Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

The month of December is known to be the most wonderful time of the year, mainly because there are so many holidays.

Two widely known holidays during this time of year are Christmas and Hanukkah. Each holds a special purpose for those who observe it. Both holidays seem to be times spent enjoying the company of family and friends.

Most are familiar with Christmas, taking place on December 25. This holiday is religious and commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ; originally intended to be observed by Christians, but has become a holiday that many non-Christians also celebrate. Junior Marlene Michel said, “To me Christmas is all about celebrating our dear savior’s birth… showing your love ones that you care for them by thought, action, word, and deed!”

Michel celebrates Christmas in a variety of ways such as texting all of her contacts “Merry Christmas”, making cards for families in her church, and visiting nursing homes with her church youth group to sing.

Something that is unique for Michel’s family is that they also celebrate Haitian Christmas. For this, they eat pumpkin soup “to ring in the new year and remember the old year.”

“It’s almost like the whole world stops for just that serene day of love, peace, and togetherness. No one is working, everyone is together just enjoying each other’s company,” Michel continued, “I would say the biggest gift is all being together!!”

Senior Jaiden Gividen grew up celebrating Christmas with her family, “We would always go over on Christmas Eve and have a big party with the other eight people in my family.” But, she began celebrating Hanukkah last year.

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that takes place from the evening of December 24 all the way until the evening of January 1. Gividen said, “Most people think that Hannukah is like a substitution for Christmas but it’s not. It is actually a historical event that celebrates the Maccabean revolt. This is where the Jews defeated their Greek/Syrian oppressors.”

Gividen and her late grandfather are the only Jewish members in her family, therefore when she celebrates Hanukkah, she goes to another Jewish family’s house. She said, “This is called hosting and it’s a mitzvah (blessing) to be a host and welcome those that don’t have another place to go.”

And although she no longer observes Christmas, the rest of Gividen’s family does. She said, “I go to family celebrations and they give to me on that day because that’s their tradition and I give on other days because that’s my tradition.” Their gift-giving may be different than most families, but it’s a way the two holidays are celebrated together.

For Gividen, Hanukkah is all about, “coming together with family and friends. Regardless of our background, we can all acknowledge how lucky we are to be safe and healthy and together.”

And after all, that’s the theme of the season.