slo’s MONDAY 12/4 poll - December Holidays & Observances 🎄🎅🏼🕎

December Holidays and Observances - Which ones do you participate in? (m.c.)

  • Advent 12/3-12/25)

    Votes: 20 18.5%
  • St. Nicholas Day (12/6)

    Votes: 3 2.8%
  • Feast of the Immaculate Conception (12/8)

    Votes: 5 4.6%
  • Hanukkah (12/8-12/15) - Happy Hanukkah 🕎

    Votes: 5 4.6%
  • Christmas (12/24-12/25) Merry Christmas 🎄🎅🏼

    Votes: 103 95.4%
  • Boxing Day (12/26)

    Votes: 8 7.4%
  • Kwanzaa (12/26) Happy Kwanzaa 🖤💚❤️

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • New Year’s Eve (12/31)

    Votes: 71 65.7%
  • None of the above

    Votes: 2 1.9%
  • Other - please post your answer

    Votes: 7 6.5%

  • Total voters
    108
This year we have

Our Christmas Bonfire 2023 on Sat the 23rd. It's a tradition since 2005. It's for all friends and family.
Christmas Eve at my sister next door.
Christmas Day....just me and DH
and Christmas with our sons and family the 26th

New Year's Day at our house with extended family and lots of football.

We will toast the loss of our beautiful Mom at all the events and laugh, also, in her honor as she would expect us to. :santa:
 

Catholic family here also. We celebrate Christmas Eve (midnight Mass), Christmas Day and New Years Day (not Eve. That’s amateur hour!!) Family gatherings on all three days.
 
My mom is Jewish and religiously, I was raised Jewish. However, my dad's side of the family is Christian and we'd celebrate with them as well. It was strictly secular, but we'd go to my paternal grandparents' house for the holiday, help trim the tree, open presents, etc. My husband, while not particularly religious, was raised in a Christian household. So, we still celebrate both as I did when growing up. The big difference is that I decorate our house for both. Growing up, we never had Christmas anything in our home because my maternal grandparents wouldn't approve. And yes, my kids get gifts for both. Most times, we give bigger on Christmas, but Hanukkah has been known to have some big ones as well. At least this year, Hanukkah is early, so my house won't smell like latkes once Christmas is upon us.

As for New Year's, we do celebrate January 1st. It's funny, because in Judaism, there are technically several new year markers, but Rosh Hashanah is traditionally looked upon as the major one. It's also when the Hebrew calendar moves to the new year (it's currently 5784). Some also look at a holiday called Simchat Torah (held on the last day of the festival of Sukkot) as another new year, as it signals the end of the Torah reading cycle and the beginning of the next (if I'm remembering correctly). Although, I don't think this is considered one of the four "official" new years. Passover, Tu B'Shevat, and Elul are the other official ones after Rosh Hashanah. I had to look that up because Passover was the only one I personally remembered being viewed as a new year beyond Rosh Hashanah.

Side note- Hanukkah actually starts at sundown on December 7th. Some sites will list the 8th because it's the first full calendar day, but Judaic holidays typically run from sundown to sundown. It does end on the 15th, but the last candle is lit at sundown on the 14th. So, with the sundown to sundown approach, it's over when the sun sets on the 15th.

I was interested in finding something like this in the thread. My daughter’s “holidays celebrated around the world” assignment is on Hanukkah. She’s been excited to research it. It’s at the elementary level, so I’ve heard about foods fried in oil, the menorah, and Hanukkah bush? I think that’s a fairly new thing not everyone celebrates with.
 
My mom is Jewish and religiously, I was raised Jewish. However, my dad's side of the family is Christian and we'd celebrate with them as well. It was strictly secular, but we'd go to my paternal grandparents' house for the holiday, help trim the tree, open presents, etc. My husband, while not particularly religious, was raised in a Christian household. So, we still celebrate both as I did when growing up. The big difference is that I decorate our house for both. Growing up, we never had Christmas anything in our home because my maternal grandparents wouldn't approve. And yes, my kids get gifts for both. Most times, we give bigger on Christmas, but Hanukkah has been known to have some big ones as well. At least this year, Hanukkah is early, so my house won't smell like latkes once Christmas is upon us.

As for New Year's, we do celebrate January 1st. It's funny, because in Judaism, there are technically several new year markers, but Rosh Hashanah is traditionally looked upon as the major one. It's also when the Hebrew calendar moves to the new year (it's currently 5784). Some also look at a holiday called Simchat Torah (held on the last day of the festival of Sukkot) as another new year, as it signals the end of the Torah reading cycle and the beginning of the next (if I'm remembering correctly). Although, I don't think this is considered one of the four "official" new years. Passover, Tu B'Shevat, and Elul are the other official ones after Rosh Hashanah. I had to look that up because Passover was the only one I personally remembered being viewed as a new year beyond Rosh Hashanah.

Side note- Hanukkah actually starts at sundown on December 7th. Some sites will list the 8th because it's the first full calendar day, but Judaic holidays typically run from sundown to sundown. It does end on the 15th, but the last candle is lit at sundown on the 14th. So, with the sundown to sundown approach, it's over when the sun sets on the 15th.
I am Jewish and my husband is Catholic and we celebrate each other’s holidays throughout the year. We don’t have kids but for Chanukah along with my Mom we light the Menorah or Chanukiyah as it is called and exchange gifts all 8 nights and then for for Christmas we have stockings and one gift each under the tree. For our dog we buy a few gifts for each holiday.
 
