Hartwood Yule

 

Hosted in-person by

The Shire of Hartwood (Nanaimo, Campbell River, Courtenay, Port Alberni, BC )

Hartwood Yule

Event Summary

Event Main Contact (Event Steward): Mairi Bronwyn nic Chamarran
Event Date(s): November 22 , 2025
Site opens at: 9:00 AM on November 22th 2025
Site closes at: 10:00 PM

Event site:
Duncan Community Lodge
2244 Moose Rd Duncan, BC V9L 5C2

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It’s that time of year

Where we gather in good cheer

With wonderful food and company

Sharing gifts and making merry

Tis the season for our Hartwood Yule! We are the Shire with lots of Heart, so this year’s Yule is “From Hart to Hearts”, all about how being in Hartwood inspires us to be the amazing gentles we are, and how we share that heart with those around us.

We’ve got lots happening at this year’s Yule. 

For the main event, the Feast, we’ve got an incredible chef cooking for us. Christmas Hams and Mushroom Pies and delectable dishes galore! Further details, especially how to reserve your seat at our feast, are down below. Our Feast will begin at 2 PM.

For earlier in the day, we’ll have a Grazing table to tide everyone over until our Feast. Bring your favourite Yuletide snack to share. Please have all the ingredients in your dish written on a card that goes in front of it. 

We’ve got a craft, carol sing, dancing and youths’ activities to get us into the Yuletide spirit. More details to come soon.

We have a Yuletide Market! If you’re searching for that perfect gift this Christmas, be sure to check our our fabulous merchant’s wares and goods. Every piece is a treasure.

The Embellisher’s Guild is gathering and will meet at noon. The Bards of An Tir Guild will meet at 1pm.

In the Spirit of Giving, we have our Yule Treasure Chest and Gifting Tree!

For the Yule chest, bring something pretty special to put in. At the end of the evening, one name of a Hartwoodian member attending the event, will be drawn to take home all the treasures. In order to participate in this, you must be a current member of Hartwood.

The Gifting Tree is a place to give a gift and receive one in return. Everyone can participate in this one. Bring something small, perhaps handmade, unwrapped, and anonymous. You place it under the tree, and a jolly big man in a velvet red coat will keep it safe till the end of the evening, where everyone can choose one of the gifts to take home upon their departure.

There is also the gift of one’s time. If you’re so inclined, we’ve plenty of volunteer opportunities at this event. Be sure to check out the details down below.

 

In the midst of our revelry, our gentle arts’ Defenders are chosen! Our Researcher of the Winds, Craftsman of the Mountain and Bard of the Hart have set forth challenges for those stout of will to try their hand at these Defenderships. If ye are interested, details are down below.

 

I hope you’ve been good this year, for we will be visited by Sinter Klaus! For a small donation, you can get your picture taken with the Jolly Elf and let Sinter Klaus know what you’d love to see under your tree this year. Kids, both young and young at heart, are welcome to participate. Don’t be too cheeky, or Mrs. Klaus will bop your nose ;).

 

If you haven’t heard, we are on the Road to becoming a Barony! It’s such an exciting endeavour that requires a lot of effort and funds. We’ve got 2 great fundraisers happening at Yule. A Dessert Auction and a Buy a Life Tourney. More details to come soon.

 

Come and be welcome, share in the warmth that is the Hearts of Hartwood.

This event includes the following activities and/or services:
Has Merchants
Has Bardic activities
Has Arts & Sciences activities
Offers a feast or meal

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Registration Information

To ensure we’ve got seats for you, please pre-register by filling out this form: Yule Pre-Registration 

To reserve Feast tickets (payment will be separate), please fill out this form: Yule Feast Tickets 

Accessibility Information

The grounds are friendly to walkers and wheelchairs.

The current washroom facilities can accommodate a walker. There is not as of yet a wheelchair friendly washroom.

Site Fees

^Children 12 + under attend the event for free

Event Schedule

Meal Information

To reserve feast tickets, please fill out this form: Yule Feast Tickets

There is No Onion, Garlic or Pepper in any of the dishes.

First Remove – the Appetizer
Pumpernickel rye*
Honey whipped butter*
(Honey, salt, tarragon, butter)
Saffron pickled root vegetables
(Brine: Saffron, allspice, fennel seed, salt, sugar, vinegar, bay leaves, mustard seed, caraway, parsley
Veggie options: Beets, carrots, parsnips, asparagus, radish, asparagus beans, Brussels sprouts.)
Hazelnut and whipped brie stuffed bruleed dates*

*Alt Dish:
Sweet potato rolls
(gf flour blend, sweet potatoes, sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, yeast, psyllium husks, margarine, oat cream, egg, potato starch)
Honey whipped margarine
(Honey, salt, tarragon, margarine)
Water Chestnut-stuffed bruleed dates

Tournament Information

Hartwood Gentle Arts Defenderships 

It is time for our changing of the guard. Our Craftsman of the Mountain, Researcher of the Winds & Bard of the Hart have given of themselves over the past year and are ready to find their successors. To compete in these Defenderships, you must have an active SCA Membership that continues past our Yule on November 22nd.

