The blazing fire indoors kept us warm, but it was cold outside. In fact, I think it was probably the coldest day we’ve ever been open for business at the family Christmas tree farm in Hancock County. The thermometer told us the temperature was well below zero, with a wind chill of around -30. It was in late December near the end of the sales season, just a few days before Christmas.
None of my brothers were too eager to spend much time cutting trees outside that day. When customers would arrive, we would take turns, each hoping for a customer who would make a hasty decision in the tree field so we could quickly return to the warmth of the barn. We were in the middle of an intense euchre game when the door opened with a swirl of snow and a bone-chilling breeze. In walked a family that was very well bundled up. It was my turn to help and I feared that they would want to spend a long time in the cold selecting their tree based on their heavy jackets. My brothers gave me taunting grins as I walked into the frozen gale and glanced back to see them reclining around the card table in the comfortable warmth of the fire. Fortunately for me, despite the heavy coats, the cold weather inspired a very quick tree selection and I was back in the barn soon.
The next customer to arrive was a weathered looking man wearing only a t-shirt and jeans. I’ll take this one, my younger brother quickly volunteered upon seeing the man’s apparel.
“Hi there. How can we help you?” my brother pleasantly said to the man. “We have a lot of nice trees pretty close to the barn here, or we have trees farther out in the field, but it is awfully cold out there.”
“I’ll be right back,” the man said.
The customer ran out to his truck and returned moments later zipping up a pair of coveralls that appeared to be crafted for hunting arctic seals on treks to the North Pole.
“Let’s go,” he said.
My brother’s eyes widened and it was our turn to do the taunting as he headed out into the cold. They returned almost an hour later with a tall tree from the farthest reaches of the farm and my brother had turned a shade of purple due to the cold. He was certainly glad to be back in the warmth of that cozy fire.
Warm fires and this chilly time of year have been associated for a very long time through the tradition of burning a Yule log, which has its roots in a Pagan celebration of the winter solstice. The cold weather and long nights in Scandinavia, and the promise of longer days ahead, were ample reason for a celebration around a roaring fire many centuries ago. In the Fourth Century, when Pope Julius I decided to celebrate the birth of Christ around the time of the winter solstice, the Yule log tradition became associated with Christmas.
The huge Christmas Yule log, sometimes pulled by a team of horses, was brought into a large hall or home on Christmas Eve as a centerpiece of the celebration throughout Europe in the following centuries. People would symbolically cast their faults and sins into the flame of the Yule log to start the New Year with a clean slate. And, the log was never completely burnt so a piece could be saved to start the Yule log fire the following year. Pieces from the log were also said to be a source of good luck throughout the year.
The Yule log tradition continued in 19th Century America where slaves did not have to work as long as the Yule log burned, so they would choose the biggest, greenest log they could find. In more modern times, generations of viewers, particularly in New York, have gathered around their television sets on Christmas morning to listen to holiday music and watch a filmed Yule log burning brightly on the screen. For centuries, the bright flames leaping from the Yule log have conveyed an important reminder for Christians around the world, bringing people together for celebration in the light of Christ amid the dark, cold winter surrounding them.
Stay warm and have a Merry Christmas.
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