Yule Tree Rune Ornaments Wood Craft

Yule tree rune ornaments make an earthy Winter Solstice gift. 

Bring the magic of the winter woodlands inside!

Easy to make and enchanting to behold, your like-minded friends will delight in their rustic beauty.

All you need is some wood rounds, a little ribbon, and a drill!

The Magic and Mystery of the Runes

The runic alphabets descend from early Germanic languages.

They are both phonetic (they represent sounds) as well as inherently symbolic of concepts and ideas.

Modern witches often adopt the runes, swapping out the runic letters for letters in their own languages to use as a “secret” code for writing in spellbooks.

Often, practitioners of European magic incorporate runes into their personal and magical sigils.

When choosing specific rune symbols for this project, selecting a rune with meaning to the person you plan to give it to makes it an especially lovely way to personalize the gift.

The deeply rich tradition of rune interpretation is beyond the scope of this post, but I encourage you to research the symbols.

Consider creating a handmade card that details the meaning of the runes you choose and explains to your gift receiver why that symbol reminded you of them.

Things You Will Need

(This section contains affiliate links for your convenience).

–wood rounds (the linked ones already have holes, or you can drill your own)

–thin, red ribbon (or any color of your choice)

-acrylic paint in the color of your choice

-very fine-tipped paintbrush 

–(optional) fast-drying, oil-based polyurethane

Step 1 

I linked wood rounds with holes above.  But if yours don’t have holes, start by drilling one hole in each towards the top of the wood round.  Make certain they are at least big enough to thread the ribbon through.

Step 2

Using a pencil, draw an outline of your runic symbol first.  (Erasing pencil is WAY easier than removing acrylic paint from naked wood, so do not skip this step!)

Step 3

Using a very fine-tipped paintbrush, go over your pencil outline carefully.

Step 4

This step is optional, but it’s a really nice touch.

Coat your rune ornaments with several layers of fast-drying, oil-based polyurethane.

This will give them a nice shine.  Plus, it makes them waterproof and much more durable.

Step 5

Take about 14 inches of red ribbon and thread it through the hole at the top.  Tie the two ends in a knot to form a loop from which the ornament will hang.

Finishing Touches

There’s lots of ways to take this gift up a notch.

Use natural wrapping paper.  Compliment this earthy gift with an earthy wrapping job.  Use upcycled brown paper grocery bags and evergreens to box it up and present it with class.

Add a few drops of essential oil.  Instead of wrapping it in a box, use a gift bag.  Then, put 2-3 drops of essential oil on the tissue paper that you wrap the ornaments in.  This is such a nice touch!  Try something seasonal, like cinnamon, orange, or rosemary.

Pack it in cedar chips.  Instead of typical packing material, consider using coarsely chopped cedar chips!  They smell amazing and your receiver can burn them in the hearth fire to bless their home for the Winter Solstice.  So cozy!