Wreaths weren't always a thing to put on your door during the holidays. In many places, they still aren't. While door-hanging wreaths have now been adapted for any season, they used to be more akin to celebratory laurels or flower crowns.
Traditionally, the Yule log is the last part of the winter solstice festival fire of the previous year. This final section of the final log is kept, generally wrapped in cloth and protected in the home until it is brought out the next year to continue the cycle.