This Minecraft Holiday Yule Log brings back that old-fashioned festive feeling

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The first television yule log, according to Wikipedia, aired in 1966 in New York City. They've come a long way since then: There are now entire channels dedicated to festive fireplaces, you can stream them to mobile devices or load them from DVD, or for a twist you can watch Jeff Kaplan sitting in front of one at Blizzard HQ, motionless and unsmiling—truly a man in a festive mood.

For something even more exotic, this Minecraft fireplace, created by YouTuber Denis, might be just the trick. There's no music, no festive detritus like a tree in the corner or tinsel hanging from the ceiling: It's just an up-close shot of a burning fire, complete with roaring, crackling sound effects and the occasional flying spark that fizzles out in a puff of smoke. (There is, however, a chicken murder about 15 seconds in, which I somehow managed to completely overlook when I watched. After that, though, it's all festive fireplace.) Maximize that blazing pit on your big UHD monitor and put it on repeat (right-click the YouTube play button and select "loop" from the pop-up menu), and you're set until the new year.

This is different from the official Minecraft Holiday Yule Log, which has been around since 2016. It's a more elaborate production, with a pulled-back view of a fireplace in a rustic room replete with gifts and decorations; snow is falling outside, and every now and then someone will wander across the screen. It's lovely, but for a relaxing, warming (psychologically, at least) effect, I really prefer the former. There's nothing quite like snuggling up close to a roaring fire to conjure up those old-fashioned holiday feelings. Happy holidays!

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.