What is important to you during the holiday season? Is it getting together with family? Is it about exchanging gifts? Are you more of a nurturer or a recipient? Before the holidays get under way, decide what is most meaningful to you to make the season special and less chaotic, especially if travel is involved. A lot depends on solid planning, so be sure to get a head start. Make lists. Create a budget and stick to it as much as possible. Shop early. Delegate when possible. If entertaining, stock up on essentials like toilet paper and napkins. Try to be prepared and if things don’t turn out exactly as you planned, just roll with it and enjoy yourself anyway!
The month of December appears to be the festive season for many cultures. Here are just a few of the special days that are celebrated:
• December 7 through December 15: Hanukkah is central to the Jewish Festival of Lights.
The menorah is lit to celebrate the Maccabees’ triumph over the Assyrian armies and the miracle of a single day’s oil lasting for eight nights. Gifts are exchanged and games are played.
• December 8: Bodhi Day commemorates the day Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment. It is a day Buddhists celebrate through meditation.
• December 12: The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated by millions of pilgrims who visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A festival marks the the sightings of the Virgin Mary.
• December 21 through January 1: Yule is the celebration of the winter solstice, the shortest or darkest day of the year. Yule marks the re-emergence of the sun and the days beginning to grow longer again. The Yule celebration originated in Scandinavia as a Norse festival.
• December 23: A relatively “new” holiday is Festivus. For those who are anti-commercialism and the materialism that comes with it, Festivus is a quieter anti-celebration of the season with like-minded friends and family members.
• December 25: Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, but people of all types of faiths now celebrate Christmas as a time to exchange gifts and experience the fairy tale of Santa Claus.
• December 26 through January 1: Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday honoring African-American heritage. It focuses on unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Its name comes from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which translates to “first fruits.”
Whatever you celebrate during the festive season, remember that everyone appreciates a gift from the heart. Nikken invites you to take a look at the 2023 Gift Guide with special offers that extend through the end of the year.
Source: https://time.com/6242283/december-global-holidays-christmas-hanukkah-yule/
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