For many witches, December marks a sacred turning point, offering deep stillness before the light returns. At Winter Solstice (or Yule) we celebrate the rebirth of the Sun and the quiet, gentle renewal that follows the year’s longest night.

It’s a time to rest, reflect, and rekindle your inner flame. As the natural world slumbers beneath frost and snow, the energy of December invites gratitude, release, and gentle preparation for the new cycle ahead.

But our modern world rarely allows us to tend to this sacred part of the cycle. With the busyness of Christmas already going strong, the gift buying, the decorating and the parties… December usually feels like a whirlwind of activity.

As witches, we must find our own balance.

There’ SO much fun on offer in December! But it’s also really important to carve out time to rest and restore.

In this article, I’m sharing 15 witchy tasks, tips and spells for this special month. As ever, everything is an invitation, and definitely not an extra item on your to-do list! So do what calls to you, leave everything else.

Some of the witchcraft tasks and ideas suggested here may require a few supplies – we’ve spent some time sourcing them, so you don’t have to. The links here are affiliate, meaning a few pennies come our way when you click, at no extra cost to you.

So here goes – 15 witchy ways to honour December’s unique magick, and find your sacred path through…

1. Create a Yule Altar

Yule, the Winter Solstice, marks the rebirth of the Sun. Falling around the 20-22nd Decemebr, it marks the return of light after the longest night.

Create your altar with evergreens, pinecones, holly, and cinnamon sticks. Add gold and red candles to honour the Sun’s warmth and life.

You could also use a symbol of both the Holly King (ruler of the waning year) and the Oak King (ruler of the waxing year) to represent the eternal balance between shadow and renewal.

Light your candles and speak a blessing for the turning of the Wheel: “As light returns, so does hope, warmth, and creation.”

2. Craft a Winter Solstice Candle Spell

Fire is sacred, and holds an extra special place at the centre of any Yule ritual or spell, representing the newborn Sun.

Choose a candle in gold, yellow, deep red, or white.

Anoint it with oils like orange, cinnamon, or frankincense to call in renewal and protection, then dress with gentle, yet vital herb such as chamomile.

Place it in a fire-safe holder and as you light the flame, visualise sunlight spreading across a frozen landscape, your personal light awakening again.

Speak your intention aloud, something like: “As the Sun returns, so does my strength and clarity.”

Repeat this spell for twelve nights to amplify its power.

Need supplies?

• Orange spell candles – these are failsafe
• Gold tapers
• Pure yellow beeswax tapers – our absolute favourite, these are beautiful
• Frankincense oil (this brand is my favourite) or…
• Sweet orange oil
• Pure vanilla essential oil – this adds a beautiful sweetness to winter candle magick
• Birch essential oil – unusual but gorgeous
• Dried chamomile flowers
• Need a winter spell candle holder? THIS set of 3 ceramic holders is gorgeous and so wintry

3. Brew a Yule Tea Blend

Witches have long used herbal teas as potions of warmth, healing, and connection.

Brew a comforting Yule tea this winter, using your favourite herbs associated with abundance and joy:

• Chamomile flowers for peace
• Clove for protection
• Rosehips for vitality
• Crushed cinnamon sticks for luck

While your tea steeps, stir clockwise to draw in blessings for the new year. Visualize golden light swirling through the pot, infusing every drop with intention.

As you sip, meditate on gratitude for what has sustained you and on hope for what’s to come.

Taking your time and turning tea into a ceremony can have SUCH an impact on your general wellbeing, especially in December, when life can pass by in a blur unless you intentionally slow down.

Share this tea ritual with friends as part of a winter gathering or gift a jar of your personal Yule blend, as a handmade spell of comfort.

Treat yourself to a new pot?

We love these –

Classic black enamel witchy pot

4. Perform a Year-End Release Ritual

Before the calendar turns, take time to clear old energy.

Write down habits, fears, or experiences you want to leave behind on slips of paper. Under the waning moon, safely burn them in a fireproof dish or bury them in the earth. As you do, visualize their weight lifting from you.

End the ritual by washing your hands in saltwater or snow to purify and close the spell.

Get more inspiration here: The Perfect Release Ritual for New Years Eve

5. Cleanse Your Home with Evergreen Smoke

Evergreens like pine, cedar, and juniper have been used for centuries to purify and protect during the darkest time of year.

Their smoke carries the essence of endurance and renewal.

Bundle dried sprigs and tie them with red thread. Light the tip and gently blow until it smoulders.

Move clockwise (sunwise) around your home, fanning smoke into corners and doorways. Speak words of renewal: “I welcome warmth and life, and release all that no longer serves.”

You can also simmer pine needles, rosemary, and lemon peel on your stove for a softer, fragrant energy cleanse.

Not making your own bundles?

Try these handmade energy cleansers:

Cleansing spray with juniper

6. Burn a Witch’s Yule Log

The Yule Log is one of the oldest winter traditions, symbolising the Sun’s rebirth.

