Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

According to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, only about half (52 percent) of American homes have a fireplace. For the 48 percent of us who are flueless, it's not easy getting into the holiday spirit—not when just about every popular conception of Christmas revolves around chestnuts roasting on an open fire and Santa Claus coming down the chimney.

Fortunately, there is a substitute: the Yule log.

Chances are you've already noticed, and probably watched, one of these ersatz holiday fireplaces. But in case you haven't, the Yule log goes like this: It's a video of a fireplace with logs burning inside it. You watch it. That's it.

Some Yule logs can get pretty elaborate. Virtual Fireplace, for example, allows viewers to select their own pile of logs and even choose from several different combustion sounds. Some of them are themed, such as the Darth Vader Yule Log, which shows the famous villain's remains atop the logs. (Say what you want, but the thing has over 1.2 million views.) Still others feature internet stars. Celebrity cat Lil Bub, for instance, has his own Yule log video....

Google Shopping is offering a virtual tour of New York’s renowned holiday windows, Winter Wonderland, which allows consumers to use a smartphone or computer to see windows from 18 stores, including Lord & Taylor’s Enchanted Forest, as well as Barney’s — in which artist Nick Cave tackles race and gender — and Saks 5th Avenue, which features couture gowns from designers that were inspired by holiday treats.

“We’ve taken hundreds of high-resolution photos of each window and stitched them together with a new technique that creates a rich, life-like panorama — you’ll feel like you’re standing on the streets of Manhattan during the holidays, gazing at the windows as if you were walking next to them,” Aman Govil, Google's head of art, copy and code projects, wrote in a blog post.

What’s more, users with virtual reality headsets like Google Cardboard or Daydream can also hear surrounding sounds and sights, Google said....