Source: The Boston Globe

On December 9, 2001, The Boston Globe reported that "the holiday season means something a little different over at Allston's Ritual Arts store. Every year, as the days grow shorter and the nights colder, the store caters to Bostonians who partake in the ancient, pagan celebration of the winter solstice... Toni Fanning, 45, the store's owner, says that most of her customers draw heavily upon the Celtic celebration of yule. Its traditions echo many Christmas mainstays such as evergreen plants, seasoned wine, and the burning of a yule log... Although followers of mainstream religions often deem pagan celebrations sacrilegious, or simply weird, Fanning sees a growing acceptance of solstice as just another holiday."