Yule Log Cabin continues to spread holiday cheer after 36 years

SCOTT CITY, Mo. (KBSI) – A dazzling display of nearly 200 Christmas trees, on which hangs any number of unique ornaments, illuminating the magic of the holidays: This is Yule Log Cabin, which Joannie Smith has run for the last 36 years. 

“It’s all about memories,” Smith said. “You get your ornaments out and you hang them up and say, ‘Oh I remember this. I remember this. This is from my grandma. This is from when I went on vacation to so and so,’ so that’s what’s fun and special.” 

And Yule Log Cabin is quite literally a log cabin tucked away in the woods of Scott County. 

“They say, ‘location, location, location.’ Well, it turns out that the location being so far back in the woods is part of the charm,” Smith said. 

Visiting the cabin and picking out ornaments has become a tradition for many families, and this is no different for Sarah Finney and her family, as they have been coming to the cabin every year for a decade. 

Sarah’s son, Nathaniel, even proposed to his now fiancé Summer at the cabin last December. 

“I think it just made it a little more magical for them,” Sarah Finney said. “I think it made it a little more memorable because this is a place that they can come every year, and it’s just a tradition that they hopefully will continue throughout their time together.” 

It may be off the beaten path. It may not be in the middle of town, but there is no doubt that Yule Log Cabin has become entrenched in Southeast Missouri’s holiday tradition and has become a source of joy for so many families and soon-to-be families.