The Virtual Christmas Log Brings an Old Tradition to the Web

Yule Log broadcasts are somewhat of an American tradition, although similar content has also aired around the world. They consist of a video of a log burning in a fireplace, ideally merrily, and often feature Christmas carols or other holiday songs to help create a festive mood. [Joshua Gross] wanted to bring this tradition up to date and so created a Yule Log website with the help of some creative technologists.

What is Yule looking at?

WebYuleLog.com, as the project is known, offers several web recreations of the Yule Log concept. They are charming little creations built with different techniques, from those generated by AI to those carved from simple and pure HTML and CSS. They range from adorable 8-bit homages to burning firewood to ethereal, unrecognizable thought bubbles of an image-generating neural network. We're pretty sure one of them is also an oblique reference to an old Excel 97 easter egg.

Funny how much can be done in a modern browser window. Once upon a time, you were lucky enough to get some GIFs and an obnoxious looping MIDI soundtrack.