Life Matters

Festive holidays abound

By LINDA PETERSEN
Posted 12/19/18

We all know that Christmas means celebrating the birth of Christ, but what does Santa Claus have to do with it all? It seems that there was a kind and charitable person named Nicholas Sinterklaas who became the Bishop of Turkey. After his death on

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Life Matters

Festive holidays abound

Posted

We all know that Christmas means celebrating the birth of Christ, but what does Santa Claus have to do with it all? It seems that there was a kind and charitable person named Nicholas

Sinterklaas who became the Bishop of Turkey. After his death on December 6, 343, gift giving became a tradition that was later melded with Christmas. Parents in Germany taught their children that the Christ Child, “Kris Kringle,” was the giver of gifts and this name later became synonymous with Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus.

The holiday of Hanukkah is not a Jewish Christmas, but is a holiday that celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, the Temple was purified and the wicks of the menorah miraculously burned for eight days even though there was only enough oil for one day’s lighting. The tradition of gift giving started with the original exchange of gelt (originally money, and later included those shiny gold chocolate coins.) Because Hanukkah occurs around the same time as Christmas, the practice of actual gift-giving has evolved.

Kwanzaa, created by Maulana Karenga to celebrate African American heritage, was first celebrated in 1966. Based on the holiday “Matunda ya Kwanza” (meaning to celebrate the fruits of the harvest) an additional letter “a” was added to make Kwanzaa, reportedly, to allow each of the seven children at the initial celebration to light one of the 7 candles associated with the name. On the last day, gifts are exchanged. It is a secular, not a religious, holiday, and people who celebrate Kwanzaa may also be Christian or Jewish.

Now that the holiday gift situation has been explored, it is safe to assume that there are still many people who have not yet completed their gift shopping. To stimulate simplicity and creativity, here are a few suggestions:

I love to fund an item for a third world country, such as a goat, a water well, a dozen chicks or a year’s worth of education for a child. There are many different organizations that do this, including World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse and ELCA. The idea of purchasing something special rather than making a general donation appeals to me. This should only be done for people who are socially conscious and might be apt to make such a donation themselves, or one can be accused of being self-serving by giving to one’s own favorite charity.

Buying online tickets for experiences is a good idea because it can be done at the last minute and printed out in color. Story Land in New Hampshire has a bonus package of $99 for a family of four, to be used at some point in the future. Roger Williams Zoo has several different types of family memberships, currently with $10 off. Of course, AAA always has movie certificates that are generally appreciated.

The gift of magazine subscriptions can be done in a pinch, and can be included inside a current copy of the magazine purchased at a drug store. Especially for teens and children who seem to read less and less, this is a gift that keeps on giving all year long. The other gifts of the month clubs also remind the recipient that you are thinking of them all year. My favorites are the Bacon of the Month, Sock of the Month, and Pickle of the Month Clubs.

Amazon is a good place for those “hard to find” gifts, and for those who are Amazon Prime members, purchases will be mailed just in time for Christmas! Smile worthy items include a bar of lime berry soap that has a bill, ranging from $1 to $50, rolled up inside! This is a great gift for those shower aversive teens! Other odd suggestions, among a million, are a cat or dog ice cube tray, a toilet plunger that looks like a Christmas tree (although if used, may stab the receiver with pine needles), a magnetic wristband for holding screws (actually a great idea for Hubby the electrician), flashing LED lighted gloves, a 39-piece pink toolset, a slingshot flying monkey, a Harry Potter throw blanket with sleeves, a fishing game one can play while sitting on the toilet, a Lego set of Buckingham Palace, a Donald Trump “Make America Grate Again” cheese grater, a Super Mario chess set, pickle-flavored Candy Canes, and a mermaid tail blanket for women.

Happy shopping and have a wonderful holiday, no matter which one you celebrate.

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