Welcome to My Week on Wednesday!
It’s Christmas Eve and Christmas carols are playing in my kitchen while the kids rattle around in there, cleaning up the mess we all made earlier baking cookies.
And, while I love Christmas, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the other winter holiday our family celebrates — Yule, or the Winter Solstice.
This is the time of the year when the nights are at their longest. It is dark, and it is cold. And, with our furnaces and electric lights, the dark and cold maybe does not have quite the same impact as it did on our ancestors, but it is still something we take notice of.
We decorate our houses with lights and bring an evergreen tree inside to remind us that spring will come again. And we join together to bring light and laughter and good cheer into our homes while we await the return of the newborn sun.
Yule is a time for reflection and renewal, but it is also a merry time for kindness, goodwill, and gift-giving.
Our family invites friends, family, and neighbors into our home on (or about) the Winter Solstice to eat, drink, and be merry to celebrate the Return of Light.
And because I still have a zillion things to do before Christmas morning, this My Week on Wednesday is here to include simply the menu of our Yule celebration.
Most of the recipes are, of course, mine or from of my friends over at the Homestead Bloggers Network, or some of my other favorite bloggers.
So we had…
Wine. Lots of wine.
How to Cook a Frozen Pot Roast by Mommypotamus. This year we bought half of a beautiful grass-fed cow from our friends at Plato Dale Farm, and wanted to incorporate it into our dinner. And wanted to use the crock pot because… well… it just makes life easier. But. Well. When have you ever known me to think ahead? Not a problem. Mommmypotamus had me covered. And it was delicious.
Winter Vegetable Medley by Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers. Yeah. Me.
Apfelrotkohl (Red Cabbage with Apples) from Northern Homestead. This was seriously delicious. And so easy.
A cheese tray. This is where there is supposed to be a picture of this gorgeous creation with the cheese all laid out in the shape of a Christmas tree or something. ***cough*** But there was a cheese tray, though it was not worthy of a photograph. Or, at least it wasn’t so amazing that I was prompted to put down my glass of wine and grab the camera. 
Traditional Venezuelan Bread made with ham, green olives, and raisins. I’m afraid I don’t have a recipe for this, or even its proper name, but it was fabulous; brought and made by one of our friends who is from Venezuela.
Jan Hagel from Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers. Because everyone loves these, and they are easy.
Savory Stuffed Mushrooms from Thank Your Body; post by Erica of These Three Remain. Everyone loves these. Plus they are easy. Are you sensing a theme here?
Bûche de Noël from Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers. This is a chocolate cake made in the shape of a log and is our special Yuletide treat.
And, finally, we rounded out our Yuletide Celebration the next day with a walk in the woods, enjoying the sunshine! 
How do you celebrate the Return of Light?
Please feel free to leave a comment with any special traditions your family has!
And thank you for joining me for my abbreviated version of My Week on Wednesday! Because of the Holidays, I won’t be around as much as normal, but be sure to come visit me on Facebook, hang out with me on Google+ and follow me on Pintrest and Twitter!
And be sure to join us in two Fridays when the From the Farm Blog Hop returns next year!
If you liked this post, please share it!
PIN it HERE!
Please Note: Some of the links found at Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers are affiliate links. I often include these links to illustrate exactly what product I am talking about. You may be able to find the product cheaper somewhere else, including your own grocery store! However, if you use an affiliate link to enter a shopping site (such as Amazon.com), and do decide to make a purchase, we may receive a small commission. There is no additional cost to you, however these commissions help us to support this blog, and sometimes to buy dog food! We are very grateful for your support!
We only ever promote products and businesses that we believe will be helpful to our readers.
The photos in this post were edited with PicMonkey.
If you liked this post, you might also like:
