Yule Log Celebration
Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Thank you to those who joined us from afar and gathered in the Wren Courtyard for the annual Yule Log ceremony. The ceremony is now available as a recording for all to enjoy. We enjoyed festive music and singing, student reflections on themes of peace, joy and gratitude, the reading of special poems and stories, and the tossing of sprigs of holly into the fireplace in the Great Hall for good luck.
Joining from afar? We've compiled everything here you need to create your own virtual watch party, complete with special recipes, festive digital downloads, ways to share messages of gratitude.
Share Your Messages of Gratitude Using #wmYuleLog
It's a time-honored William & Mary tradition to cast aside the year's woes by tossing a sprig of holly into the flames of the Yule log. In recent years, students have created a new tradition of adorning the trees in the Wren portico with paper doves, along with messages of gratitude.
As you prepare to toss your worries away, share your messages of hope and gratitude on Instagram or Twitter using #wmYuleLog and it may appear on the social wall below for all to enjoy! Don't have a public account? Submit them to us directly.
Option 1: Decorate a Paper Dove
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Option 2: Design a Dove in PowerPoint
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Option 3: Use an Image TemplateSelect an image to enlarge. Hold down the enlarged image to save to a phone. Right-click or drag the enlarged image to save to your desktop. Then use an image editor of your choice to add your message of gratitude and upload to Twitter or Instagram using #wmYuleLog, or submit it to us. |
View messages on the Social Wall
Prepare Virgie Williams's Recipes
For those not able to join us in person to share cider and cookies after the ceremony, take time with family and friends to prepare some of these festive and historic recipes from Williamsburg's Virgie Williams to enjoy during the ceremony and throughout the holiday season. (With thanks to Abram Clear '21, Yule Log 2020 co-chair, for introducing these recipes from the Swem Special Collections Research Center).
About Virgie Williams
Virgie Williams’s daughter, QuoVadis Wright, kept historical records of Williamsburg’s Black community. Wishing to make her records accessible, Wright donated her collected histories and family papers to Swem Special Collections Research Center. The Lemon Project and Dr. Jody Allen facilitated Swem Special Collections’ 2016 acquisition of Wright’s papers. In addition to her mother’s recipes, the QuoVadis Wright Family Papers include photographs, sketches, and handwritten reflections. In a 2016 Virginia Gazette article, “Recalling how the past paved way for present,” Wright detailed her experiences as a Williamsburg resident. Read her account of life during segregation and notes of changes she saw within the Williamsburg community. As an independent project, senior students in William & Mary’s undergraduate American Studies Program researched the history of the Triangle District. View their compiled research and learn more about local Black history, the Triangle Block, Williams and other Black entrepreneurs. |
CocoaIngredients: Instructions: |
Dutch Apple CakeIngredients: Instructions: |
Chocolate CookiesIngredients: Instructions: |
Cinnamon RollsIngredients: Instructions: |
More Ways to Celebrate Yule Log
Enjoy the Sights & Sounds of the Great Hall FireplaceThe burning of the Yule log within the fireplace of the Great Hall of the Wren Building is a highlight of this annual ceremony. Now you can watch a video of the lit fireplace anytime, or cast it on a screen to set the mood for your own Yule Log watch party. Love holiday music? Bring the joy of W&M a cappella into your celebration and watch a special version featuring performances by the Botetourt Chamber Singers, Accidentals and The Gentlemen of the College. |
Share Festive Stickers & GIFs
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Consider a Gift to Williamsburg House of Mercy
Gifts are welcome online or via Venmo. To give with Venmo, scan or tap the QR code using your phone, or search the Venmo website and mobile app for @WilliamsburgHouseOfMercy. |
Find Alumni Celebrations Near YouJoin William & Mary alumni, parents, family and friends around the world as we share in this beloved holiday tradition! Every December, the William & Mary community celebrates new beginnings with Yule Log ceremonies. This holiday tradition began in the 1930s and has been part of the William & Mary experience for generations of alumni. The cares and worries of the year burn away with the holly in the Yule fire, and our community — on campus and around the world — comes together with shared hope for the future. |
Watch the Ceremony
We were pleased to offer a live broadcast of the ceremony beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 17, 2022.
Program
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