Kwanzaa
A 7 day festival celebrating the African American people, their culture and their history. It is a time of celebration, community gathering, and reflection. A time of endings and beginnings. Kwanzaa begins on December 26th and continues until New Years Day, January 1st.

On the first day of Kwanzaa the black candle is lit, representing the first principle of Kwanzaa - Umoja (oo-MOH-jah): Unity.

link: Kwanzaa on the Net

Christmas Eve

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring no even that louse. . . y brother-in-law. . . 

Well that’s not quite how the story goes. Here are the real words to A Visit from Saint Nicholas by Clement Clark Moore.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. . . 

(more…)

You can check out a new holiday video each day right here or check out our Advent Calendar each day.

link: Advent Calendar on the Net

Festivus
Ahhh yes. Festivus. The holiday "for the rest of us!" Get out your aluminium pole and get ready to “air your grievances” because its one of our favorite holidays!

Festivus was first introduced in the famous Seinfeld episode "The Strike" in which Frank Costanza, father of the beloved George Costanza, tells how he created Festivus in response to the commercialization of Christmas. But in reality Festivus has been around since the 1960’s and was "rediscovered" by the Seinfeld writers.

A highlight of the festival is the Festivus Pole. Simple. Unadorned. Strikingly aluminium.? While its a bit late to get your Festivus pole for this years celebration, there is always next year. And the website of the Wagner Companies in Milwaukee is a great place to start. And don’t forget to check out their great video explaining the vast and humorous history of the Festivus holiday.

Why yes even Santa’s elves are getting into the holiday spirit!
photo credit: Festivus Poles (Wagner Companies)

links:
wikipedia: Festivus
Festivus Poles (Wagner Companies)
Festivus Video