I can remember reading about “yule logs” being burned at Xmas time, but it never occured to me until just now that I’ve never seen it described what one is, and why it’s a tradition.
See here for a more in depth answer.
The log is also recreated as a log-like chocolate cake in the UK these days.
Mmmmm! Chocolate log, the best cake ever! Way back in the 70’s/80’s the chocolate log was the height of sophistication.
Derived from the French Bûche de Noël, if I’m not mistaken.
Nice Christmastime language. :rolleyes:
Right – there’s a French comedy movie called La Bûche about a moderately dysfunctional family at Christmastime.
WAG You cut a length of the largest tree trunk you can find to just fit in your fireplace.
Next carve “Y U L E” on one side with a chain saw or as many times as you like.
Put it in your fireplace with the “Y U L E” facing the room with “Y U L E” tilted up at a 45 deg. angle. 
Reason? Don’t need a reason other than: “It’s always been done this way.”
And you can now have one on your iPod!
The Yule Log has been a tradition in New York City since the mid-60s. WPIX would broadcast a loop of film of a burning log, with appropriate Christmas music.
Alternatively, “These are the voyages of the good ship Santa’s Sleigh, Yule date 12/25…”
I could tell you but Yule be sorry you asked.
When you find the right message board, Yule register, Yule log on, Yule ask the question, and Yule find out the answer.
Huh?
Around my house, the Yule log is the first dump I take after Christmas dinner. Smells like pumpkins!
Aww, you beat me to the punch. We use it the same way. As in “Please excuse me, I have to go deliver my annual yule log.”
I’m assuming offence was taken to the OP’s “WTF”.
I’d always heard that to American slaves, the yule log was used to determine the length of their break from the rigorous chores of plantation life. Here’s a fairly representative description…
“In the early nineteenth century, American slaves didn’t have to work as long as the Yule log burned, so they would choose the biggest, greenest log they could find. If they did have to work while it burned their master had to pay them for the work.” About:Afro-American History has a similar description.
We had a Yule log growing up - we simply saved the largest log in the woodpile that would fit in the fireplace until Christmas Eve. The Yule log is placed in the fireplace and ignited alone (I.E. no other logs to help it along). The tradition I grew up with went that if the log was still burning when everyone got up the next morning, the home would be lucky or blessed the next year. I also heard it is actually supposed to be a New Years Eve tradition, but we always did it on Christmas anyway.
My college had a Yule Log ceremony. It was fun… They’d give out pine branches, and everyone would touch their pine branch to the log while thinking about any/all crappy shit that happened in the year. Then the branches would be burned in the fire with the log, and your bad deeds/regrets/etc would be burned away. Symbolically starting the year fresh, I guess (of course, this ceremony was right before finals).
You’re supposed to keep a piece of the previous year’s yule log to light the following year’s with.
It originated in ancient rites of the midwinter solstice, during the darkest part of the year the log formed a surrogate sun to encourage the sun to return after winter. Maybe sympathetic magic to make the sun come back.