Yule Decorations: Candles, Logs and Greenery for a Dark Solstice

Yule decorations center on candles, evergreens, a decorated log and the colors of deep winter, set out around the December solstice. For a goth home, that means black or red tapers, dark greenery, antlers and moons in place of Santa. They work alongside a Christmas tree or instead of one.

What counts as a Yule decoration?

Yule decorations draw on midwinter customs from northern Europe, and many of them later blended into Christmas. Britannica says Yule is generally thought to have begun as a Norse festival called jól, though scholars disagree about its purpose. Forms of the word appear in Old English and Old Norse, and its deeper origin is unknown, so no one can hand you an authentic rule book.

That leaves plenty of room to choose. These pieces are the ones most people recognize:

Antlers, moons, stars and little ravens aren’t old Yule customs, but they fit the mood and tie the room together.

Making a Yule log centerpiece

A Yule log centerpiece is the easiest place to start, because one piece can anchor a whole table. Look for a log with a flat base and drilled candle holes, or buy a plain one and add greenery around it.

Keep the styling simple:

1. Set the log on a runner or tray that protects the table.
2. Tuck in faux fir, pinecones and a few dried orange slices.
3. Add two or three LED tapers at different heights.
4. Finish with a black velvet ribbon, or a tiny felt bat if the mood is more cute than solemn.

The traditional Yule log was a specially chosen log burned on the hearth, though its origins remain unclear. A tabletop version keeps the look without the fireplace.

Candle safety around dried greenery

Candles and dried greenery make a bad pair if they sit too close. The U.S. Fire Administration says lit candles should stay at least 12 inches from anything that can burn, and they should go out before you leave the room.

A log crowded with dried fir can’t meet that rule, so use real flames only on a clear holder. Flameless LED tapers solve the problem for the log itself, and they also suit a mantel, a shelf or a home with cats.

A dark Yule color palette

A dark Yule palette starts from deep natural colors, then leans them toward black. Forest green and oxblood keep the winter feel, while antique gold or tarnished silver adds a little glow.

Texture does more work than color in a dim room. Velvet ribbon, matte black ceramic, rough birch bark and old brass all look richer by candlelight than shiny plastic does. Try three colors at most, then repeat them in the wreath, the table and the tree.

Can Yule and Christmas share one room?

Yule and Christmas can share a room with no trouble, since the two have long shared customs. Keep your tree, then pull the styling toward the season rather than Santa. Stars, moons, pinecones and candle-style lights do most of that shift.

Our guide to how to decorate a goth Christmas tree covers layering dark ornaments, and black wire Christmas lights hide neatly against dark greenery. For a stricter old-world mood, a Victorian Christmas tree pairs well with tapers and velvet. For presents that suit the solstice, see Yule gifts.

Yule next to Krampus and creepmas

Yule decorations sit at the quiet end of a dark holiday, and Krampus sits at the loud end. A straw goat on the mantel can happily share a shelf with a horned figure if you like both moods.

Our Krampus decorations guide covers that folklore side, our Krampus masks guide explains the carved masks and how they differ from the Perchten masks of the nights after Christmas, and goth Christmas decor brings the whole room together, from the tree to the door.