YUle Craft

Yule Craft is Fern + Roe’s winter solstice gathering.

Solstice is a precipice. What we do in Solstice carries us the Next year.

At winter solstice, we open our farm + tannery for this: for you to take time out of your usual rhythm. To work at tanning a hide + make something substantial with your hands. To relax, to create, and to set your year ahead right.

  • One part hide tanning workshop: make yourself a smoke-tanned buckskin.

  • One part retreat: hit down time on the farm + in the sauna.

  • One part community gathering: we feed you farm fresh meals + lead an intention-setting solstice ritual at the bonfire.

We made Yule Craft for you if you love working with your hands, if you want to spend time out of the hustle in the busy holiday rush + reconnect to the land, and if you’re excited to walk away with your handmade, naturally-tanned buckskin cloth.

GET IN HERE

A Much-Needed retreat in the busiest Time of the year

Yule is the old word for the winter season spanning December-January, with winter solstice right in the middle. People have always gathered during winter, but it’s never been the hyper-consumerist stressful mess it is now. And it doesn’t have to be for you.

Winter x hustle isn’t it.

-> At our first gathering last year, people told us how outsider they feel to the holiday hustle. They came to recharge. They came to be more culturally aligned. They came to learn some pre-commercial traditions that originally made this time of year so meaningful + literally just fun for all our ancestors.

We need structure to actually recharge.

-> We’ve got you. We’ve prepped the hide tanning for you, so it’s lighter-hidework-than-usual. Our downtime is spacious, the bonfire (yes a real bonfire) is lit, and so is the sauna. You can turn your phone off; you can dip in + out with the group gathering as you need. We’ve made the structure so you can take it easy.

Intention-setting is powerful.

-> Planning the seasons ahead is a deep part of being human. Even giving the simplest intention to the upcoming year sets in nervous system regulation. We share a traditional Nordic solstice ritual with you at the bonfire. It’s a simple + practical, private personal reflection. You get a moment to think back on your year + open to the next year.

Making buckskins in our tannery

Our Story

We are Mara and Mark; we run Fern + Roe natural leather tannery on southern Vancouver Island.

Last year, we moved to our dream farm and hosted Yule Craft for the first time. It was our first big event. It lit the hosting fire for us. We discovered our love of hospitality and sharing the work of place-making for a group. Besides being hide tanners, Mark is a trained chef + Mara is an events planner. We finally got the chance to combine our skillsets right from our home + welcome people to a space with intention and care.

What you STep INto at Yule Craft:

Hide tanning Course: tan a deerskin into buckskin cloth: hair-off, linen-like cloth for crafting + creating

Solstice Ritual: a two-part traditional winter solstice ritual, 30-45min on Saturday and Sunday evenings at the bonfire.

Dinners: a winter feast Friday + Saturday, served by Mark with inspiration from our friend Carmen Spagnola of the Numinous Kitchen.

Sauna + downtime: we rent a famous Wildwood Sauna + park it next to our pond for cold plunges. Spend time in the historic Farmhouse Parlour to rest, journal, and plan your year. Sit at one of the curated spots around the farm. Visit our farm animals to take it easy when you’re not tanning hide (we keep the hide tanning light for this one).

Stay on the land: camping is included in the cost of Yule Craft. Our island winters are mild, prepare for rain + above-freezing temps. Limited indoor accommodations are available for extra.

The Details:

Dates: Friday, December 19 to Sunday, December 21

Schedule: arrival Friday afternoon; conclusion Sunday evening

Location: Anneth Farm in North Saanich, BC on the WSANEC Peninsula

Cost: Regular $597 CAD. Limited early tickets on sale til Tuesday November 18 for $477.

The Schedule:

Friday, December 19:

2pm-4pm - Hide tanning: start making your deer buckskin. All materials provided.

4pm-6pm - Downtime - stay indoors, wander the farm, go to the ocean, or sit in the sauna.

6pm-8pm - Dinner - farm-fresh meal prepared by chef Mark

Saturday, December 20:

10am-4pm - Hide tanning: soften your buckskin + end with white buckskin at the day’s close.

4pm-6pm - Downtime, your way.

