Significant traditions of popular December holidays

Jill Paglia of Ocala loves decorating her home for the holidays, including a number of Christmas trees displayed in various locations. [John Jernigan file photo]

December is a festive time of year and that jovial atmosphere is thanks in no small part to the many holidays that dot the calendar over the twelfth and final month of the year. December holidays are unique from one another, and each boasts its own meaningful traditions that can make celebrations even more special.

Chanukah: The eight-day Festival of Lights, which this year starts at nightfall on Dec. 14 and ends with nightfall on Dec. 22, is steeped in tradition. Oil plays a prominent role in the miracle at the center of the holiday, so one Chanukah tradition involves eating foods prepared in oil, including latkes (potato pancakes). The lighting of a different candle of the menorah each night during the festival is a symbolic tradition and many adherents to the Jewish faith place their menorahs in a prominent location in their homes, such as a front bay window. Children may play with a dreidel at various times during the festival of Chanukah and gift exchanges are a common tradition as well.

Christmas: Many families have their own unique Christmas traditions, but there are also many that transcend family ties. Christmas trees are a focal point of holiday decor and many families make it a point to choose a live tree together each year and then return home and decorate the tree in each other’s company. Families who prefer artificial trees also may decorate their trees together. And just like a menorah may be displayed in a front bay window, many Christmas celebrants place their Christmas trees in a spot where the evergreen, artificial or not, can be seen from the street. Baking together as a family, writing letters to Santa Claus, using Advent calendars to count down to the birthday of Jesus Christ and gift exchanges with loved ones are some other notable Christmas traditions.

Kwanzaa: A celebration of African American culture and heritage, Kwanzaa is a weeklong commemoration that features many meaningful traditions. Each day during Kwanzaa, celebrants light a candle in the Kinara, a candleholder unique to the holiday. Each candle symbolizes one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, which the National Museum of African American History & Culture notes include Umoja (Unity), Ujima (collective work and responsibility) and Ujamaa (cooperative economics). Decorating is a popular holiday season tradition and celebrants of Kwanzaa engage with this custom by decorating their homes with African and African American works of art and by displaying a Ghanaian textile known as kente.

New Year’s Eve: The month of December ends with a celebration of the previous 12 months and excitement for the year ahead. New Year’s Eve traditions include staying up late until midnight and counting down the final seconds of the year. Some do so publicly at bars and restaurants or in notable locales like Times Square, where revelers count down to the new year as the famed ball begins its descent over the final 60 seconds of the year. Champagne for adult celebrants and sparkling cider for youngsters is often hoisted in a toast to the year past and in celebration of what’s to come.

Mary Owens describes her Sankofa dolls during Kwanzaa on the Move at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place in Ocala on Dec. 28, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]