HO HO HO!

But I Digress...December 2024

This past Saturday, the Winter Solstice ushered in a week of holiday celebrations. Today, I observe Festivus with an airing of a grievance on my Morning Musing.

Wednesday will bring more celebrations for Christmas and the first day of Hanukkah, followed by Kwanzaa on Thursday. It’s a big, festive week!

According to Wikipedia, the dates for Hanukkah are based on the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually coincides with November-December in the Gregorian calendar. This year, Hanukkah will be celebrated from Dec. 25, 2024, through Jan. 2, 2025. It’s only the fifth time since 1900 that Hanukkah falls on Christmas Day. Also…did you know that Kwanzaa may be celebrated by any African American, of any religion, or of no religion? I think that’s awesome!

But I digress…

I’m sharing this to emphasize that I’m firmly in the camp of wishing people “happy holidays” during this time of year. As made obvious by this week’s schedule, there will be people who celebrate one, more than one, all, or none of the aforementioned holidays. “Happy Holidays” is a nice catch-all, and it most certainly is not indicative of a “war on Christmas.” If anything, I suspect Jesus Christ himself would concur.

And so, because I’m in the throes of baking tasty treats, this holiday greeting is brief, and my book recommendations are below! However, whenever, and with whomever you are celebrating, I wish you peace and joy.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

~ Debbie

DECEMBER BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

FICTION: Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

A friend described Rosamunde Pilcher’s books as “comfort reading” and I have to agree. Warning: they are long! But her writing feels like a cozy blanket. I devoured September in the fall, and recommended Winter Solstice to my book club, just based on the title. I’m halfway through and savoring every word!

NON FICTION: Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit

I checked this book out of my local library in late November, as I was feeling rather hopeless at the time. The author helps the reader zoom out to get a broader view of history and shows us how, as the saying goes: history repeats itself—for both better and worse. Sometimes it takes a hitting of rock bottom for the great awakening. Let’s hope that we are headed for brighter days ahead.