A Beautiful Tradition for Christmas, Yule, or the Winter Season
There’s something universally human about tying a handwritten message to a tree branch.
And it’s an ideal time for it. Winter asks us to look inward.
A wishing tree (whether kept inside on a tabletop or outside) helps formalize that impulse.
Winter arrives with longer nights, stillness, emotional introspection, a desire for renewal, and a pause before new beginnings.
And across cultures, trees represent:
- Continuity
- Shelter
- Wisdom
- An axis between heaven and earth
Psychologists often note that making a thought external (like by writing it down and placing it somewhere visible) may help you move from rumination to release (Pennebaker 2016).
A winter wishing tree becomes that symbolic container.
What You’ll Learn in This Post
- What is a wishing tree?
- What a wishing tree symbolizes historically and culturally
- How wishing trees relate to winter festivals like Christmas and Yule
- How to build an indoor tree—and how to adapt an outdoor one
- What to write on wishes, intentions, prayers, or gratitudes
- How to turn it into a family, personal, or community ritual
- How to respectfully release wishes at season’s end
What Is a Wishing Tree?
A wishing tree is a tree (either living outdoors or constructed indoors) where people tie written intentions, prayers, hopes, or gratitudes to its branches.
These messages can take the form of small paper tags, fabric strips, or ribbons.
Across many cultures, wishing trees are used to mark transitions, like a new season, new year, holiday time, or personal milestone.
They’re also used to symbolically “plant” a hope for the future in a living structure.
Whether used spiritually, seasonally, or simply as a reflective craft, a wishing tree is a simple ritual that turns private wishes into shared or witnessed intentions.
Why Winter Is the Natural Season for a Wishing Ritual
Across Northern Hemisphere cultures, winter has long been the moment to:
- Bless new ventures
- Honor ancestors
- Invite protection
- Ask for abundance in spring
Because historically, winter was the dangerous season. There was often food scarcity, increased disease, isolation, and limited daylight.
So rituals of blessing emerged in part as psychological survival.
Winter became the season of intentional optimism.
Is a Wishing Tree Religious? Secular? Pagan? Christian?
The answer? Honestly, it can be any of the above. It’s all in how you approach it.
For Christmas Observers
Turn your wishing tree into:
- A gratitude tree
- A kindness tree
- A prayer tree
- A family blessing ritual
This aligns beautifully with Advent themes, including preparation, reflection, hope, and returning light.
For Yule Practitioners
A wishing tree also mirrors:
- Returning sun at the Winter Solstice
- Evergreen magic
- Winter threshold
- Seasonal rebirth
It echoes Norse & Celtic motifs of luck tied to trees, offerings given at the Winter Solstice, and renewal at midwinter.
For Non-Religious Readers
The ritual still works psychologically. It may help:
- Supports goal-setting
- Externalize emotional intentions
- Build family memory
- Encourage mindfulness
- Promote seasonal presence
A Quick Look at Wishing Trees Across Cultures and History
So, wishing trees have appeared nearly everywhere over time.
Ireland & Scotland: “Clootie Trees”
People tied fabric strips to branches near sacred wells. They were often connected to healing requests.
(Ó hÓgáin 2006)
Turkey: “Dilek Ağacı”
Visitors tie written prayers or cloth pieces to branches at shrines. (Karaman & Yeşil 2020)
Japan: Tanabata Festival
Wishes are written on colorful strips of paper and tied to bamboo. (Noda 2007)
Finland & Arctic Regions
Trees were marked for luck during the Winter Solstice and hunting journeys.
Indigenous Traditions Across North America
Prayer ties and tobacco offerings were placed on branches with intention. Not as a wish, but as reciprocity.
The universality here matters. Wishing trees aren’t the same tradition everywhere, but the impulse is very human (write → tie → release → celebrate).
How to Build Your Winter Wishing Tree
Choose one of two forms:
Indoor Wishing Tree
Perfect for:
- Entry tables
- Dining rooms (as a table centerpiece)
- Classroom settings
- Office desks
- Altar spaces
Materials
✔ Vase or jar
✔ Pebbles, rice, dried beans, sand (something to stabilize your branches)
✔ Bare tree branches or small evergreen cuttings
✔ Paper tags or ribbons
✔ Pen or thin marker
✔ A strand or two of removable twinkle lights
Optional adornments:
- Pinecones
- Dried oranges
- Cinnamon stick bundles
- Small star ornaments
How to Assemble
- Stand your branches upright in your vase or jar.
- Pour pebbles, rice, dried beans, or sand around them to anchor them so they don’t lean or tip over. Depending on your branches and your vase, you may or may not need these. Stick the branches in first and see how stable it feels.
- Add decorative elements if desired.
- Place a bowl of tags nearby.
If you like, you could use a small indoor potted tree instead.
Create a ritual out of visiting daily.
For example:
- Add one intention each night
- Add gratitudes from family conversations
- Write affirmations during journaling time
Outdoor Wishing Tree
Best for:
- Garden pathways
- Near porches
- Winter Solstice gatherings
- Community installations
Outdoor Materials
Try to use items that biodegrade:
✔ Recycled kraft paper
✔ Jute twine
✔ Raffia thread
✔ Cotton fabric strips
✔ Leaves used as tags
✔ A strand or two of removable twinkle lights
Because you’re working outdoors, try to void these, because wind, snow, and birds will interact with them:
- Plastic ties
- Laminated paper
- Foil ribbons
Outdoor Recommended Placement
Choose a tree that already has symbolic or visual presence. It could be a:
- Birch (renewal, purification)
- Pine (permanence and winter life)
- Oak (strength)
- Apple (wishes, blessing, love)
If it’s too cold outdoors, try working with a potted tree placed inside.
