Yearning for the Roku Yule Log?

October 15, 2011 - 13:00 -- RokuGuide

Roku Holiday SpotlightSeveral people have recently e-mailed RokuGuide.com to ask where they can find the yule log, which graced the Roku during the last holiday season. Personally, I think it's a bit too early to fire up the yule log when the jack o' lanterns are still on the front porch for Halloween. But when I walked into Home Depot last weekend and found myself in a forest of fully-decorated Christmas trees, with shelves overflowing with giant blow-up Santas and reindeer for the front yard, I realized that, ready or not, the yule log season is upon us.

So where did the Roku yule log disappear to during this long, hot summer? It was found in the Roku Holiday Spotlight channel, which was removed from the channel store early this year. The channel is not officially back yet, but thanks to catastrophegirl, a Roku follower who maintains a list of Roku channels that includes many popular private channels, I can pass along instructions for getting a head start with this channel. All you need to do is login to your Roku account at https://owner.roku.com/Add (not here at RokuGuide.com as many have tried to do) and enter the code holiday. Or, if you're already logged into your Roku account, just click on this link. Go to your Roku, enter and then exit the channel store, and the Roku Holiday channel will be available in your channel list.

But wait - you still won't have the yule log. It's shown as a selection option, but the yule log doesn't load. Sorry to disappoint you, but as I said, the channel hasn't been released for the 2011 season. Hopefully it will make a return appearance, complete with a burning log and crackling embers, but for now you'll have to content yourself with some Christmas music selections from TuneIn Radio. Many of the holiday music selections don't work, but there are a few that are currently playing your favorite Christmas tunes. A selection of holiday cooking videos is available from Chow, but the videos cover topics like making fake blood and what to do with fresh pumpkins. You know - the current holiday, not the one that's still two months away. But don't despair, the classic holiday movies trailers from Flixster will bring a smile to your face with scenes from a dozen films such as It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, and A Christmas Story.

Go ahead and add the Roku Holiday Channel, pour a glass of eggnog, spray some fake snow around the edges of your TV screen, and sit back and wait for the lighting of the Roku yule log. If and when the official 2011 Roku Holiday Spotlight channel is launched, RokuGuide will announce it.

Update 12/8/2011: The Roku Holiday fun channel was launched. Click here for more information.