Choose a log of oak (for strength) or pine (for purification).

Carve protective runes, such as Algiz or Sowilo, or your own sigils representing your personal intentions, and adorn it with dried herbs, cinnamon sticks, holly, twine or ribbon.

Traditionally, the Yule log would be burned over 12 consecutive nights. You can aim for this! Or alternatively, burn the night before Winter Solstice, as a celebration of the light.

You could also choose 12 smaller logs, and burn one each night.

Save a small piece of ash or unburned wood to light next year’s log – a meaningful link in your wheel of the year.

7. Decorate Your Yule Tree (Witch Style!)

The pine tree is one of the most ubiquitous modern Christmas symbols,  but evergreens have long been seen as sacred symbols of life that endures even in the coldest months.

Turn your tree into a more magickal centerpiece by hanging witchy charms, dried orange and cinnamon bundles, mini spell jars, or even DIY Tarot card decorations

You can also inscribe small wooden ornaments with runes or intentions, or tie ribbons symbolizing wishes for the coming year. Be sure to end with a blessing:

“Through winter’s dark, let bright stars shine,
Bless this tree with love divine.”

8. Create a Winter Protection Pouch

Winter’s stillness and cold can leave us energetically vulnerable.

Craft yourself a small fabric pouch filled with protective herbs like rosemary, pine needles, and cloves. Add a pinch of black salt or cascarilla and a small crystal such as black tourmaline or smoky quartz.

Hold the sachet in your hands, visualize it glowing with protective energy and whisper a charm such as:

“Herbs of power, herbs of might,
Wrap me safe in darkest night.”

Carry it in your coat pocket or hang it by the door to keep your energy strong throughout winter.

Protection pouch supplies:

• Organic dried rosemary
• Dried mugwort – source locally
• Black tourmaline chips or obsidian pieces
• Sea salt, black salt or cascarilla (make your own)
• Fabric scraps
• Needle and thread or hot melt glue gun – this is one of the best
• Seal with this fine black ribbon

9. Do a Divination for the Year Ahead

The dark season invites introspection and foresight. Light a candle and draw tarot or oracle cards, one for each month of the coming year, or three for overall guidance – past, present, and future.

Journal your insights, noticing themes that repeat or resonate. You can also use runes or pendulum work if that feels aligned.

Divination at Yule is a potent way to put the current caendar year to bed, and begin to sow seeds for the one coming up. It’s also a beautiful way to feel connected to your ancestors, who likely once read omens in the firelight, also trusting winter’s silence to reveal hidden truths…

Try one of these gorgeous decks for a fresh start:

Goddess Guidance Cards

Original Animal Medicine Cards

10. Prepare a Yule Feast

Food is magick in motion!

… And in winter, cooking, nourishment and the simple pleasure of tending to the body with sustaining food and flavours becomes really important. Do this with friends, and the positive benefits are multiplied!

Create a Yule feast with all of your favourite comforting, sesonal foods: sweet roasted root vegetables, sharp cranberries, crisp nuts, and mulled juice or cider.

As you cook, stir blessings into the meal with your intent and bask in the joy of kitchen witchery! Feast with your loved ones, honoring nourishment and connection as sacred acts.

Curious to learn more about kitchen witchery?

These are our go-to resources:

• The Kitchen Witch: Your Complete Guide by Skye Alexander is THE go-to book
• Kitchen Witch: Food, Folklore & Fairy Tales by Sarah Robinson – gorgeous book, one of Cosmopolitan magazine’s best witch books 2022.

• Wiccan Kitchen: A Guide to Magical Cooking & Recipes by Lisa Chamberlain

11. Light a Candle For the 12 days of Yule

The Twelve Days of Yule trace back to pre-Christian Germanic and Norse traditions, later blending with Christian “Twelve Days of Christmas” observances.

In witchcraft and pagan circles today, they’re often viewed as a spiritual bridge between the Winter Solstice and the calendar New Year (January 1st). Starting on Yule, light one candle each night for 12 nights. Each time you do, focus on these themes:

