This is the owner of JoshiesWorld, Joshua “Joshie” Sullivan, and I want to personally wish every one of you a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays, such as Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and others I may have forgotten to mention! As for Hanukkah, I am somewhat late, as it is celebrated from December 14 to 22. But I still want to recognize that, as other holidays besides Christmas and New Year are important as well. Some know what these holidays are, where they come from, and how they are celebrated. The celebration of Christmas started in Rome around 336, but it was not a major Christian festival until the 19th century, which began on January 1 in 1801 and ended on December 31 in 1900. The original reason for Christmas was to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday on December 25, a tradition established by Pope Julius I, combining religious observances with influences from winter solstice festivals such as Yule and Saturnalia. As for Hanukkah, it is a holiday for the Jewish people, the word Hanukkah means dedication due to purifying the Temple after the Jewish resistance against the Greek occuptation by Seleucid Empire after they outlawed the Jewish practices and defiled their Temple in 168 B.C.E. Hanukkah holiday also marks Jewish resists having their culture destroyed, and the fight for Jewish political autonomy such as their own country which is Israel. Kwanzaa, a relatively new holiday, was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga to honor African heritage, culture, and unity among African Americans after the Watts riots, which lasted six days and involved an estimated 31,000 to 35,000 people. During the riots, approximately 16,000 law enforcement personnel were present, along with about 2,300 National Guard personnel supporting them. They arrested 3,438 people, injured 1,032 people, and killed 34 people. The term “Watts Riots” refers to the neighborhood of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The Kwanzaa holiday was also inspired by African “first fruit” harvest celebrations. The New Year holiday dates back to ancient Babylon, where the festival of Akitu marked the first new moon, and the modern New Year on January 1 originated with Julius Caesar’s Julian calendar reform in 46 B.C., partly to honor Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. January was named after Janus, which is why the name is so similar. For the Babylonians, their sky god was Marduk, and they celebrated his victory over the evil sea goddess Tiamat.
This month, December, the holidays are not just about Christmas; other holidays are being celebrated, and I hope you enjoy any that are important to you!
Speaking of a holiday, I want to point out something about a particular one: Christmas. Many of us who are Christians celebrate the Christmas holiday because we understand it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. I am a devout Christian and a staunch believer. What if I tell you that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25? Most biblical scholars and ancient historians believe that Jesus was born around the months of Tshri (September), Pachon (May), or Pharmuthi (April). The date of December 25 was chosen because it marked the winter solstice in the Roman calendar and was celebrated to honor their god, Sol (meaning Sun). The Roman festival Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of Sol Invictus, the ‘Invincible Sun’) was held on December 25, and the date was marked in Antiochus of Athens’s calendar to celebrate the Sun’s birthday. Plus, there is no evidence, note, or anything that mentions in the Bible or gospels that Jesus was born on December 25 whatsoever. There are two best estimates for the years Jesus was active: one is based on the Gospels’ accounts of his birth, with reference to King Herod the Great’s reign, and the other is based on subtracting his stated age of “about 30 years” when he began preaching. In the third century, the precise date of Jesus’s birth was a subject of great interest, with early Christian writers suggesting different dates in March, April, and May.
The bottom line is that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25; the Roman Emperor Constantine established that date to celebrate their god Sol, which translates to “Sun.” It was not only the Romans who marked it; Antiochus of Athens also designated December 25 to celebrate the Sun’s birthday, which is very similar to the Roman god Sol (Sun). Early Christian writers adopted the winter solstice date to co-opt existing pegan celebrations.
Here are some sources/links for more information on the points I discussed above.
- Hanukkah on Wikipedia
- Kwanzaa on Wikipedia
- Date of the birth of Jesus on Wikipedia
- Seleucid Empire on Wikipedia
- Hanukkah | Celebration, Story, Menorah, Candles, History, Customs, etc. on Britannica
- Christmas | Origins, Definition, Traditions, History, Date, Meaning, etc. on Britannica
- Saturnalia on Wikipedia
- Chronology of Jesus on Wikipedia
- Watts Riots on Wikipedia
- New Year’s Day on Wikipedia
- New Year’s: Traditions, Resolutions & Date on History Network
There is more information on the internet that you can find by searching on a search engine like Google or Bing. There are many YouTube videos you can watch to learn more about these holidays.
At the beginning, I wanted to publish a letter to the public, especially to my supporters, fans, readers, viewers, followers, friends, family, acquaintances, and others, wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Still, I figured I’d share a little information about these holidays, so you can do some research on them during your holidays when you have nothing to do, especially after a feast! But again, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays to all of you! I hope that every one of you has a great feast. I know that having a Christmas dinner we always look forward to, as well as having some food on New Year’s Eve, is important. Attending or hosting parties for these holidays. Some of these holidays involve alcohol, especially on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. So, please don’t overdo it with alcohol, especially during these holidays. There’s no need to be drinking until you black out. Drinking some to be at ease or to enjoy is the way to go, and the most important of all, please do not drive drunk! If you are planning on drinking some alcohol, the first thing before you do so, be sure to hand your keys over to somebody to hold them, have a plan of staying over at someone’s house, or call a taxi, Uber, Lyft, or others if you prefer to be at home instead of spending the night over at somebody’s home. Instruct that person who holds your keys to NOT hand them over to you, even if you ask or beg for them, even if you only drank a shot so far, no matter what the excuses are, and that for the person to hand your keys back to you the next day when you are sober! The safest way is to have a taxi, Uber, Lyft, lyft or other to drive you to a party or someone’s house so that no matter what, you’d have no vehicle to drive, and would have no choice but to call a taxi, Uber, Lyft, designated driver, or other to take you back home.