To become our next Bard: (Current Defender – Mairi nic Chamarran)
Calling all singers, storytellers, puppet masters, musicians, magicians and Bards of all stripes!
Our Shire’s Story needs it’s Bard of the Hart Defender to share its tales far and wide. Come to Hartwood Yule Nov 22nd and compete for the Defendership!
Our Shire is moving on to a new chapter, a new verse in its song. But it is always full of heart!
So, to become the next Bardic Defender, you must give a performance full of heart
Bardic Defendership – H(e)artfull
Perform 2 pieces in your chosen medium
1 Period
1 Period/Scadian
One piece must be H(e)artfull: about Hartwood, about a Hartwoodian, about something dear to your heart, about something that gives you heart, about or features a hart (deer).
These performances will take place during the feast.
Interested Bards must declare their intent to compete by emailing wynndrosinger@outlook.com no later than Nov 16th.
Come and celebrate our Shire!

To become our next Craftsman: (Current Defender – HL Anastasia Szabo)
Yule is rapidly approaching, and it is time to let those who would vie for the Craftsman of the Mountain Defender title know what the competition will entail.
Throughout one’s SCA career, a good adage to follow. “Plan the work; Work the plan”. To this end, here is the matrix for this year.
1) Show us the historical inspiration for your piece. This could be a group of pieces or a single piece. Bonus marks for information on where you got your inspiration, what about it inspired you, and whether your intent was to recreate or use some part of it to inspire your own work. Help us get to know why this was your inspiration piece/grouping.
2) Show us the plan. How did you plan out your work? What helped you design the piece? Sketches, fabric samples, design samples, and pieces that you did to try out some technique you needed to understand before you did the work, show us how it came to be designed.
3) Show us the finished project. How did it work out? How does it compare to your inspiration and plan? What worked? What didn’t?
This competition is not just about the finished piece. Show us how, as a craftsman, you go from ideas and inspiration to a completed piece, and the journey to get there.
We look forward to seeing your entries!

To become our next Researcher: (Current Defender – Lady Beatris inghean Ghiolla Mhuire)
YULE is coming, and with it, the competition for this year’s Researcher of the Winds Challenge.
It’s time for a change-up and so it’s a fun PAS de FAUX competition.
What is a Pas de Faux, you ask?
A Pas de Faux is a competition in which entrants document and present a HOAX as an Arts and Sciences project.
Items could include “documenting” the period existence of a non-period item, such a plastic armour or a super-soaker weapon; “reconstruction” of an imaginary item, such as fish-scale armour; or the “adaptation” of a period item based on “new insights” and “interpretation” of period sources, such as bread paddles used to row a warship.
“Documentation” is required. This should have information on where and when the ‘object’ is supposed to be from, how it was made, and include footnotes and bibliography.
Points are awarded for creativity and quality of the “documentation”. The more features included that would be in ‘proper’ documentation, the higher the score will be.
However, as this is not a serious competition, “forgeries” and “creative interpretations” are welcome, and competitors are encouraged to have fun with their ideas. This is a chance to have some real fun and present your “research” in a humourous, non-intimidating way.
For more information, or to express interest in entering this challenge, please contact Lady Beatris inghean Ghiolla Mhuire at beatrisofhartwood@gmail.com .

Largesse Fabulous Four 

If you’re of a mood to compete but not hold an official role afterwards, we’ve got a Largesse competition you’re more than welcome to take part in!

Largesse Competition (Coordinator – Master John Macandrew)
Artists of Hartwood and Seagirt stand ready for the 4 by 4 largess tournament to be held at Hartwood Yule, 22 of  November.
At the end of the day, the largess will be divided between the winner, the largess coffers, the Yule Chest, and the fundraising table (to be used to raise funds towards Baronial regalia).
All entrants will be honoured with well-earned word fame as your largess will be shared outside the Shire, so please tag all items with your name and home group.
The overall winner will be determined by popular vote.

Youth and Family Activities

We will have some festive activities for those young in age. More info to come soon.

Volunteer Information

If you’ve ever wanted to volunteer at an event, we’ve got some opportunities for you!
We need people to assist us with:

• Set Up: It takes many hands to make light work, especially with setup. Come early and help set up the hall and make it full of Yuletide Cheer for our gentles to enjoy
• Gate: take a shift and sit at gate checking attendees in. A great volunteer opportunity if you’d prefer to sit down
• Kitchen: no “too many cooks spoil the broth” here. We need volunteers to be assistant cooks, feast runners and cleaning crew. As an added incentive, all kitchen volunteers will enjoy the feast for free!

So if one of these volunteer opportunities intrigues you, please select that option in the pre-registration form found here: Yule Pre-Registration

Merchant Information

If you’ve still got some Christmas shopping to do, be sure to check out our Yuletide Market! Our merchants will have many delightful wares and goods; you just might find that perfect gift you were looking for.

Classes Offered

Late in the morning, we have a delightful yuletide craft that will be sure to make your space more festive.

Details coming soon.

This page for event id 8326 was last updated: November 16, 2025
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