• The night before Winter Solstice: Known as Mother’s Night, this is the longest night, and it’s time to honour the beautiful, fertile, inner darkness of the Greath Mother. Celebrate her, as well as all the mothers you know, the maternal goddesses, and your own inner Mother.
• Day 1 – December 21: The Winter Solstice
  Yule begins on the longest night of the year, celebrating the rebirth of the Sun. Light candles or a Yule log to honor renewal and the turning of the Wheel.
• Day 2 – December 22: Restoration and Rebirth
  After the long night, we welcome the returning light. Create sun symbols, such as a Nordic sun wheel, or light a golden candle to represent rejuvenation.
• Day 3 – December 23: Family and Kinship
  Celebrate family and connection. Share a meal with loved ones, or express gratitude for the people—living or spiritual—who strengthen and support you.
• Day 4 – December 24: The Wild Hunt
  Honor the spirits and ancestors who roam the winter skies. Reflect on Odin and the mysteries of Yule; leave offerings like bread or apples at your doorstep.
• Day 5 – December 25: Community and Giving
  Focus on generosity and togetherness. Share food, small gifts, or heartfelt blessings with friends, neighbors, or your witchy community.
• Day 6 – December 26: Spiritual Renewal
  Light candles in the morning to bless your home. Cleanse your altar, crystals, or tarot cards, and set fresh intentions for the remainder of the Yule season.
• Day 7 – December 27: Wisdom and Divination
  Seek guidance for the year ahead through tarot, runes, or dreamwork. Reflect on lessons learned and the direction you wish to take next.
• Day 8 – December 28: Abundance and Prosperity
  Work a prosperity spell or burn cinnamon and clove incense to invite success. Express gratitude for the abundance already present in your life.
• Day 9 – December 29: Strength and Endurance
  Reflect on your resilience and personal power. Call on deities or ancestral spirits of courage, such as Thor, to fortify you for the year ahead.
• Day 10 – December 30: Protection and Purification
  Create a protective charm or wreath and cleanse your home using ethically sourced herbs. Focus on maintaining peace and positive energy.
• Day 11 – December 31: Celebration and Joy
  Celebrate the merging of Yule and the new year. Dance, make noise, or light sparklers to drive away darkness and welcome a brighter cycle.
• Day 12 – January 1: Renewal and New Beginnings
  The final day of Yule honors transformation and new starts. Write down goals, create a vision board, or greet the first sunrise with gratitude and hope.

This simple yet powerful ritual will help you bridge the dark and light in your home.

12. Work with the Full Cold Moon

This year, December’s Full Cold Moon falls on the 4th of the month, so don’t let it pass you by! Glowing with clarity and closure, it’s a beautiful time to reflect on what has ended and to set intentions for renewal.

• Charge your crystals or tools in the moonlight overnight.
• Make moon water by leaving a glass jar outside (or on a windowsill) under the full moon, then use it later for cleansing or anointing rituals.
• Meet your shadow with clarity and gentleness (using THIS guide)

13. Create a Winter Dreaming Spell

Long winter nights are portals for dream magick.

Fill a small pouch with lavender, mugwort, and chamomile, herbs tied to psychic vision and restful sleep. (THESE cotton drawstring bags are ideal for this kind of spell) 

Before bed, hold the sachet and whisper: “Through dream’s gate, let wisdom flow” then tuck it beneath your pillow.

Keep a dream journal nearby to record messages or symbols that arise. Many witches receive guidance during these quiet, snowy nights when the veil feels thin once more.

Need a good dream interpretation guide? Try…

The Dreamer’s Dictionary

14. Create a Holly Protection Wreath for Your Door

Holly is sacred to winter—its glossy leaves and red berries bringing both resilience and protection. In folklore, holly guarded homes from malevolent spirits during the darkest nights.

(Carefully!) weave holly branches with pine, cedar, and any other greenery you have growing locally. Finish with a gorgeous red ribbon to create your wreath. As you craft, speak intentions for peace, protection, and good fortune.

Hang it on your door to invite blessings and ward off negativity throughout the cold season. Renew it each year to keep the energy vibrant and strong.

Supplies you’ll need:

• A wreath base, like this 10-inch circular wire base
• … or this very large grapevine base (makes a stunning wreath)
• … or try this Moon-shaped wreath base
• Holly – complete with berries if you can
• Lots of evergreens (ivy, cedar, fir cuttings)
• Floral wire or twine
• Scissors or garden shears
• Mixed pentacle and star charms – these are ideal for added protection
• THIS frayed-edge red velvet ribbon is absolutely stunning!
• or go for gold with this beautiful golden ribbon

15. Choose a Spiritual Way to Celebrate New Year’s Eve

As the old year fades and a new one dawns, consider stepping away from the noise and pressure of traditional New Year’s parties. Instead, make the night a sacred threshold, a time for reflection, intention-setting, and spiritual renewal.

You could spend the evening journaling by candlelight, drawing cards for the coming year, or performing a simple ritual of release and gratitude. Even a mindful walk under the stars can become a moment of transformation (and you don’t need to do it solo! Call on some witchy sisters to see the new year in with you!)

For inspiration, read this post: 33 BEST Spiritual New Year Rituals + Traditions for 2025

So there you are! I hope these spells, rituals, tips and witchy tasks will allow you to embrace December in a new, yet ancient way.

It’s a month that invites us to slow down, listen in close, and reconnect with the quiet wisdom that lives in stillness. Through each small act of witchcraft – lighting a candle, stirring herbs, whispering intentions – we weave hope into the long nights and prepare our spirit for what’s to come.

You don’t have to rush toward the new year.

Let Yule teach you that renewal is a gentle process: the Sun returns slowly, and so do we.

However you celebrate, let your magick be simple, heartfelt, and filled with warmth.  Even in winter’s darkness, you too, are part of the returning light.

Blessings.