Rating: 
Summary: "Yule" Love it!
Review: (Couldn't resist the title.)
Llewellyn gives us another treasure in their Pagan Holiday series of titles. Yule is the book you will want to keep out to read all through the winter. Dorothy Morrison looks at the Pagan traditions and history of this holiday season, in a book filled with gift ideas for both people and our familiars, and winter recipes to warm the solstice heart. There are foods from around the world, such as British plum pudding, and cajun pralines. Included is a recipe for reindeer sandwiches, but not to worry, they just look like reindeer but taste like peanut butter! Kids will also love the projects and stories from this book. A daily event calendar is listed in the back of the book for the entire month of December. This book will be a treasure for years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Misinformation Galore
Review: At first glance, I thought this book would be helpful when I spied it on the bookshelf at my local bookstore. However, when I opened it to the introductory chapter I learned that the culture which gave the name Yule (the Norse) where not even mentioned...at all. I finally found a blurb about them in the paragraph on mistletoe. But the story pertaining to mistletoe and the god Balder was completely wrong. All in all, when I flipped through the rest of the book, I found that if I did about a week's research online and in a few books, I could've done a better job with this than she did.
Rating:
Summary: Misinformation Galore
Review: At first glance, I thought this book would be helpful when I spied it on the bookshelf at my local bookstore. However, when I opened it to the introductory chapter I learned that the culture which gave the name Yule (the Norse) where not even mentioned...at all. I finally found a blurb about them in the paragraph on mistletoe. But the story pertaining to mistletoe and the god Balder was completely wrong. All in all, when I flipped through the rest of the book, I found that if I did about a week's research online and in a few books, I could've done a better job with this than she did.
Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: Finally a book on Yule I had big hopes--until I got the book home and began to read all of the mis-information,the author did not do the required reasearch to have all of her facts straight. I do not recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Ideas for Celebrating w/ Your Kids & Non-Pagan Family!
Review: I bought this book because I was looking for new ways to incorporate Yule into our family celebrations. My children are getting older (leaving toddlerhood) and only in the last couple of years have we started celebrating the Pagan holidays together as a Pagan family (I was in the broom closet for 10 years).This book gave us lots of ideas on how we can merge Yule and the commercial X-Mas season together without making it too "weird" for the kids and changing everything they are used to. It was neat to see how many things we already do traditionally that was covered in this book. This book gave us lots of neat craft and activity ideas that we can do as a family...and ideas on how to celebrate with the non-Pagan family as well!! I highly recommend this book to Pagan parents or young Pagan families.
Rating:
Summary: Not the Real Jul!
Review: The word Yule comes from the Norse language. It is written Jul (pronounced Yule.) 'Jul' is celebrated in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. I don't understand why this book is called Yule - barely anything in it has to do with Yule. I used to live in America and everything in this book seemed to be about what Americans do for 'Christmas'.
Then there is the chapter about festivals of light around the world - the author mentions Christmas, Hannukah, and KWANZAA before the section on 'Yule', when she mentions Jul for one sentence before going on to Celtic, Iranian and German celebrations. ???? What?
The next chapter talks about winter celebrations around the world - What does what they do in Pakistan, Mexico, Iraq, China and Greece have to do with JUL???
In the 'Yule Traditions and Symbols' chapter the author doesn't even mention Santa Lucia!! That has got to be the biggest Jul tradition/symbol in Sweden, where we celebrate Jul, not Christmas.
The 'History' chapter was not accurate.
I liked the recipes and crafts. BUT, I didn't find any recipes that we up here in Northern Europe actually eat for JUL!! Where are the recipes for glugg, saffron buns and pudding? It had Cajun and Spanish recipes...Why?
Even though this book had almost nothing to do with Yule/Jul, it was a fun read. The authors style is warm and it's hard to get bored reading this book. I would suggest buying it but skip the first part of the book and go straight to the crafts and recipes! God Jul!!
Rating:
Summary: Should be titled "Winter Solstice Celebrations"
Review: This book is very good except for the oft noted fact that it is mistitled. The book is not about the holiday of Yule/Jul, it is about the various ways the Winter Solstice is celebrated in America and throughout the world. Of course, I give the author credit, many other books on the Sabbats call the Winter Solstice festival 'Yule' even if the description of the celebration doesn't at all resemble the Norse Jul. The 'Yule' name is even commonly used to describe Christmas, another Winter Solstice festival. So I give the book 4 stars for content despite the title's flaw. I cannot, however, give the book 5 stars for the simple fact that Christians did NOT call December 25th "Birth of the Son" because 'son' rhymes with 'sun.' As stated in other reviews, this is the most ridiculous line in the whole book. Skip the first chapter and move on to the good stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Chaulked full of valuable historical & relevent information!
Review: This book was well laid out with easy to follow informational guides. I not only learned more about Yule...but of Winter celebrations from around the globe. This is a must-have for every parent eager to educate your family in the diversities waiting on the other side of your front door. From Kwanzaa to Christmas this book will tell you how they began and the traditions enjoyed by each. I simply was not expecting such a wonderful read. I flew through the first half of the book in one sitting! This book is not just for the Pagan parent...it would be a valuable educational asset to any parent.
