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December offers alternatives to traditional holiday celebrations |
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Tuesday, 04 December 2007 |
by KELSEY OHLEGER
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
This winter season, if you’re tired of the traditional holiday celebrations, you’re in luck. December offers many different reasons for celebration.
So instead of going through the month concentrating on your usual holiday festivities, branch out, and find a new source of merriment.
Winter Solstice
Dec. 21 will be the shortest day of the entire year.
According to holidaynights.org, this day the sun will never rise in the North Pole.
The
southern hemisphere will be basking in the warm weather while
celebrating its first day of summer, and the northern hemisphere will
welcome the official start of the winter season.
Circlesanctuary.org
offers tips on celebrating this sun-deprived day with a solstice feast,
including cold weather treats such as hot chocolate and tea. Also,
celebrate the sun with a cake and candles.
Decorate with strings of lights and candles to welcome the light and keep a fire burning all day.
Festivus
In
1997, Frank Costanza created a holiday “for the rest of us,” when he
found himself wrestling over a doll in a department store with another
Christmas shopper.
Although
Costanza is a fictional character from the popular show “Seinfeld,”
Festivus is still being celebrated by fans everywhere, according to The
New York Times. Dec. 23 marks the ten-year anniversary of the holiday.
According
to festivusweb.com, the Festivus pole takes the place of a Christmas
tree. An aluminum pole should be used because of its “very high
strength-to-weight ratio.”
The pole should be displayed throughout the holiday, unadorned with distracting elements such as tinsel.
The
Festivus dinner should take place during the evening of the Dec. 23 and
follow the first Festivus feast’s tradition of serving main course
dishes of meatloaf and spaghetti.
The meal should begin with the “Airing of Grievances,” where family members explain what disappointed them during the year.
Following the feast, the Feats of Strength competition should take place.
The competition includes wrestling between the head of the household and the person of his choice.
Festivus does not end until the head is pinned to the ground.
For
more information on this holiday, consult the “The Real Festivus” by
Daniel O’Keefe or “The Holiday for the Rest of Us” by Allen Salkin.
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a national holiday celebrated Dec. 26 in England, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
According
to infoplease.com, the holiday originated in Great Britain, where
churches had boxes set up for the public to donate gifts or money to
the poor.
The
day after Christmas, the boxes were opened and distributed to those in
need. Since then, the holiday has transformed to include people who had
provided a good service during the year.
This
tradition continues today by giving presents to mail carriers, doormen,
caretakers, and others who have been helpful throughout the year.
According
to ehow.com, you can celebrate by giving gift baskets to those who have
helped you to survive the year. Also, take advantage of after-Christmas
sales and finish off the celebratory events with holiday leftovers.
Try celebrating Boxing Day early by presenting your favorite cafeteria, housekeeping or maintenance worker with a gift.
King’s Day
Each year, Jan. 5 denotes the end of the holiday season.
According to ehow.com, this day is celebrated throughout the world with fun games and outrageous costumes.
For this celebration in England, an apple cider drink called “lamb’s wool” is served along with a king’s cake.
A
trinket should be baked inside of the cake and the person who gets the
trinket in their piece will rule as king over the other guests.
The king can request any comical or ludicrous task for the other guests to perform for entertainment.
Also,
the king of the event must make the cake for the following year’s
celebration. Adopt the holiday and celebrate with friends from your
hometown or Boone as an annual tradition to spend together over the
holiday break.
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