Pagan Yule Decor: 25 DIY Craft Ideas and a Shopping Guide for the Winter Solstice
Make your home feel festive with this DIY ideas for the winter holiday.
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Yule is the midwinter celebration of the sun’s return, rooted in Norse and other pre-Christian traditions and pagan rituals. Decorating for Yule means bringing nature into your home and finding ways to reflect the themes of hope, new beginnings, and protection in your decor. For some, it is also a time to honor the turning of the Wheel of the Year at the Winter Solstice. And, with it, the return of the Sun’s light which fully takes over at Ostara.
Whether you want to craft your own Yule ornaments, hang herbs for protection, or add a few folkloric touches like Krampus or the Yule Goat around your home, many of these DIY crafting ideas for the pagan holiday blend history and creativity to make your space feel seasonal, not commercial.
Tips When Decorating for Yule
When decorating for Yule, there are some easy ways to make it feel different than it would if you were decorating for Christmas. Here are a few to consider.
- Use Natural Textures. Layer found evergreen boughs, birch branches, moss, pine cones, and other found elements versus using store-bought ones. If you do purchase items, look for those that reflect the forest like owls, foxes, and mushrooms. Consider topping your tree with a rustic twig star.
- Create a Sun Symbol. Add a sun motif to represent the rebirth of the Sun at the Winter Solstice.
- Include Ancestral Touches. Place family photos, heirloom ornaments, or offerings of cake, bread, or ale near your Yule decor to honor those who came before.
- Use Symbolic Colors. Gold for the Sun, red for vitality, green for abundance and renewal, white for snow, purity and otherworld, and black for the dark.
- Add an Element of Mystery: Vintage-style ornaments and keys can reflect the times that have past and doors yet to be opened.
Explore our guide to Yule symbols for more ideas to pull from.
Handmade Yule Decorations
Create your own Yule magic with simple, nature-inspired DIY projects that honor the season’s themes of light, renewal, and protection. These craft ideas use materials like evergreens, herbs, and natural textures to bring warmth and meaning to your home without drifting into Christmas kitsch.
1. Twig Snowflakes or Stars
Collect thin, straight fallen twigs or branches and hot-glue them into five-pointed stars or six-sided snowflakes. Leave them natural or wrap them with thin metal wire around the corners to add a bit of sparkle.
2. Dried Citrus Slices
Thinly slice oranges (they represent the Sun and, at Yule, its return) and dry them slowly on low heat (around 200°F) until they are dehydrated and firm. Use them as ornaments, or string them on twine to create a long, fragrant garland for your hearth or Yule tree.
3. Orange and Clove Pomanders
My mom used to make these growing up and this year I think I’ll try making my own. They’re an easy, simple craft even if you’re not feeling super crafty. Just use a skewer to pierce patterns, like a spiral or runes, onto fresh oranges. Then stud the holes with whole cloves. These simple, highly aromatic balls are perfect for placing in bowls or hanging to invoke warmth and protection during the winter.
4. Yule Wreath
Start with a simple wire or willow base and weave in holly, ivy, and evergreen boughs, which all add protection and symbolize the perseverance of life. Add simple accents like pinecones and red ribbon, celebrating the eternal cycle of the Wheel of the Year. You could also make a miniature one using a tiny wreath base.
5. Herbal Bundles
Tie a cluster of aromatic elements together with natural twine. Hang these sweet, spicy bundles near entrances or on the mantle as a cleansing house charm or burn them if you are doing a smoke cleansing. Some herbs and plants you might want to include:
- Rosemary: Protection, purification, and remembrance (also, it works as a universal herb and stand-in for most intentions)
- Cedar: Strength, renewal, and protection.
