The Yule Fairy

The Yule Fairy arrives with a gentle descent and touches down softly next to a cozy cottage in an oak-lined wood. She travels to different families throughout Yuletide to help them prepare, decorate, and celebrate. Her annual stop at this particular cottage is one of the Yule Fairy's favorites, because it always lands on the winter solstice.  She flits into the cottage donning a scarlet dress, her flaxen curly hair adorned with a magical wreath filled with mistletoe, evergreens, red Christmas berries and flowers. 

 The first thing the Yule Fairy does when she arrives, after greeting everyone, is put together a yule log. This year the yule log came from a birch tree very far north of here where a snowy tapestry is already weaving its way through the landscape. The Yule Fairy had brought steamy pine needle tea and fresh pumpkin oat bread as an offering to the Birch Dryad that dwells inside and protects the tree. After a bit of catching up and nibbling, she was given permission from the Dryad to take a cutting from the gleaming, silvery branches.

The Yule Fairy floats the log down on the long rustic dining table along with her evergreen and Christmas berry-covered basket that always seems to contain far more than could possibly fit inside. Under the many pine cones there seems to be an endless supply of dried oranges, sprigs of pine, crimson blooms, and cinnamon sticks. Now it is time to decorate the birch log with these beautiful and aromatic flourishes. Everyone attaches herbs and fruit with twine to the perfectly round log, and when it is fully decorated the Yule Fairy ceremoniously places it into the hearth, waiting for the Winter Solstice celebration to come.  

Next on the Yule Fairy’s to-do list (which she lovingly refers to as a “Ta-Da” list, and frequently exclaims “Ta-Da” to herself when she completes a task) is to tend to the trees and plants that surround the cottage. She ensures each one has whatever they might need for the cold winter to come. Delicately placing her ear to the oak trees, she listens quietly as they whisper to her. Then, with the magic of her touch, she infuses the oak with warmth and resilience, sending it through the trunk all the way down deep to nourish the sprawling roots. She bestows this tender care onto each tree in the forest, with the dazzling speed that only an otherworldly fae can accomplish.

As the Yule Fairy is caring for the oaks, she notices one particularly magnificent tree that has a little surprise growing on it. She dashes over to it and celebrates what she has just found.  It is mistletoe! But not just mistletoe; it is mistletoe that has grown on an oak tree–a sacred tree. This means that the mistletoe possesses not only its traditional properties of peace and fertility but also the oak trees' powers of strength and ancient wisdom.  

The Yule Fairy winds her way through the ivy-covered wood towards a small stream where she fills a copper pot. Back to the quaint cottage she flies, the pot of water following behind her as she hangs the mistletoe above the weathered door. “Ta-da,” she whispers to herself. 

The moment has arrived to spark the yule log and craft pinecone ink for composing solstice cards. She glides the foraged bounty of pinecones and the copper pot over the fire, adds a handful of soda ash and watches as it comes to a boil almost immediately.  While the Yule Fairy gathers the ingredients for making wassail, she swirls her finger around in the air from time to time and a large wooden spoon stirs the pot of simmering pinecones. 

For this year's wassail the Yule Fairy concocts a symphony of flavors starting with apple cider and orange juice; plenty of spices like cinnamon, clove, and star anise; and finishing it off with a golden drizzle of honey. 

The family sips their wassail appreciatively in front of the yule log fire, readying to use their pinecone ink.  This is where the Yule Fairy takes her leave. She bids farewell to the family and sets out to visit many other families during Yuletide, continuing to help them celebrate and reminding them of all the magical traditions of the winter solstice.