is a celebration of a season. It presents us with many traditions, many ideas and a really good reason to have a darn good time during a season when we take the time to relax, enjoy our good friends and family and need to feel the warmth of companionship on cold winter nights. boudica