HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

Hanukkah—December 8th-16th 2012, varies per year—is the Hebrew word for dedication, honours the victory of the Jews over the Greek Syrians in 165 BC. After their victory, the Maccabees, sons of the family that led the revolt, entered the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and dedicated it to the service of their God. When the Maccabees entered the temple, they found only enough lamp oil to last one night, but the oil somehow managed to burn for the whole eight days it took to go in search for more oil. Therefore, Hanukkah is observed over eight days.

Winter Solstice—December 21st/22nd—the beginning of winter. It's also the shortest day of the year. Because of the earth's tilt, the Northern Hemisphere is as far away from the sun as it can be. Therefore, the first day of winter has the shortest amount of sunlight.

Yule—December 21st/22nd—is a Pagan holiday which falls on the same day as the Winter Solstice. It is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, the sun's "rebirth" was celebrated with much joy. On this night, our ancestors celebrated the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth. From this day forward, the days would become longer. There are many regional customs to the celebration, all of which praise and give thanks.

Festivus—December 23rd—is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as an alternative to participating in the pressures and commercialism of the holiday season. It became part of worldwide popular culture after being featured on an episode of the American TV show Seinfeld in 1997. Conceived by writer Dan O'Keefe and was celebrated by his family as early as 1966, and was later introduced into popular culture by O'Keefe's screenwriter son Daniel on an episode. The holiday's celebration, as it was shown on Seinfeld, included a Festivus dinner, an unadorned aluminium "Festivus pole," practices such as the "Airing of Grievances" and "Feats of Strength"," and the labelling of easily explainable events as "Festivus miracles." Celebrants of the holiday sometimes refer to it as "a Festivus for the rest of us," a saying taken from the O'Keefe family traditions and popularized in the episode to describe Festivus' non-commercial aspect. It has also been described as a parody and as playful consumer resistance.

Christmas—December 25th—is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. No one knows the exact date of Christ's birth but in the 4th Century, Pope Julius I chose December 25th as the day of celebration to discourage remaining Pagans from celebrating Yule. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] In recent times, Christmas has become a holiday that is largely commercial, with everyone eagerly anticipating the arrival of St. Nick, but for Christians around the world, Christmas is a special and holy time to celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ.

Boxing Day—December 26th—is believed to have started in the Middle Ages. This is just a guess because the exact date isn't known. How Boxing Day started is a question as well. Some say it started with the giving of Christmas boxes, while others think it was named after the tradition of opening charity boxes placed in churches during the Christmas season. Either way, it's now known as one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Do you have for Boxing Day?

Kwanzaa—December 26th—a holiday some people believe is a substitute for Christmas, it is not a religious holiday. It is celebrated every year on December 26th. Kwanzaa, which means "first fruit of the harvest" in Swahili, is a time to focus on the traditional African values of family. It is based upon the celebration of seven principles or beliefs called the Nguzo Saba and was created by Ron Karenga in 1966 to celebrate African-American heritage.

New Year's Eve—December 31st—is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4,000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, Babylonians celebrated the beginning of a new year on what is now March 23rd, although they had no written calendar. It wasn't until 153 BC that the Roman senate declared January 1st to be the beginning of the new year.

Merry whatever your affiliation!

Merry holidays everyone!

Happy holidays all!

Happy (late) holidays!