6pm-8pm - another farm-fresh dinner provided by Mark.

9pm-9:30pm - Solstice ritual, Pt 1 at the bonfire

Sunday, December 21:

10am-4pm: Hide tanning. You smoke your hide today + need only a two-hour commitment.

4pm-6pm: Downtime, your way.

5pm-6pm: Solstice ritual, Pt 2 at the bonfire.

6pm-8pm: Dinner, potluck for everyone who wants to join. Folks who need to catch a ferry, you can. :)

JOIN IN HERE

Yule Craft is for you if…

  • You want to do something real with your winter season

  • You want to tan hides but struggle to make the space for it in your schedule

  • You want to eat good food and have downtime after working hard making buckskin

  • You want to start the new year off right

FAQs of Yule Craft

  • You are provided a prepared rawhide deer hide. On Saturday, we apply fat + soften the hide until it is dry + silky. On Sunday, you pair up with a partner and smoke your hide, turning into tanned buckskin.

  • The solstice ritual is a two-part traditional Nordic winter solstice ritual, held at the bonfire under a canvas tent. We won’t reveal all the details…Come prepared to think about your year ahead and your personal goals.

  • Outdoor: Camping on the land is included in your spot for all brave winter campers (it doesn’t get that cold in the PNW :) ). Access to a washroom with hot shower is available for campers.

    Indoor: There are two rooms in the Farmhouse for rent for $140/night (Blue Room) and $160/night (Yellow Room).

  • Friday, December 19:

    2pm to 4pm - hide tanning

    6pm - dinner (provided)

    Saturday, December 20:

    10am to 4pm - hide tanning

    6pm - dinner (provided)

    9pm - solstice ritual, Pt 1

    Sunday, December 21:

    10am to 4pm: Smoking hides, only 1 hour required of each pair (rest of the day is yours to enjoy)

    5pm - solstice ritual, Pt 2

    6pm - dinner (potluck)

  • We are in North Saanich - 15 minutes south of Swartz Bay ferry terminal, 10 minutes from Victoria International Airport, and 35 minutes north of the city of Victoria.

    You can arrive here by ferry:

    BC Ferries

    Blackball Ferry

    Seattle Clipper Ferry

    By plane:

    Floatplane to Patricia Bay or Victoria Downtown

    Commercial jet to YYJ

December 19 - 21, 2025
North Saanich, BC

Included in Yule Craft:

  • Materials + instruction to tan a deer hide

  • Farm-sourced winter feast on Friday + Saturday nights

  • Solstice goal-setting ritual

  • Unlimited sauna time

  • Camping on the land

  • Take home your hand-tanned new buckskin + your intentions for the New year

Value of $750. Regular price only $597.
Limited early seats for $477!

Take me There

Testimonials from Yule Craft 2024

  • The space that Mara and Mark have created at the farm is warm and inviting-- we had a delicious meal with local meat prepared by Mark. The grounds and accommodations are beautiful and getting to sauna there made the whole weekend.

  • Yule Craft was an amazing gathering. Deeply restorative and hopeful to gather, reflect, and plant seeds of intention for the coming year. Cozied up around the fire. It brought together a diverse mix of people who have come to tanning in their own ways. I got to meet awesome elder queers, hunters, fibre nerds, and the world's sweetest baby, all were welcoming and welcomed.

  • I am so proud of the sheep skin I had the honour of tanning -- it is apparent that there is a lot of care for the animals while they are alive and reverence during their death and our processing of them. 

    I love my sheepskin, it's feels magical; an integral part of in my reading, dreaming, stretching and breathing nook. 

    If you have the opportunity to attend Fern + Roe's Yule gathering, or any of Mara's classes for that matter, I highly recommend it 

  • I loved everything about it.  It is evident from the moment you roll up that you're in great hands. 

    The crackling fire for welcoming us all, the kind and intentional intros turn us all from strangers to kindred folk.  

    Amazing attention to detail, the ice candles, the hand-made decor it all set the mood for the weekend.   Your home is a welcoming piece of heritage, charm and ambience. 

    Our chef ( the shy guy)  prepared a feast that came straight from the soul.