I was interested in finding something like this in the thread. My daughter’s “holidays celebrated around the world” assignment is on Hanukkah. She’s been excited to research it. It’s at the elementary level, so I’ve heard about foods fried in oil, the menorah, and Hanukkah bush? I think that’s a fairly new thing not everyone celebrates with.
I personally do not know anyone at my synagogue who has the bush but have heard of it being done. It is tradition to have potato pancakes also known as latkes and jelly donuts. Everyone differs as to how much during the holiday they have them and if you buy or make them. I do not recall why jelly donuts are specified but most people including us get different kinds.
 
I was interested in finding something like this in the thread. My daughter’s “holidays celebrated around the world” assignment is on Hanukkah. She’s been excited to research it. It’s at the elementary level, so I’ve heard about foods fried in oil, the menorah, and Hanukkah bush? I think that’s a fairly new thing not everyone celebrates with.

I don't know anyone that has a bush...or at least refers to it as such. That being said, I've always been big on putting up lights, both inside and out. While it's definitely more of a Christmas tradition, I don't see why I can't add to my celebration of the Festival of Lights with the extra lights. I'm sure there's a reason, but I'm at a stage of my life where I'm doing my thing and being happy. We always make our own latkes, but like many, we've been trying to find ways to cut back on the oil. Baking just doesn't taste the same, but it's definitely healthier. I think we're going to try them in the air fryer this year. As for the jelly donuts, I do know some people that make their own, as the dough is supposedly a bit different. We cheat and just buy from a donut shop.
 
I am Jewish and my husband is Catholic and we celebrate each other’s holidays throughout the year. We don’t have kids but for Chanukah along with my Mom we light the Menorah or Chanukiyah as it is called and exchange gifts all 8 nights and then for for Christmas we have stockings and one gift each under the tree. For our dog we buy a few gifts for each holiday.

I had certain relatives that insisted we refer to it as the Chanukiyah and that's what was required of us during Hebrew school, but I've just gravitated to the term "Menorah" for one reason or another. I think I drive my mom crazy because I insist on using the H spelling of the holiday vs. the CH. It's a long story with how we decided to approach this with the kids, but we do the best we can to balance.
 
I voted Christmas, New Year's, and "other" - for Walt Disney's birthday (tomorrow - 12/5) of course!
 
We do the Xmas holidays and enjoy indulging again on Boxing Day. We haven't gone out for New Years in years...too many drunks on the road.

PS as I write this, I am watching Jon Stamos narrate the Candlelight Processional live from Epcot on tiktok live.

Happy holidays to all whatever you celebrate.
 
Christmas and New Years Eve. I voted Boxing Day too but unless I am working like this year it is often a quiet day and home the 4 of us playing games, watching movies and eating leftovers. It is actually one of my favourite days unless at work.
 
Just the secular celebration of Christmas Day and Boxing Day for us. We enjoy the family get together but we don't have any religious content. Gave up staying awake to see in the New Year a long time ago!

ford family
 
I had certain relatives that insisted we refer to it as the Chanukiyah and that's what was required of us during Hebrew school, but I've just gravitated to the term "Menorah" for one reason or another. I think I drive my mom crazy because I insist on using the H spelling of the holiday vs. the CH. It's a long story with how we decided to approach this with the kids, but we do the best we can to balance.
I usually say Menorah as well. I just picked the Ch for the spelling of the holiday since my name begins with a C.
 
Aren't there a lot of banjos, bells and like rolling xylophones, BSH? Kind of like a strange sort of Mardi Gras parade?

Yes, in the String Band Division. The signature sound of a String Band is the banjo and saxophone. Here's South Philadelphia String band playing a song during a fundraising march through South Philly:


My family is a part of the Fancy Brigades division, which is sort of like a Broadway production done by non professionals. This is a performance by the South Philly Vikings in last year's parade. They won 1st prize with this:


My family club is the Downtowners Fancy Brigade. My Grandfather was a Downtowner, so was my Dad. Now I have several cousins and also my brother-in-law in that club.

People enjoy the parade a lot. It's kind of hard to explain all the rules and regulations and traditions to an 'outsider' when you grew up in the world I did.
 
Yes, in the String Band Division. The signature sound of a String Band is the banjo and saxophone. Here's South Philadelphia String band playing a song during a fundraising march through South Philly:


My family is a part of the Fancy Brigades division, which is sort of like a Broadway production done by non professionals. This is a performance by the South Philly Vikings in last year's parade. They won 1st prize with this:


My family club is the Downtowners Fancy Brigade. My Grandfather was a Downtowner, so was my Dad. Now I have several cousins and also my brother-in-law in that club.

People enjoy the parade a lot. It's kind of hard to explain all the rules and regulations and traditions to an 'outsider' when you grew up in the world I did.
Great videos, BSH. Thanks. That first one, the sound, brings back memories from so many years ago. Very neat your family is involved.
 












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