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19 Best Pagan Gifts for Yule: Your Ultimate List

If you’re looking for thoughtful pagan gifts for Yule, a nice gift for a pagan is anything your person tends to like. It doesn’t need to be witchcore for them to love it. But if you’d like to get them something that shows that you support and accept them, then check out these best pagan gifts this Yuletide season that will make for a very pleased witch.

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If You Don't Celebrate Christmas, What Do You Do?

Just because we don't celebrate Christmas doesn't mean we're not in the mood to make merry this season. Pagans and Witches have an excess of holiday spirit. I mean, Christians have two major holidays and pagans have eight. We're always up for celebrating.

What Is Yule?

Yule, which falls on the winter solstice, is a big deal. It marks the longest night of the year--the time when the days finally stop getting shorter and begin to get longer again. All across the colder climates, people have always marked midwinter in some way going back thousands of years.

And that makes sense. It's cold, dark, and our ancestors couldn't get cozy with hot cocoa and Netflix to wait for spring. Humans needed to come together, make cheer, and remember that it won't be dark forever.

Because there are so many traditions, I can't say how your friend celebrates. I can only tell you about my tradition. We ring bells on the longest night to call back the sun. Yule is the rebirth of the sun and the re/birth of our sun god.

So you could say it's the birthday of a light-bringing god. You might have more in common with your witchy loved one than you think.

Why Should You Look at Yule Gifts or Christmas Gifts for Witches?

Christmastime can be complicated when you're not Christian.

Minority religions tend to feel out of place in a season when Christmas is everywhere you look. This is especially true for folks like me because even though acceptance of religious diversity is making strides, being pagan is still considered odd. 

Witchcraft is just another path of spirituality and if you've ever felt moved by standing on a mountaintop or sat very still because an iridescent dragonfly landed on your leg, you know that honoring our earth is the most natural thing in the world.

If you're here because someone you love has told you that they celebrate Yule and you want to buy them something for the holidays--thank you. It's pretty awesome of you to take their spirituality into consideration as you get into the holiday spirit. Your loved one is going to be super touched that you put in the effort to respect their beliefs.

This article is for you to give you some ideas of gifts that any pagan would be excited to receive, but also to give you a quick Yule run down and answer some of the questions you might have been afraid to ask.

But Why Do They Have a Christmas Tree?

They probably have a Yule tree. I'm looking at my Yule tree right now, all lit up and decorated with pine cones and glittery ornaments. The tradition of bringing evergreens into the home at midwinter and decorating them is an ancient, pagan, and pre-Christian practice honoring the tree that stays green even when all other trees look dead.

Plus, lots of non-religious folks have holiday trees and exchange gifts simply because it's part of the culture.

Where Did the Christmas Tree Come From?

According to History.com, the practice goes as far back as ancient Egypt when followers of Ra would bring palms and evergreen boughs into their homes during the Solstice as proof that the sun would return. 

Ancient Romans decorated their homes with evergreen boughs during their winter solstice festival Saturnalia, which they celebrated with candles, wreaths, and exchanging gifts--as well as plenty of loud debauchery and partying. This Roman influence spread to the Celts who already had their own solstice rituals. 

It was so important to everyone that they kept the evergreen tradition when they converted to Christianity.

People didn't start bringing entire evergreen trees into their homes until 16th century Germany when Protestants decorated full trees with candles inside their houses. Christmas trees weren't popular in the United States until well into the 1830s when German immigrants began to spread the tradition. Before then, most Americans found Christmas trees to be too pagan. 

What If They Don't Have a Yule Tree?

Not everyone does. Not all Christians have a Christmas tree either. It's not a requirement to being merry at Midwinter. 

Is It "Witch," "Pagan," "Wiccan," Or What?

Just like the many denominations of Christianity, earth-based religions have hundreds of different traditions, some more organized than others. Gardnerian Wicca and Reclaiming would be two examples that are fairly organized.

Like Christianity, while they may have significant differences, fundamentally pagan traditions tend to have more common than not. The best thing to do is use the language your loved ones use to describe themselves.

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