What to Write: Wish Prompts & Guided Reflections
So, what do you write? Try some of these prompts to get you started.
Wishes
“I hope…”
“I welcome…”
“I invite…”
Example: “I invite deeper clarity about my career.”
Gratitudes
“I’m thankful for…”
Example: “I am thankful for my community and my connection to it.”
Support Requests
Not demands (and not spells).
Example: “Please support me in finding healthier patterns.”
Endings
To release sticky thoughts.
“I am ready to close…”
Seasonal Ideas
- Rest after a demanding year
- New intentions
- Creativity
- Healing
- Courage
- Confidence
- Purpose
You can add:
- Affirmations
- Little drawings
- Gratitude lists
- Names
- Memories
When to Create Your Wishing Tree
Really, you can do it whenever you feel inspired to. Create your Winter Wishing Tree anytime after December 1, or wait for a meaningful moment like the Winter Solstice, Christmas Eve, or New Year’s night.
Try creating your wishing tree during:
- Early December
- Winter Solstice week
- Christmas Eve
- New Year’s Eve
- Twelfth Night (Jan. 5).
How to Release Your Wishes at the End of the Season
Try not to skip this part because it helps provide closure and move you forward. Choose from one of these:
Burn Them Safely
At the end of the season, remove your wishes from your Wishing Tree. Read each one aloud, then burn them safely, releasing their energy.
This can be psychologically symbolic, and may represent transformation and renewal.
It’s also historically grounded in European Winter Solstice fire rites.
Compost or bury them
This is especially good for wellness wishes, new beginnings, and seasonal goals.
It echoes “returning to earth” motifs.
Keep them in a small envelope
This is great if you want to hang on to them to journal against. Or if you’re going to turn your Wishing Tree into an annual event, you may want to archive them.
Reading them one year later often reveals how much life has shifted, even when we didn’t notice the changes happening.
Family-Friendly Adaptations
For Kids
Try these wishing prompts:
- Hopes for the school year
- Holiday kindness goals
- Things they’re proud of
- Bedtime affirmations
For Couples
Try wishes for:
- Communication
- Future plans
- Affection
- Shared dreams
For Solo Folks
Try using:
- Moon cycles
- Weekly journal additions
- Mindful Sunday reflections
For Classrooms
Ideas include:
- Tie wishes on colored paper for different subjects
- Gratitude for classmates
- Shared affirmations
A Short Blessing for Lighting Your Tree
This is totally optional, but this can be really nice when you light up your tree for the first time. You might say something like:
“As winter turns and new light begins to strengthen,
we place our hopes, prayers, intentions, and gratitudes here.
May we walk into the new season grounded, present,
and open to what unfolds.”
A Beautiful Twist: Wish Tags that Dissolve in Water
So, this is totally a thing: You can buy dissolvable paper (often sold as flash paper or rice paper).
Safe variations include:
- Biodegradable confetti paper
- Watercolor paper dissolved in warm water
I haven’t used this personally, but you might try something like this. (I just learned that this type of paper exists. So cool!) Search around online and see what you think is the best option. I did a search on Amazon for “water dissolvable paper.” I’m sure there are good, environmentally friendly options available.
Why this resonates:
Water = release
Paper = imprint
In addition to your Wishing Tree, this type of paper may be great for:
- New Year’s
- Winter Solstice baths
- January clearing rituals
Other Craft Variation Ideas
A Gratitude-Only Tree
Place only acknowledgements for what you’re grateful for in the past year.
A Releasing Tree
Dedicated to letting go habits or stories that no longer serve you.
A Dream Tree
For nighttime symbolism lovers.
A Winter Solstice Fire Tree
Burn in its entirety on the Winter Solstice, December 21.
Herbal Infusion Tree
Tie little bundles of meaningful dried herbs such as:
- Rosemary (clarity)
- Bay leaf (prayer tradition)
- Thyme (protection)
References
Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. The Lore of Ireland: An Encyclopedia of Myth, Legend, and Romance. Oxford University Press, 2006.
Karaman, A. & Yeşil, R. “Traditions of Wish Trees in Anatolia.” Journal of Cultural Heritage Studies, 2020.
Noda, Makoto. “Tanabata Festivals and Cultural Imagination.” University of Tokyo Press, 2007.
Pennebaker, J. W. Opening Up by Writing It Down. Guilford Publications, 2016.
Disclaimer
This article is for personal, educational, and creative inspiration only. It does not guarantee outcomes, does not make spiritual or psychological promises, and is not intended as a substitute for therapeutic, financial, or professional advice. Interpretive content is based on historical, folkloric, and symbolic sources and should be engaged with according to your own discernment and personal beliefs. If you decide to burn wishes as part of seasonal closure, do so outdoors or in a fire-safe container, and always follow local fire guidelines. Avoid burning synthetic materials, coated paper, or ribbon. Never leave active flame unattended, and supervise children during the entire process. The Wishing Tree is a gentle ritual of reflection—not a guarantee of fulfillment—but a meaningful way to mark winter’s turning point.