- Orange slice: Solar energy, joy, and prosperity
- Pine branch: Healing, rebirth, and prosperity
- Juniper: Banishing negativity, purification, and warding
- Cinnamon stick: Warmth, abundance, and love
6. Salt Dough Ornaments
Roll out your salt dough and make your own symbols of Yule, such as a Yule Goat! Or, press evergreen sprigs, pine boughs, or fern fronds into it to capture the pattern of winter nature before baking. Here’s a quick guide on how to make salt dough.
7. Wood Ornaments
Purchase or slice small rounds of wood (representing the Wheel of the Year), and use a wood burner or paint to add simple Yule symbols like runes, the sun spiral, or a tree of life. Drill a hole for natural twine and hang them from your Yule tree or around the house. You could also use them as place settings during your Yule celebrations.
8. Bough Bundles
Gather fallen pine, cedar, and fir boughs to create a varied, textural bundle that celebrates the everlasting life of the evergreens. Tie them with a simple, earth-toned velvet ribbon or natural twine to hang over a doorway or mirror, welcoming nature indoors.
9. Paper Snowflakes
Cut intricate, multi-pointed patterns into white or metallic paper and hang them in windows or from the ceiling to mimic the beauty of the frost.
10. Lace Snowflakes
Use white or silver yarn to knit or crochet intricate, lacy snowflake ornaments that embody the beauty of pure winter frost. Once lightly starched or stiffened, they can be hung on the tree or used as decorative embellishments on gifts.
11. Cross-Stitch Ornaments
Embroider small, simple Yule symbols (sun, moon, stars, or a sprig of mistletoe) onto a small piece of fabric and frame it in a miniature embroidery hoop. This creates a handcrafted heirloom to celebrate the divine elements of the season. Here are some Etsy Yule patterns to get you started.
12. Homemade Snowglobe
Glue small figurines that represent the holiday like stags, goats, or small pine trees to the inside of a jar lid, fill the jar with water and fine glitter, and seal tightly. Shake them gently to create a mesmerizing winter scene that celebrates the cold, bright beauty of the season. You could also make a Krampus one if that’s more your style.
13. DIY Yule Log Centerpiece
Drill three holes into a short log piece to hold taper candles in the colors of red, green, and white/gold. Decorate the log with fresh pine sprigs, holly, and ivy to make a rustic, symbolic centerpiece for your Yule table.
14. Paint Rocks
Collect smooth stones and paint simple, powerful magical symbols like spirals, suns, moons, or runes onto them. These become natural, tactile pieces you can place on your altar or use as place settings for your Yule feast.
15. Sun Catcher
Cut a series of diamonds from yellow, orange, and red tissue paper and create a pretty star by taping them to a window that will catch the Sun.
16. Scented Pinecones
Gather or purchase pinecones and place them in a bag with a few drops of seasonal essential oils like frankincense, myrrh, cedar, or pine. Shake the bag and allow the scent to absorb over a few days, then scatter them through your home for a natural, festive aroma. Or, do like my grandmother did, and leave them in a basket by your fireplace for decades.
17. Wishing Stars
Cut out star shapes from cardboard or paper and write down your intentions, hopes, or wishes for the coming year on each one. Hang these on your tree or from an East-facing window.
18. Cookie Cutter Bird Seed Ornaments
Combine birdseed with suet and press the mixture into festive cookie cutter shapes, like moons, stars or woodland creatures. Hang them outside on tree branches as an offering to the spirits of nature and the wildlife during the coldest time of the year. Here’s some woodland cookie cutters to get you started.
19. Decorate Your Broom
Adorn a simple cinnamon broom with fresh evergreen sprigs, ribbons, and small protective charms like bells or rune beads. Place it near the front door to cleanse the space and sweep away the negativity of the year before the Solstice.
20. Craft a Yule Goat
Use straw, felt, or small twigs to make your own traditional Yule Goat. The Norse symbol of harvest and protection can be placed on your mantle or altar.
21. Ice Lanterns
Freeze water in a large cylindrical container, placing holly berries, pine sprigs, and small protective herbs like rosemary around the edge. Use a second smaller container to hold everything in place. Place this outside or in your freezer until frozen. Then, place a candle inside and light on the Solstice or when you celebrate Yule.
