Source: Battle Creek Enquirer
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061202/LIFESTYLE08/612020306
Homes were once warmed by a fire in the hearth, and it was tradition to save the first log of the season to be burned in a Yule celebration.
Over time, fewer and fewer homes were built with a fireplace and the tradition faded.
Yet in small pockets of the community, the tradition remains.
At Sacred River Moon Metaphysical Spiritual Center in Battle Creek, Yuletide celebrations continue.
Christi Fleming, also known as Crowfox, is a high priestess at Sacred River Moon. She explained that during the Dec. 22 winter solstice - which is the shortest and darkest day of the year - family and friends gather for Yule Sabbat.
According to wikipedia.org, Yule was the winter solstice celebration of the Germanic pagans. In Wicca, a form of the holiday is observed as one of the eight solar holidays, or sabbats, where Yule is celebrated on the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere on Dec. 21.