Issue #193 Friday Funday December 9, 2022
Happy Holidays!
In the United States, there are several holidays celebrated from the end of October through about mid-January. How many common holidays can you name?
October: Yom Kippur, Diwali, Halloween
November: All Saints’ Day, Día de Los Muertos, Thanksgiving
December: Hanukkah, Christmas, Festivus, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve
January: New Year’s Day, Epiphany, Orthodox Christmas
Kwanzaa, the African-American cultural holiday, is the only holiday on this list that originated in the United States.
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, follows the Jewish lunar calendar and is celebrated either in September or October.
Hanukkah, which commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple, begins on Kislev 25 of the Jewish lunar calendar, which usually falls in December.
Ramadan, the Holy Month of Reflection, is celebrated during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the date rotates every year.
While some Christians get offended if people use any other greeting than “Merry Christmas” during this time, “Happy Holidays” is much more appropriate in our multi-cultural society because there are so many holidays in the long holiday season.
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Of course, the religious or secular holiday of Christmas is celebrated by the majority of Americans, so in today’s article, we’ll highlight some of the Christmas traditions.
”Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965) and “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)
These two movies are some of the most beloved and most-watched films in America during the holiday season.
Although “Charlie Brown Christmas” has been broadcast on one of the major TV networks since 1965, starting next year, the movie will only be available on Apple TV, which recently bought the rights.
In 1947, the FBI published a series of memos disparaging “It’s a Wonderful Life” as communist propaganda because the plot discredited bankers and maligned the upper class.
Christmas Trees
Decorating pine trees for Christmas originated in Germany and was popularized in America when German immigrants brought the tradition to the United States in the 19th century.
Christmas trees are displayed in 77% of American homes, with 81% of the trees being artificial and just 19% of the trees being real.
Elf on the Shelf
The Elf on the Shelf phenomenon started in 2005 after a self-published book, Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition started the tradition. The elves, which are “adopted,” not “bought,” are hidden in a different place by parents (children are not supposed to touch the elf) every night from Thanksgiving to Christmas after the elf has traveled during the night to report to Santa how the children in the house are behaving.
Gingerbread Houses
Once again, a tradition that originated in Germany became an American staple. Although some gingerbread houses are made with non-edible materials, the fun of gingerbread houses is that they are made of real gingerbread and are meant to be eaten.
The Nutcracker Suite
This popular ballet, with music by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, tells the story of how a little girl named Clara celebrates Christmas Eve when some of her beloved wooden nutcrackers become alive.
The ballet premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia on December 18, 1892, and was first performed in the United States by the San Francisco Ballet in 1944.
Ugly Christmas Sweaters
This fun tradition started in the 1980s, and became a party tradition in Vancouver, Canada, in 2001. Today, the sales of Ugly Christmas Sweaters reach the multi-million-dollar mark in the United States.
Door Wreaths
Wreaths themselves have been around since the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans, but the evergreen Christmas wreath eventually took on a religious meaning with the holly leaves and berries symbolic of the thorns and blood of Jesus on the cross. Today, however, wreaths come in all varieties with different decorations and are considered to be more of a secular winter tradition.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Although according to Christian tradition, the twelve days of Christmas start on December 25 (the traditional observance of the birth of Christ although Jesus was most likely born in the spring) and ends on January 6, which is observed as the Visit of the Magi.
However, a poem that was published in the book Mirth Without Merit that was published in 1780 and set to music later is considered to be the origin of the “12 Days of Christmas” with their accompanying gifts.
In 2022, the cost of the 12 gifts, from a partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, is 10.5% higher this year, totaling $45,523.27.
Poinsettias
Thought of as “America’s Christmas Flower,” the poinsettia plant is native to Central and was brought to the United States by the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, South Carolinian botanist Joel Roberts Poinsett. Poinsett was also a co-founder of the predecessor to the Smithsonian Institution and a doctor who held several political positions. It was another 100 years before another botanist, Paul Ecke, popularized the plant for the masses. By 1986, the poinsettia was the best-selling potted plant in the United States.
A quick reminder, the berries on live poinsettias are poisonous to your cats and dogs. Either keep your live plants out of reach or buy artificial plants instead.
Luminarias
Luminarias are simple folded brown bags that are filled with sand and lit by votive candles. This tradition, which dates back more than 300 years, is particularly popular in the Southwest, where they are often lined along walkways. In Phoenix, the annual Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden features more than 8,000 luminaria bags.
My new favorite Christmas Movie is “Jingle Jangle”
This movie musical was released on Netflix in 2020. It stars Forest Whitaker (who knew he could sing?), Phylicia Rashad, and Keenan-Michael Key. Decades after his trusted apprentice betrayed him, a once-joyful inventor and toymaker finds new hope when his kind and curious granddaughter comes into his life.
It is suitable for all ages. The 10-year-old boy apprentice in the movie is named “Edison Latimer!” Get it?
What are your favorite holiday traditions? Let us know in the comments.
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