Holiday Season or Happy Holiday  is a North American term that refers to the period of time from Thanksgiving until the New Year. This covers many of the most important holidays in American culture, when most people in the USA and Canada are likely to travel back to their home town or take time off to spend time with their family.

It is defined as incorporating at least Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and sometimes various other holidays and festivals. It also is associated with a period of shopping which comprises a peak season for the retail sector (the “Christmas (or holiday) shopping season”) and a period of sales at the end of the season (the “January sales”).

Christmas window displays and Christmas tree lighting ceremonies when trees decorated with ornaments and light bulbs are illuminated are traditions in many areas.

In the denominations of Western Christianity, the term “Christmas season” is considered synonymous with Christmastide, which runs from December 25 (Christmas Day) to January 5 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany Eve), popularly known as the 12 Days of Christmas, or in the Catholic Church, until the Baptism of the Lord, a Christmas season which can last for more or fewer than twelve days.

Happy Holidays compared to Christmas

While “Merry Christmas” has been a largely common greeting during the holiday season, many have begun to transition to a new phrase, “Happy Holidays.” There are many different holidays that fall during the month of December such as: Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years and Christmas. The adjustment to “Happy Holidays” has been done out of respect for those celebrating holidays besides Christmas.  The term “Happy Holidays” has become more popular in use to promote a more inclusive culture, although the transition has caused friction and added to the “War on Christmas” debate. “The idea of a “War on Christmas” has turned things like holiday greetings and decorations into potentially divisive political statements. People who believe Christmas is under attack point to inclusive phrases like “Happy Holidays” as (liberal) insults to Christianity,” according to The New York Times.

Each holiday celebrated during the month of December has its own traditions, celebrations and principles. There are over 320 million people in the U.S. that celebrate different holidays and partake in different traditions.

Hanukkah

Hanukkahis an eight-day Jewish celebration beginning this year the evening of Dec. 22 and ending Dec. 30. The holiday celebrates the overthrow of the Syrian Greeks, as well as the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. After the overthrow of the Syrian Greeks, the Jewish citizens attempted to relight the menorah. In every home, on each night of the eight nights of Hanukkah, a new candle is lit on a menorah. It is celebrated with holiday songs, games, gift-giving and food.

A popular game played during the celebration is dreidel, which involves the spinning of a four–sided dreidel, winning and losing pennies, raisins, chocolate pieces, or whatever is chosen to be put in the “pot”. The food prepared during the holiday consists of fried food, another reminder of the lasting oil. Fried potato latkes and sufganiyot are popular items commonly seen in Jewish households during the holiday.

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is a holiday that is reflective of African cultures and begins on Dec. 26 and lasts until Jan. 1. The holiday is a celebration of family, community, and culture. Kwanzaa was created by Doctor Maulana Karenga in 1966, after the Watts riots in Los Angeles as an attempt to unite African American communities. Each night of the seven celebratory days, a candle is lit on the Kinara (candleholder). After the candle is lit, the family gathers to discuss one of the seven principles Kwanzaa is based around.

Each household celebrates Kwanzaa in their own way, usually involving songs, dances, storytelling, poetry reading and a large feast on the sixth day.

Chinese New Year

Another holiday celebrated during the winter is Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is celebrated in January and is known as the most important Chinese holiday. The holiday goes by many names including Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. Jan. 25 is the first day of the first month on a traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. This calendar is different than the Gregorian Calendar because it uses both the phase of the moon and the solar calendar. In order to “catch up” with the solar calendar, an extra month is added every few years. This makes the Chinese New Year fall on a different day every year.

Typical celebrations are done beginning on New Year’s Eve and last around 15 days. The celebrations include: decorations, dinners with family, fireworks, and public ceremonies with dragon dances and imperial performances. Red is the main color for the festival because it is said to bring good luck. It can be seen on every building and decoration. The New Year’s “reunion dinner” is said to be the most important meal of the day celebrated with family. The common foods that are considered good luck and eaten during the meal include fish, dumplings, and rice cakes.

Christmas

Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25, to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. The holiday is celebrated by exchanging gifts, putting Christmas trees in the home, decorating with lights, caroling and hanging stockings. Modern traditions for Christmas also include, visiting and receiving gifts from Santa Claus, hanging of the Mistletoe and ringing bells.

The reasoning behind the evergreen tree was introduced by Martin Luther, explaining they were a symbol of eternal life. Candles during the holiday reason represent a picture of Christ being the light of the world. Holly is another symbol used around Christmas time, showing the thorns in Jesus’s crown. The color red is a large staple in Christmas traditions as well, representing Christ’s blood and death.

With all the different holidays celebrated during the month, “happy holidays” is an all-encompassing greeting that covers holidays celebrated throughout many different cultures.

History of Holidays

We root traditions and customs associated with winter solstice celebrations in the United States in Yule’s historical origins. The Pagan observed the Yule festival around the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere Yule’s (below the equator, the winter solstice occurs around June 21). In the sky above us, something unique happens.

At its most significant distance from the equatorial plane, the sun reaches the tilt of the earth’s axis in the Northern Hemisphere. Many cultures around the world often see winter festivals as light celebrations. Besides Christmas, there are many other holidays, including Hanukkah with its glowing menorahs, Kwanzaa & many others.

Since they celebrated Yule celebrations with candles, bonfires & other forms of light, light is essential for the festival.

Why Do People Continue to

Celebrate the Holidays?

In the U.S., the winter holiday season (from November to January) is for Americans to gather with families and friends and express their gratitude for life. Americans prepare & serve traditional Thanksgiving dishes at churches and community centers from coast to coast, mindful of their good fortune.

Some people donate to food banks and charities that feed the hungry. Even the non-religious get inspiration to give to others with the approach of Christmas celebrated on December 25. As the holidays approach, millions of Americans share their time and money to help the less fortunate.