Yule 2022

I had planned to write this post before the end of last year but have got behind with things due to having a bit of a difficult time, so instead it's the first post of the new year! :) 

It was Yule/the Winter Solstice just before Christmas (Wednesday 21st December). As I mentioned in my Happy Yule! post, I usually have a chocolate Yule log for this sabbat. This Yule's (or last's Yule's now) was from Sainsbury's, which is where I've most often bought one from. It was quite nice but I think other years' have been a bit better. I put two candles on top to represent the light returning. Here's a pic:

 

 

I also lit a red candle since Yule is a fire festival (and the time when the light starts growing again). Here's a photo:

 

There are also two knitted mistletoe hearts and a Cats Protection Advent Calendar!

 

I had planned to go to the park for sunset but didn't end up going because I was tired, and also there wasn't much of a sunset. I also didn't make any hot chocolate but I did make some on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

So, on the day of Yule, it was "officially" the start of winter! (Although it's only a guide really and this past year it felt like winter started earlier, when we had really cold weather. Yule was also the last calendar sabbat of 2022 and now we're in a new year! The first festival of 2023 will be Imbolg/Imbolc on 2nd February.

We've also just had Christmas. I didn't do any baking like I planned to, so I won't be doing a baking post. I think I might just randomly bake the gingerbread cookie bars I wanted to make sometime! I will be doing my autumn to winter update (autumn to winter 2022 soon though), so look out for that. :) 

For the past several years I've done posts with ideas and inspiration for celebrating the sabbats. I've really enjoyed writing them. However, I think I've pretty much covered them all now (they each have several posts). So, this year I may just do a quick post in advance of the sabbats or only write about my celebration. I'll see what I feel inspired to do. I think I just have Imbolg and Oestara/Ostara ones to do (to complete my latest series of celebration ideas posts). I do plan to keep blogging on here, it's just that I don't want to keep rehashing the same thing.

On that note, it will be 10 years this summer since I started The Seasonal Life! (My self-help/spiritual blog Falling Petals also turns 10 next month.) I'm planning to do some kind of birthday post. Thank you for reading the blog! :)

Hope you had a good Yule (or Litha for those in the Southern Hemisphere). Happy Winter! (Or Happy Summer!) And I hope everybody had a good Christmas, New Year and/or any other festival that you celebrated. Happy New Year! Wishing you a wonderful start to 2023 and year ahead. :) 

If you'd like some winter inspiration, check out these posts:

Winter self-care ideas: https://homespunseasonalliving.com/winter-self-care-ideas/

I shared some links in my Yule 2021 post (scroll to the bottom): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/12/yule-2021.html