When we think of the holiday season, pop culture has conditioned us to equate the ideal Christmas with sitting around a warm fire burning a Yule log. Sadly, a whole heck of a lot of us don’t have a fireplace. Or live near the woods. Luckily, modern technology has allowed us to create virtual Yule logs that can burn for hours on our TV screens. All thanks to the magic of YouTube of course.
Here are some of our favorite Yule log videos, starting with Nerdist’s very own laser log from way back in 2013!
Ever since The Force Awakens came out, the month of December has become something of an unofficial Star Wars month. So what better Yule log for the holidays than this one of Darth Vader’s funeral pyre from the end of Return of the Jedi? This one runs for five hours straight. Hey, Sith armor takes a long, long time to burn folks.
This one’s for you Marvel-heads out there. Christmas makes us think of Norman Rockwell paintings of families around the Christmas tree, and grandma cooking a delicious feast. And which Marvel character is more Norman Rockwell that Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America? This Yule log video show’s a fire burning in Cap’s Brooklyn apartment, circa the 1940s. And it comes complete with big band music. What’s not to like?
A couple of years back, Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman and Lagavulin came together to create this video of the actor sipping whiskey in total silence in front of a crackling fireplace. Since then, it’s been extended into a 10-hour loop. Enjoy all the comforting warm fuzzies that accompany this video.
For you cat lovers out there, there are few internet-famous felines as adorable as Lil’ Bub. Sadly, this precious kitty passed away this year. But Lil Bub’s Yule log videos will continue forever. There’s the original from back in 2013, and one made just last year. You can watch the most recent one from last year year down below.
Speaking of kitty cats, this year the BBC offered a sort of Yule log video loop. Well, except there’s no log. Just a tree. But we think you’ll find this ten hour loop of a cat riding a Roomba around the Christmas tree just as relaxing as any old log.
No one does the Holidays quite like the Disney theme parks. But if you can’t make it to the fireplace at the Grand Californian or any other Disney resort hotel, then this video is the perfect substitute. And if you stay and watch until the end, you might get a visit from a certain Mouse.
Along with the likes of It’s a Wonderful Life and A Charlie Brown Christmas, the 1990 classic Home Alone has become a holiday staple. Now you can bask in the cartoon violence of that movie with this ten hour loop of Joe Pesci’s head getting fried thanks to Kevin McCallister’s booby traps. Think of Pesci as a sort of living Yule log.
This Super 8-Bit Yule log video is less than ten minutes long, so it’s maybe not ideal to cast to your TV to be your replacement fireside comfort. But it nevertheless will give every gamer out there who grew up in the ’90s all the nostalgic feels. Just take it all in, and remember those nights waiting for Santa to bring you that Nintendo game you so desperately wanted.
Of course, some of you out there are going to want a no-frills, regular old Yule log. No cats, no movie characters, no video games. And this one hour and a half long video from Sonos claims to be the “best sounding” one. Maybe it has just enough extra pops and cracks?
Featured Image: Jared Alderman / YouTube