A tradition stretching back nearly a century is returning to Palmer Lake this holiday season, with a pair of community events planned for early December. The potluck dinner is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Dec. 9, and the Yule Log Hunt is slated for 1 to 3 p.m. on Dec. 13, with Palmer Lake Town Hall serving as the hub for both gatherings. Gary and Patricia Atkins are presenting the events through the Palmer Lake Historical Society.
The potluck evening doubles as the occasion when the hunt's central prop is constructed. Attendees bring a dish to share, make souvenir lapel pins, work with small willow branches, and fasten red ribbons to pine boughs. Participants also prepare the log itself — an 8-to-12-foot piece of timber measuring 10 to 15 inches across — by carving either a U- or V-shaped channel into it and wrapping it in red ribbon so hunters can spot it among the trees.
Hunt day draws a crowd to Town Hall before the search begins in earnest. Hundreds of participants arrive wearing red and green capes, and a trumpet signal kicks off the chase into the woods near Palmer Lake. Whoever locates the log earns the right to ride atop it as it is hauled back to Town Hall, accompanied by cheers from fellow participants. That person is also honored with the opening cup of wassail, a spiced ceremonial punch.
Once the log reaches Town Hall, a ritual rooted in the event's founding days takes place. Volunteers saw the log into two pieces using the original implement that was employed when the town held its very first Yule Log cutting on Dec. 23, 1933. Half the log goes into a stone fireplace that Palmer Lake volunteer firefighters constructed in 1936, while the remaining half is preserved for use at the following year's event.
The celebration's roots go back to a cross-country spark of inspiration. Local lore holds that a comparable event held in Lake Placid, N.Y., in 1933 led Lucretia Vaile and Evalena Macy to bring the concept to Palmer Lake, where it was formally established a year afterward with an attendance of around 50 people. Master of Ceremonies Niall Byrne, who has held that role for two decades, said community loyalty to the event runs deep. "Palmer Lake has a lot of traditions and people regard this event as a family tradition, so we always try to keep the celebration as close as possible to the first event," Byrne said.
Organizers expect between 250 and 400 people to attend the free celebration. Byrne noted that weather shapes turnout significantly, adding that bitterly cold conditions can actually boost attendance because colder temperatures heighten the festive atmosphere. The public is welcome, and PLHS Administrative Assistant Tish Torweihe offered a simple reminder: "Just don't forget to bring a dish and wear a cape, OK?"
Final attendance numbers and weather conditions on Dec. 13 will determine whether this year's hunt draws a crowd toward the upper end of organizers' expectations.