The season is for celebrating the rebirth of the sun. The Sun God, who dies at Samhain, is reborn from the Maiden aspect of the Pagan holy trinity: Maiden, Mother, Crone. The notion of "hoping" for the return of summer light seems strange in modern times, but the originators of these traditions did not have the scientific sophistication of contemporary times. The waxing and waning of sunlight was a mystery.

This is one of three holy days that feel supremely comfortable to Pagans because they are celebrated by the culture at large with many of the Pagan customs and conventions in place. The reds and greens, the lights, the trees, the garlands, the song, the feast, the drink... all Pagan as can be. Practices of the season such as gift giving, tree decorating, the hanging of greenery, kissing under mistletoe and the burning of a Yule log are all unmistakably Pagan. The old Pagan ways are the template over which some religious traditions have laid claims to the season.

The most common tradition still in existence from times of old is probably the Yule tree. Stringing rosebuds, cinnamon sticks and popcorn garlands are all Pagan traditions, used for keeping the wood spirits warm during the cold winter months. Bells were hung in the limbs so they would ring when spirits passed by.