Yule Log comes to the iPhone

EMI Music and Moderati team up to bring a fireplace and Christmas music to the iPhone and iPod touch. It won't hurt the environment, but it will set you back $2.

by Ina Fried

December 8, 2008 10:53 AM PST

For those without a fireplace and/or an ability to carry a tune, TV stations have for decades offered the Yule Log, an on-screen fireplace crackling as Christmas Carols play in the background.

According to "The Holiday Yule Log" book, the first televised fireplace was in 1966 on New York's WPIX-TV. With carols on in the background and no commercials, it was an instant hit and was adopted by other stations around the country.

But what if the holiday season takes you even further afield, so that you don't even have a plasma TV to keep you warm. Well, record label EMI has come up with an option--play the Yule Log on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

For $1.99, it is offering the Virtual Yule Log application at the iTunes store, featuring holiday tunes from its catalog, which includes holiday songs from Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, and Nat King Cole.

The application was created by Moderati, the same company that created the Virtual Zippo Lighter. There's a YouTube video, posted below, that shows the Virtual Yule Log in action.

Now, if only I could watch a dreidel being made out of clay while Rock of Ages plays in the background, my holidays would be complete.