Yule Log Celebration
Virtual ceremony streamed live on Saturday, December 12, at 7:00 p.m. ET
Thank you to those who joined us live, from the comfort of your own homes, for the Virtual Yule Log ceremony. The ceremony is now available as a recording for all to enjoy. Viewers are treated to festive music and singing, student reflections on themes of hope and joy, the reading of special poems and stories and virtual tossing of ceremonial sprigs of holly into the fireplace in the Great Hall of the Wren Building for good luck. We've compiled everything you need to create your own virtual watch party, complete with special recipes, festive digital downloads and 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. This year, the community was encouraged to decorate doves and share messages of hope and gratitude on Instagram or Twitter using #wmYuleLog. Their submissions appear on the social wall below for all to enjoy!
Here's how it worked:
Option 1: Decorate a paper dove.
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Option 2: Design your digital dove in PowerPoint.
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Option 3: Select an image template and add your text.Select 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. |
View messages on the Social Wall
Prepare Virgie Williams's Recipes
Although we cannot gather in person to share cider and cookies after the Yule Log ceremony this year, 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.
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. |
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More Ways to Celebrate Yule Log
Enjoy the sights and sounds of a fire in the Great Hall fireplace.The 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. |
Check out our festive stickers and GIFs.
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Consider giving to Dare to DREAM.Each year the students of Omicron Delta Kappa and Mortar Board select an organization to be the focus of their annual Yule Log philanthropy. This year the students have chosen the Dare to DREAM fund. Created by the William & Mary student organization WMFIRE, the Dare to DREAM fund helps offset the costs that students with heightened vulnerability due to their immigration classification may face, including aid for approved legal fees and documentation renewals during their time at William & Mary. WMFIRE is an organization dedicated to making the William & Mary community and beyond equitable for all, regardless of immigration status. Their mission is to accomplish this by addressing the current inequities and obstacles faced by the immigrant, migrant and undocumented community-at-large through education, empowerment and action. Their work includes lobbying, fundraising, educational events, trainings on how to be a better ally to Undocumented people, and creating spaces of belonging on campus for all students. |
Participate in the alumni celebrations.On Thursday, December 17, the William & Mary Alumni Association will hosted virtual Yule Log celebrations at 6:00 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET. Both programs began with a brief Yule Log ceremony featuring the W&M Choir, Gentlemen of the College and the Tradition of Yule Log. Afterwards, participants took part in alumni-led activities, from cocktail making to art and drawing, or networking with fellow members of the W&M community at a virtual table. |
Watch the Ceremony
Program
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