The annual production of “Welcome Yule: A Midwinter Celebration” is set to return for its 40th year this winter, bringing together both old and new folklore traditions.

On Dec. 13, 14 and 15, the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls will host the tradition that multiple generations have looked forward to each year for four decades, with the production originally starting in a church basement during the winter of 1985.

Rose Sheehan originally had the idea for the production back in the 1980s. Andrea Tarr, 69, of Belchertown, was part of her original friend group that put on the first performance. The original intention was just for Sheehan’s friends to get together to celebrate the holidays at All Souls Church in Greenfield. Together, the group sang from sheet music and performed mummers’ plays in front of whoever would listen.

“I think it was just something we wanted to do, and it was part of an open mic thing so it wasn’t advertised at all,” Tarr said when asked about the inspiration behind the show. “In a couple of weeks we put it together and decided to do it again the next year.”

For three years it continued, gradually performing in front of larger audiences at the senior center in Turners Falls and the Amherst meetinghouse before eventually doing a full production with the help of a music director at the Shea Theater. Now, the show has a permanent spot not only in location, but in people’s hearts and memories as well.

“To me, it’s part of what the season is, and it always feels weird those times when I can’t make it,” Tarr, who moved to the area from Maine in 1980, said about the production and what it means to her. “There are a number of people who have been in it for many years. We keep some of the same songs, but we’ve always got new people coming in and they become part of the community.”

The theme of the show changes every year, with a new artistic director being assigned the task. This year, Pelham resident Rita Reinke, 67, is in charge.

Reinke’s children grew up coming to the show with her, however, she only got involved with its production in 2014. Reinke explained the show traditionally pulls from British traditions from a time before industrialization in Europe. The best time of year for farmers at the time was late fall into early winter, when crops were harvested and stored, and families could focus on each other. Much of the population of New England has deep roots in northern Europe, with the Connecticut River Valley having a strong folk community that acts as a reminder.

Although this time of year was always celebrated, the onset of winter also reminded families of the cold and darkness they would soon experience, prompting fear and the creation of myths in small communities. Reinke wanted to draw on this experience for this year’s show in a positive way, instead focusing on the beauty and nostalgia of winter nights.

“It’s dark and beautiful. The snow and moonlight, and that special quiet,” Reinke said. “After a snowfall in the woods, there’s a sense of quiet you can’t get anywhere else and it’s just so beautiful. That sort of mystery is part of what I really wanted to focus on this year.”

To represent this, the upcoming show will have new songs such as “Wintergrace” by Jean Ritchie, as well as older songs that fit the theme like “The Halsway Carol.”

The cast will also pull from the neopagan folklore story of the Holly King and Oak King. As the physical embodiments of the winter and summer solstice, the Holly King and Oak King engage in a symbolic bi-annual battle during the changing of the seasons.

“I think what I would love for people to take away is that this, for many of us, is a hard time of year,” Reinke said. “So to bring from it this sense that there is this community that draws from it during this time, and that there is beauty in this world despite everything else that goes on, that’s what I’d want people to take away from it — community and beauty in the world.”

According to Reinke, there are at least six new adults participating this year, along with a once-disbanded children’s chorus that’s now showing a revival in numbers. Becoming a family tradition, it’s common for multiple generations to participate year after year.

“Since we’ve been going for so long, we’ve got families that were in their 20s when they started, then their kids were in it and then those kids now have kids in the show, so you just keep going up through the generations,” Tarr said. “I was in my 20s when I started and I’ll be 70 next month.”

Athol resident Susan McNamara, 40, is one of the newer cast members along with her daughter and niece. Originally from Boston, McNamara and her family moved to the area a few years ago, finding “Welcome Yule” by chance when she saw a flyer proclaiming that the show was seeking more youth performers.

“My daughter is 11 and my niece is 12. They really love it and look forward to rehearsals every week. It’s been fun for the three of us to do together. We’ve been practicing together and it’s fun having something to look forward to during the dark and dreary end of the fall,” McNamara said. “If any children are interested in joining, it really is a fun and supportive atmosphere. If there’s kids who like performing I’d say give it a try.”

Performances will be held at the Shea Theater on Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14, both at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a matinee show on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. and an open dress rehearsal on Thursday. Each performance — which includes an intermission where cast members sell homemade baked goods at the concession stand — is expected to last two hours.

Tickets for adults ages 17 to 64 are $15, whereas tickets for senior citizens and children are sold at a discounted rate of $12. Children under 5 will be admitted for free. The show usually sells out, with the theater holding 330 people.

To buy tickets, visit World Eye Bookshop in Greenfield or go online to ticketelf.com/organizations/welcome-yule-a-midwinter-celebration. Or, visit welcomeyule.org for more information.