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The Yule Log Tradition
From the dawn of history to the most modern iterations, the tradition of the Yule Log has been part of the Christmas season for so many of us. This month, we’ll take a look at the different versions of this beloved holiday treat.
The Original
Last night I slept like a log. I woke up in the fire place. ~Tommy Cooper
In ancient times, the Yule Log was burned to welcome the return of the sun after the Winter Solstice. As the shortest day of the year, passing the Solstice meant that the hours of daylight would increase.
In the coldest reaches of Northern Europe and Scandinavia, this was certainly something to celebrate. Of course, people kept fires burning during the chillier months for warmth and cooking, so what was special about a Yule Log?
As a special tradition, there were particular conditions associated that varied from country to country.
Some people insisted that the log must burn twelve hours a day, while another tradition had the log prepared on Christmas Eve and burned throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas. The type of tree also mattered. Oak was a common choice, but some used birch, cherry or pine trees for symbolic reasons.
Other traditions held that the log be given but never bought or that the log can only come from your own property. It was also believed that if the log didn’t light on the first attempt, it would bring bad luck.
Regardless of the details, the Yule Log was a beloved tradition that brought extra light and warmth to the coldest months of the year.
Centuries later, an ingenious idea brought a new version of the Yule Log to people who didn’t have fireplaces.
Classic TV
WPIX The Original Yule Log
In 1966, a TV executive in New York City came up with the idea of providing a virtual fireplace for his viewing audience.
WPIX President and CEO, Fred Thrower, came up with the idea of providing a few hours of Christmas music with looped footage of a crackling fireplace. This was a net win since it provided a fireplace for those in the metropolitan area who didn’t have one in their apartments while providing the TV studio staff some time to stay home and celebrate with their families.
The original fireplace footage was filmed at the mayor’s residence, Gracie Mansion. Unfortunately, this was a very jerky seventeen second loop that deteriorated fairly quickly.
When they asked permission to refilm the fireplace, the mayor’s office refused. They found a similar fireplace in California to film a longer loop on more durable film and the channel’s holiday feature remained a tradition for 23 years.
Sadly, the Yule Log was a victim of its own success. As much as everyone loved it, this program was commercial-free and therefore costly. A few hours of broadcasting with no commercials during the holiday season was harmful to the channel’s bottom line.
Despite widespread appeals to restore the city’s beloved tradition, the WPIX Yule Log program would not return to the airways until 2001. After the tragedy of September 11th, station execs agreed that it was time to provide the city some much needed comfort and nostalgia.
Not only has the holiday special remained a beloved tradition of WPIX in New York City, but it was also brought to other stations in the Tribune Broadcasting family. Tribune is now a part of Nexstar Media Group.
Since the original program came out in the 60’s, a number of imitators have appeared across the airwaves and eventually found its way to the internet. Today, you can find a variety of virtual Yule Logs to warm up your holidays.
2 Hours of The Best Classic Christmas Songs with fireplace and beautiful background
Let’s Eat It
Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ~Washington Irving
As with the TV audience of New York City, there were plenty of people for whom the tradition of burning a Yule Log in their fireplace was impractical. But what to do?
Why not make an edible Yule Log? This led the French to invent the Bûche de Noël.
There are a variety of stories of who might have created the first Yule Log cake, but the basic form is the same. A layer of sponge is slathered generously with ganache, rolled into a basically cylindrical shape and frosted with buttercream.
A variety of techniques and styles of decorating the resulting log have been perfected over the years. Many people scratch a bark pattern into the frosting to make it look like a real piece of wood. Others like to make a Christmas village-like vignette on top of the cake.
The ingredients also run the gamut of possible flavors. Chocolate sponge with chocolate ganache would certainly be my wife’s favorite, but she’d probably like chocolate sponge with a peanut butter ganache as well.
Of course, it’s easy to say “spread ganache over a layer of sponge and roll it up“, but this holiday treat is notoriously difficult to create. If you enjoy holiday baking competitions, you’ll see talented pastry chefs and owners of bakery businesses struggling to create this festive treat without breaking the sponge.
Something that the TV competitors don’t have that we can benefit from is a log-shaped cake pan. Unlike the TV judges, our families won’t mind if the cake isn’t perfect, but a pan will certainly help to make it look like you got it right on the first try.
From life-preserving fire to sanity-preserving musical fireplace, the Yule Log has held a special place in our winter holiday season. No matter which version features in your holidays, we wish you warm Christmas greetings.