seasonal query

[firefly]

Where does 'yule' and 'yuletide' derive from?

[sft42]

Yule is from an old Germanic root, Jul, meaning "to turn," and referred to the phenomenon of the sun "turning" in the sky three days after the winter solstice. To the ancients, seeing the sun seem to sink lower in the sky each day through the long autumn months must have been a frightening experience! What if the sun simply disappeared beneath the horizon? What if the winter continued indefinitely? It would mean the end of life for all creatures. At the winter solstice, the sun seems to "stand still" in the sky for a couple of days. (The word solstice literally means "sun standing" in Latin.) Three days after the solstice (by today's calendar, that's December 25), the sun starts to rise again in the sky. This is the Jul (pronounced "Yule"), the turning of the sun. It was a time of rejoicing because it meant the winter would eventually end and the summer return

Of course it's real meaning these days is misery and months of paying off bills for presents that no-one really wants.