Host a Winter Solstice Party for Yule

Why We Celebrate Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice is a special time of year when we celebrate the return of the sun and lengthening days ahead. This astronomical phenomenon is cause for many ancient traditions and celebrations across the globe, such as Persian Yalda Night. You can celebrate Winter Solstice with any of its rich traditions, but for this Winter Solstice Party we’ll cover the one from which the Christmas holiday originated centuries ago: the ancient Germanic tradition of Yule.

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How to Throw a Winter Solstice Party

1. Decorate with Yule Staples

Winter Solstice decor is at the heart of traditional Christmas décor: evergreens, wreaths, mistletoe, and even the colours red, white and green. So if you already celebrate Christmas, your Yule decorating should be already very familiar! At the heart of Yule décor is the natural world. You don’t really have to purchase anything to create this atmosphere. Find someplace where you can scavenge evergreen sprigs, pine cones, and holly branches. Collect nature’s winter bounty to display in your home. Hanging evergreens alone accomplishes half of the Winter Solstice aesthetic. Lighting candles serves the other half and signifies the light of the sun that will rise after the darkest day (and longest night) of the year.

Here are a few more solstice-themed decoration ideas:

• Merry Solstice stag wall hanging
• Irish Yule log
• Moon and stars Yule banner

2. Prepare Yule-Related Food and Beverages

Get ready to brew up some wassail! Yule is a time for hot bevvies, warm spices, and a cool spread of delicious winter staples such as these:

• Winter Solstice soup
• Winter Solstice brew
• Winter Solstice sunset martini
• Winter Solstice sun bread
• Savory Vegetarian Yule Log
• Cremini Mushroom Soup for the Winter Solstice
• Yule moon cookies
• Bûche de Noël (Yule log cake)
• Yule punch
• ‘Yule Love It’ hearty cocktail
• Grapefruit Bourbon Yule Mules

3. Set a Solstice Ambience with the Perfect Playlist or Video

To immerse your guests in the feel of this ancient celebration, play thematic music such as a Yule music playlist or Nordic solstice harp music. You could also play traditional melodies that have been used as Christmas songs with a ‘A Pre-Victorian Christmas’ songs playlist.  

4. Add Evocative Winter Solstice Scents

We covered the sights, the flavors, and the sounds of Yule. Now, consider the scents! To truly immerse your guests in the Winter Solstice, evoke everyone’s sense of smell with delicious-smelling Yule candles. Or, just keep the wassail hot on the stove with plenty of oranges and spices to create a delightful scent that continues to waft through your home!

5. Plan Winter Solstice Activities

The best way to celebrate Winter Solstice, in my opinion, would be to stay up all night talking and snacking/drinking before going outside to watch the sun rise over a scenic horizon. But this year’s Winter Solstice falls on a Thursday so that eliminates that option for people who work traditional hours. Even when it conveniently falls on a Friday or Saturday night, people with kids typically don’t have the option to stay up all night! So unless you and your guests are in a position where an all-nighter is feasible, here are some other ideas in the meantime:

• Winter trivia game (printable download)
• Light a dedicated Yule log in a wood burning fireplace (if feasible, whether indoors or outside)
• Get everyone together with travel mugs of wassail or tisane/tea and go on a night walk (preferably somewhere wooded/nature)
• Go wassailing! Do the above activity but go door to door singing traditional wassailing songs such as Here We Come A-Wassailing (also known by its modern Christmas tune, Here We Come A-Caroling)
• Go around and have every guest set an intention for the beginning winter season

6. Establish Guest Participation

Guest participation is optional and depends on how much you’d like guests to contribute, if at all. A Winter Solstice party idea is to have everyone bring an ingredient to add to a pot of wassail. Then, once everyone’s arrived, you can brew up a delicious batch with everyone’s contribution! Some ideas for things people can bring to add to the wassail include oranges, apples, lemons, honey, spices, cloves, cinnamon sticks, apple cider, or an alcoholic beverage such as brandy, bourbon, rum or whiskey. Unless you know for a fact that everyone will be drinking (which you can confirm ahead of time), have two wassail pots – one without alcohol and one with. Or, an alternative is to have one pot without alcohol and then have guests add alcohol separately when they ladle out their drink.

Of course, always choose your guests mindfully and with their interests in mind. Prioritize friends who you know would most enjoy celebrating the Winter Solstice. But don’t shy away from others who may not know much about it. You never know, you may spark a new interest in someone!

Checklist of Items You Need

This is a list of all of the physical things you need for this party:

1. Yule décor
2. Yule refreshments
3. Yule-inspired music
4. Yule-inspired scented candles
5. A real Yule log (optional)
6. Any materials for Yule activities (i.e. printed trivia game, travel mugs to share, etc.)

Checklist of Preparations for Your Winter Solstice Party

1. First, establish that your efforts aren’t in vain by confirming that people can come on any chosen date:

1. Choose party date/time, and preferably alternative date(s) as well. As near to Winter Solstice as feasible is preferred, but since the solstice is only days away from Christmas Eve, many people may already have family plans around then. The weekend before Winter Solstice, therefore, may be the easiest option for most.
2. Choose guest list and establish minimum number of guests you’d like (to make it worth your effort)
3. Six weeks out, confirm guests’ interest in the party and availability on chosen party date(s)
4. If your preferred minimum number of guests confirm interest and availability, have them secure calendar date for your festive Yule party!

2. Then, proceed with the fun planning!

1. Schedule time on your calendar for each step of party prep (securing and/or making food/drinks, etc.)
2. Create invitations with all of the details and send them out 4 weeks before the party
3. Order any party supplies and decorations 3 weeks out (so they arrive in time to prepare and set up)
4. Shop for any party supplies/decorations you don’t order online, as well as non-perishable food/drinks
5. In your planned time slots, DIY any party supplies and decorations
6. In your planned time slots, acquire perishable food/drinks early enough in advance to prepare in time
7. In your planned time slots, set up/decorate with any supplies and decorations
8. In your planned time slots, prepare food/drinks (depending on how long things keep)

3. Day of Party (in your amply planned time slot):

1. Complete any last-minute food/drink prep that’s too fresh to do any earlier
2. Set up any quick/easy last-minute supplies and decorations you didn’t want up before
3. Prepare ambience (audio/visual, candles/scents)
4. Get dressed with plenty of time! This could be a costume, or simply your favourite party outfit
5. Once everything’s ready, meditate or do your preferred self-care to get in a good head space if you aren’t already. You want to be relaxed, energized, and excited. You will be happier, and guests will pick up on your contagiously good vibe and automatically be happier as well – everybody’s best interest!

If you want to explore Christmas-themed parties, check out these:

• Elf party
• Pink Christmas party
• Gingerbread house party
• Nutcracker themed party
• German Christmas party