Hello #PlumFamily,

It’s that time of year again! Shorter days and colder temperatures are typical weather patterns for late fall and winter in our region of the world. The awareness that they will come each year doesn’t make it any easier to navigate, especially with the stressful year. We have been barraged by political discord, cultural clashes, civil unrest, and a pandemic that doesn’t seem to be losing its grip on our families and our communities.

The days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day offer us all moments of hope and optimism as we celebrate diverse holidays and cultural observations such as Diwali, Advent, St. Nicholas’ Day, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Kwanzaa.

The most celebrated Western holidays are Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. Generally, Hanukkah is the Jewish eight-day wintertime ‘festival of lights’ that’s celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and a feast of fried foods. Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and is observed by billions worldwide on December 25th, followed in popularity by a weeklong Kwanzaa celebration from December 26 to January 1, also marked by gift-giving and culminating in a feast.

Whether or not you participate in any of these experiences, I still believe they encourage us to express our gratitude for the blessing of gathering together, honoring family traditions, and making memories with them that will last a lifetime.