A Christmas Tradition I Can Get Behind

Have you ever heard the expression "yule log"?  Do you know what a "yule log" is?  It's a log.  Thank you for asking.  No, seriously, I have some pre-Christmas history for you after the jump.

The yule log originally didn't have anything to do with Christmas. In fact it was around centuries before the times of Jesus.  Early Europeans celebrated the winter solstice (December 21st of each year) by lighting up a fattie, that is, a big, yule log.  Now here's the part that's cool, they would feast and party until the log completely burned out, and that could go on for up to 12 days.  In addition, it was a time for them to butcher whatever animals they didn't want to feed all winter, so there was lots of fresh meat to eat and to put up for the cold months.

Okay, have you ever found yourself on the long end of a night poking and the embers and just chillin'?  That was a bit of the fun too.  Some of the folks thought that every spark that sputtered out of the fire meant a new animal born to the village.  Seriously, if you give me a reason to stare at a campfire and a bottle of something to drink, I'll never get up.

Here's a fire and some Christmas music for you.  Don't stay up to late.

O

Think about it-fresh steaks, a party and a slow burning fire. I'm ready to find myself a yule log.