Holidays and Holydays Abound

Christmas overshadows everything this time of year. It isn’t the only reason, however, to appreciate the winter season. I was reminded recently of how people celebrate different holidays and holydays during the month of December. I like knowing what is important to others.

I enjoy Christmas because of the fundamental rejoicing in the birth of Christ as the realm for Christians. The story of the heralded birth provides the basis for music, gift giving, and family traditions. For me as a red letter Christian, the holyday provides light and hope for the future. The message of Jesus’s life is kindness and love.

My Jewish friends celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, which commemorates the Maccabees’ victory and the miracle of oil that burned for eight days. These traditions include the lighting of a menorah, eating oil-fried foods like latkes and donuts, playing dreidel, giving gelt (coins), and gift-giving. The annual winter holiday celebrates both events, which resulted in increased religious freedom for the Jewish people. In 2025, Hanukkah started on December 14th.

National Bodhi Day, celebrated by Buddhists, marks Siddhartha Gautama’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. For several cultures, celebration occurs on December 8^th. The day commemorates Bohdi’s awakening to the Four Noble Truths: there is suffering, a cause of suffering, an end of suffering, and a way leading to the end of suffering. Celebrants often meditate, study scriptures, light lamps, and perform acts of kindness.

Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African American cultures from December 26 to January 1. It culminates in a communal feast usually on the sixth day. Activist Maulana Karenga created it based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West, East, and Southeast Africa.

The Winter Solstice acknowledges the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. From this day on, daylight will be longer and nights shorter. This festival is celebrated by cultures from around the world. During this December global holiday, each culture marks the holiday with different traditions and rituals, such as brewing and drinking mulled cider, lighting lanterns, dancing, and gift-giving.

I am happy when someone wishes me Happy Holidays because it includes all the possibilities during this season. I am also pleased to be wished a Merry Christmas since that is part of my heritage and tradition. Regardless of the named holiday, all traditions embrace love, light, kindness, and joy. We all share common values and choose to demonstrate them in our own ways, regardless of the religious tradition. It is a time to rejoice in the goodness of the world. Happy Holidays!