Rating: 
Summary: Title Should Read: Christmas
Review: This book's title should have been "Christmas" not "Yule". Ms. Morrison obviously loves the Christmas season and enjoys sharing it with the reader. However, the focus is on the holiday of *Christmas* not Yule. Part I includes a suspect history of the origins of Christmas, the symbology of Christmas, a very brief touching on four chosen "festivals of light", winter holidays around the world (mostly how Christmas is celebrated in various countries), and chapters on trivia, also related to Christmas. Winter Solstice is not even described until Chapter 3 where it receives one paragraph *after* three other "festivals of light" have already received their brief description. Part II gives us a chapter devoted to housecleaning and a success spell...nothing new here. Then we have several chapters on crafts and decoration, all Christmas oriented. The crafts and decorating are terribly mainstream and old hat, especially for parents like me. Parts III and IV are what got this book 3 stars from me...something I can actually use is presented. Ms. Morrison presents a chapter on "Quick and Easy Yule Gifts" to make and give. I found a lot of useful ideas in this chapter...many to most were not really new to me but it was nice to have the directions all conveniently located within this book. My children will enjoy the chants that go with the making of the gifts. Then, skipping several chapters on already-done crafts and some lame games, I found some nice recipes in the "Eat, Drink and Be Merry" chapter. Vegetarians and Vegans beware...lots of meat and dairy in there. The recipes are pretty mainstream and well-known holiday favorites. Personally though I prefer the recipes presented in "Witch in the Kitchen" by Cait Johnson. Johnson provides very earthy, warm recipes perfect for Winter Solstice. In a previous writing of this review, I expressed interest in the "Daily Event Calendar" which is a day-by-day for December 1st to 31st. This is probably the most Pagan part of the entire book. Each day references a diety, information about the day such as what might be celebrated on that day in other countries, suggested activities for the day, and of course Ms. Morrison's trademark of always including a suggested chant. I had thought I would use this with my kids, but after really going over the chapter, I just felt that the information and ideas were too superficial and "fluffy" for me, and the verses were too cutesy and/or forced. So, if one retitles this book to be "Christmas: A Celebration of Light and Warmth", it would likely get a much higher rating from me and others who have likewise been disappointed with the amazing lack of Winter Solstice content and surprising focus on Christmas. As a Christmas book, it's good...as a book on Yule, it's terribly lacking. Still, 3 stars for Ms. Morrison's friendly style and for being a good book on *Christmas*.
Rating:
Summary: Title Should Read: Christmas
Review: This book's title should have been "Christmas" not "Yule". Ms. Morrison obviously loves the Christmas season and enjoys sharing it with the reader. However, the focus is on the holiday of *Christmas* not Yule. Part I includes a suspect history of the origins of Christmas, the symbology of Christmas, a very brief touching on four chosen "festivals of light", winter holidays around the world (mostly how Christmas is celebrated in various countries), and chapters on trivia, also related to Christmas. Winter Solstice is not even described until Chapter 3 where it receives one paragraph *after* three other "festivals of light" have already received their brief description. Part II gives us a chapter devoted to housecleaning and a success spell...nothing new here. Then we have several chapters on crafts and decoration, all Christmas oriented. The crafts and decorating are terribly mainstream and old hat, especially for parents like me. Parts III and IV are what got this book 3 stars from me...something I can actually use is presented. Ms. Morrison presents a chapter on "Quick and Easy Yule Gifts" to make and give. I found a lot of useful ideas in this chapter...many to most were not really new to me but it was nice to have the directions all conveniently located within this book. My children will enjoy the chants that go with the making of the gifts. Then, skipping several chapters on already-done crafts and some lame games, I found some nice recipes in the "Eat, Drink and Be Merry" chapter. Vegetarians and Vegans beware...lots of meat and dairy in there. The recipes are pretty mainstream and well-known holiday favorites. Personally though I prefer the recipes presented in "Witch in the Kitchen" by Cait Johnson. Johnson provides very earthy, warm recipes perfect for Winter Solstice. In a previous writing of this review, I expressed interest in the "Daily Event Calendar" which is a day-by-day for December 1st to 31st. This is probably the most Pagan part of the entire book. Each day references a diety, information about the day such as what might be celebrated on that day in other countries, suggested activities for the day, and of course Ms. Morrison's trademark of always including a suggested chant. I had thought I would use this with my kids, but after really going over the chapter, I just felt that the information and ideas were too superficial and "fluffy" for me, and the verses were too cutesy and/or forced. So, if one retitles this book to be "Christmas: A Celebration of Light and Warmth", it would likely get a much higher rating from me and others who have likewise been disappointed with the amazing lack of Winter Solstice content and surprising focus on Christmas. As a Christmas book, it's good...as a book on Yule, it's terribly lacking. Still, 3 stars for Ms. Morrison's friendly style and for being a good book on *Christmas*.
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