A Yuletide Reading List

This is a holiday tradition, my list of written materials about the winter holiday season and the return of the light to the north. Many of these books are out of print, but they can sometimes be found in used book shops, and they are often happy campers in your local library. May the works below be a light in your window, a red shawl around your shoulders, a pair of fuzzy socks, a mug of something hot and nourishing, a fire on your hearth conveying comfort, fellowship and festive spirit this holiday season.

No Yule interval would be complete without reading Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence. The five volumes are: Over Sea, Under Stone, The Dark is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King and Silver on the Tree. There is also John Masefield's Box of Delights, a childhood favorite, and at least four of my late friend Dolores Stewart Riccio's delightful Circle novels take place at (or near) Yule. I also read the late Phil Rickman's novel, December. He was a friend. 

 Christmas Folklore and Superstitions, 
A.R. Bane

The Oxford Book of Days,

Bonnie Blackburn and Leofranc Holford-Strevens

Echoes of Magic: A Study of Seasonal Festivals through the Ages,

C.A. Burland

The Book of Christmas Folklore,
Tristram Potter Coffin

Lights of Winter: Winter Celebrations Around the World,

Heather Conrad and DeForest Walker

Medieval Holidays and Festivals: A Calendar

of Celebrations, Madeleine Pelner Cosman

Christmas and Christmas Lore, T.G. Crippen

The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World, for the Winter Solstice, 

Carolyn McVickar Edwards

Christmas, A Biography, Cynthia Flanders

The Magic of the Winter Solstice: Seasonal Celebrations to Honour

Nature's Ever-turning Wheel, 

Danu Forest

Yule: History, Lore and Celebration,

Anna Franklin 

A Calendar of Festivals: Traditional

Celebrations, Songs, Seasonal Recipes

and Things to Make, Marian Green

Winter Magic, Sarah Haydon 

The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals As Solar

Observatories, John L. Heilbron

Celebrate the Solstice: Honoring the Earth's

Seasonal Rhythms Through Festival and

Ceremony, Richard Heinberg

Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual

Year in Britain, Britain, Ronald Hutton

The Winter Solstice, Ellen Jackson

The Dance of Time: The Origins of the Calendar, Michael Judge

 

The Solstice Evergreen: History, Folklore and Origins of the Christmas Tree,

Sheryl Karas

Perpetual Almanack of Folklore,

Charles Kightly

Sacred Celebrations: A Sourcebook,

Glennie Kindred

Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon Stars, and Planets,

E.C. Krupp

The Ancient Celtic Festivals: and How

We Celebrate Them Today,

Clare Walker Leslie and Frank E. Gerace

Celebrations Of Light : A Year of Holidays Around the World,

Nancy Luenn and Mark Bender

 Llewellyn's Little Book of Yule, Jason Mankey

The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions

Christmas, John Matthews and Caitlin Matthews

Rituals of Celebration: Honoring the Seasons of Life Through the Wheel of the Year,

Jane Meredith

Christmas in Ritual and Tradition,

Clement A. Miles

The Hedgewitch Book of Days, Spells Rituals

and Recipes for the Magical Year,

Mandy Mitchell

Yule: A Celebration of Light and Warmth,

Dorothy Morrison

The Provenance Press Guide to the Wiccan

Year: A Year Round Guide to Spells, Rituals,

and Holiday Celebrations, Judy Ann Nock

The Modern Witchcraft Guide to the Wheel

of the Year: From Samhain to Yule, Your

Guide to the Wiccan Holidays,

Judy Ann Nock

Sacred Origins of Profound Things:

The Stories Behind the Rites and Rituals of the World's Religions,

Charles Panati

Yule: Rituals, Recipes and Lore for the Winter Solstice, Susan Pesznecker

The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice,

Wendy Pfeffer

Christmas Folklore, Cory Nelson and Kyle Pressly

Celebrating the Winter Solstice, Theresa Reel

The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice,

Wendy Pfeffer and Jesse Reisch

The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for

the Darkest Days of the Year, Linda Raedisch

Pagan Christmas: The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at

the Origins of Yuletide, Christian Rätsch, Claudia

Müller-Ebeling

Keeping Christmas: Yuletide Traditions In Norway and

the New Land, Kathleen Stokker

When Santa Was A Shaman: Ancient Origins of Santa

Claus and the Christmas Tree, Tony van Renterghem

How To Celebrate Winter Solstice, Teresa Villegas

The Fires of Yule: A Keltelven Guide for Celebrating

the Winter Solstice, Montague Whitsel

The Wicca Cookbook: Recipes, Ritual and Lore,

Jamie Wood