Yuletide, a word used as a synonym for Christmas, is a combination of Yule, from the pagan winter festival Jol, and tide, which here refers to an annual festival or the season of said festival. ... Yuletide is the much older of the two words; its first half, yule, derives from an Old English noun geōl.

Why is Yule 12 days?

The Yule log was a whole tree meant to be burned for 12 days in the hearth. The Celts believed the sun stood still during the winter solstice. They thought by keeping the Yule log burning for these 12 days encouraged the sun to move, making the days longer.

What did Yule mean?

The word yule can be used as another name for Christmas, the Christian holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus. However, yule can also refer to the celebration of the Winter Solstice that's observed in some Pagan traditions. Like the word Christmas, yule can also be used to refer to the Christmas season—Christmastime.