22. Tarot Card Decorations
Have a lot of tarot decks? Choose a tarot deck you don’t actually use and select cards that resonate with the pagan holiday, such as The Sun, The Hermit, The Star, or The World. Punch a small hole near the top of each card, thread ribbon or twine through it, and decorate with rhinestones, beads, or metallic ink for a touch of sparkle then hang them on your Yule tree.
23. Spell Charm Ornaments
Fill clear glass or plastic ornaments with a mix of dried herbs, stones, and written intentions to create your own Yule spell ornament. Choose ingredients that match your intention and hang them on your Yule tree, place them on your altar, or gift them to friends for the coming year.
- For Love: Rose petals, cinnamon, quartz crystal, basil, pink ribbon
- For Protection: Salt, rosemary, juniper, obsidian or black tourmaline
- For Abundance: Cinnamon, clove, citrine, and a bay leaf (write your wish on it)
- For Harmony: Lavender, chamomile, salt, amethyst
24. Intention Setting Ornaments
Create your own intention ornaments with this Felted Potion Bottle Ornament pattern. It’s another way to bring a touch of magic and whimsy to your Yule tree or altar.
25. Cinnamon Wrapped Candle
Take a wide pillar candle and use hot glue to completely wrap the outside with vertical cinnamon sticks. The cinnamon not only releases a festive scent but symbolically draws in prosperity and warmth for the coming year. Finish the look by wrapping the center of the candle with a piece of natural burlap or rustic twine, tying it off with a sprig of dried pine or a rune or pentagram charm.
Pagan Yule Decorations Available Online
If you’d rather shop than glue-gun, these finds blend humor, folklore, and old-world style. From Krampus ornaments to Celtic witch bells, these Yule decor items make it easy to deck your halls with personality and a little pagan history.
Wooden Planchette Ornament
This sassy planchette ornament that blends witchcraft and holiday humor. It’s perfect for any pagan who prefers spooky and sparkly. Get it on Etsy.
Yule Goat
Not up for making your own julbock? Pick up a crocheted one on Etsy. Or a straw Yule goat on Amazon. Or, a wooden one at Ikea. Basically, there’s one for in any material you choose.
Krampus on a Cat Ornament
This laser-cut wooden ornament pairs a mischievous cat with Krampus for a bold, folk-art-inspired twist on classic Yule decor. Get it on Etsy.
“Put the Drunken Pagan Debauchery Back in Christmas” Pillow
For those who like their Yule with a dose of irreverence. This pillow makes a statement while keeping things cozy and unapologetically pagan. Get it on TeePublic.
Yule Witch Bells
Crafted with natural materials and brass bells, this door hanger adds both sound and symbolism—meant to welcome good energy and ward off the rest. Get them at Twig and Stone.
Grapevine Pentacle
A rustic, handmade pentacle perfect for Yule wreaths, altar spaces, the holiday table, or as a tree ornament. Get it on Etsy.
Yule Characters Print
This print by Aritree is an illustrated nod to Icelandic folklore. This art print captures the darker mythic side of Yule with images of the Gryla, Mari Lwyd, the Yule Lads, Krampus, and the Yule Cat. Get it on Etsy.
Tomte and Nisse Figures
This Scandinavian-style tomte brings traditional Nordic charm to your Yule display. Though they’ve been co-opted into Christmas decorations, the Tomte (Swedish) or Nisse (Norwegian/Danish) is a solitary, mischievous household spirit from Nordic folklore. Ikea has some cute ones this year and you can get them here.
Yule Cards
Send season’s greetings for Yule. Or, display these cards on your fridge. From cards that feature Iceland’s legendary Yule Cat (available on Etsy here) or those featuring winter solstice scenes, they’re perfect for pagan or folklore fans.