But for me to be drinking alcohol, you won’t have anything to be concerned about because I don’t drink alcohol. That goes for New Year’s Eve as well. For decades, I have only drunk pop/soda or energy drinks such as Monster Energy Zero Sugar in a champagne glass. Pop/soda or energy drink in a champagne glass drinkware?! I know, I know, but at least I celebrate the New Year while everyone else does so with alcohol in theirs but non-alcoholic beverages in mine because it’s how I roll! Also, I am always with my mother on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and she doesn’t drink alcohol either. She does the same way I do: she has her pop/soda in hers. A long time ago, when most of my family on my mom’s side was still alive, my mom and I would go over to my mamaw’s (grandmother’s) house to celebrate with her, along with my aunt Debbie, my uncle Brian, and sometimes my uncle Johnny. Our drink selection included non-alcoholic rainbow sherbet ice cream and Hawaiian Punch. I think sometimes with a little bit of 7-Up lime pop/soda. We’d drink them with champagne glasses! As for the food, on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, we will have the usual: slow-cooked, overnight-cooked roast beef with vegetables such as carrots, onions, and celery, with mashed potatoes and maybe corn on the side. Along with desserts or snacks such as peanut butter balls, pies, and more. Our New Year’s Eve food is usually the same: sometimes homemade pizza rolls, and most of the time sandwiches with different meat options such as turkey breast, ham, or combinations, with chips and dip such as French onion dip.
Speaking of Christmas again, I don’t really celebrate Christmas as much as I used to when my mamaw, my aunt Debbie, and my uncle Brian were alive. Ever since they passed away, my mom and I still celebrate together with some present opening. But I am not as into it as I used to be. When I was a little kid, I would demand that we wake up as early as possible, around 6 to 8 am, to start our Christmas Day. But lately, over the past few years, I have not been in any hurry. I do not wake up early in the morning like I used to; I will start my Christmas day in the late afternoon or early evening and take my time. I’d make myself free only for about half an hour, long enough to unwrap/open the presents, have my mom unwrap/open hers, have pictures taken of us both opening our presents, and then I’d get back to being busy and then go to bed. I guess it has to do with losing most of my family on my mother’s side, and I am getting old. Now, I do have a love for Christmas.
I loved waking up very early in the morning, seeing snowflakes falling, and enjoying a conversation with my family. It was dinner time, and then a heavy nap for most of us. I missed that, but I will always love it and cherish these memories. Now, thanks to climate change, we don’t have a white Christmas. I cannot remember the last time we had a white Christmas, so that shows how much the climate has changed. To my recollection, it was in 1994 when we had a major blizzard at my mamaw’s house, and it was impossible to drive home; everything was so white, icy, and blisteringly cold, so we had to call a taxi to take us home. I know that this week, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we will have almost like the end-of-summer weather. On both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, daytime temperatures will be in the 60s, and nighttime temperatures will be in the 50s. Specifically, on December 24th, it will be partly sunny with a high of 59 degrees and a low of 53 degrees. On December 25th, it will be rainy with a high of 60 degrees and a low of 55 degrees. We have had warm weather for many past Christmases now. We’d see some snow at the end of November, then hardly any in December, and then, if this trend continues, some decent snow in January. As some of you know, I live somewhere in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Kentucky’s weather has become what Kentuckians call “bipolar.” One day it’s sorching hot, summer-like; the next day it’s blistering cold with snow; the day after that it’s back to summer-like temperatures; and then it’s raining. It’s ridiculous!
Okay, I’d better end this. It wraps up somewhat as a letter to all of you, my supporters, fans, readers, viewers, watchers, acquaintances, family, friends, and others to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays! I hope you have a great time, enjoy the food, stay warm, and cherish time with your family! While you do, again, please be safe, don’t drive drunk, make sure that whoever you are with doesn’t drive drunk as well, and don’t get in any trouble! If you have plenty of food leftover from your Christmas, Christmas Eve, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, New Year’s Eve, and other holidays, you decide to throw them in the garbage, DON’T! Please share them with people experiencing homelessness and those who cannot afford food or who aren’t invited to family/friends’ dinners. If you have some spare time, visit people experiencing homelessness and those who are alone because they have no family, or because their family lives far away and didn’t come in to celebrate the holidays with them. They need you, even for a few minutes, talk with them, and let them know that they have you to celebrate with! If you have any warm clothes you no longer need, donate them to people experiencing homelessness. If you don’t have any to donate, you can visit thrift or discount/liquidation stores that sell secondhand warm clothes for a few dollars, and donate them to people experiencing homelessness as a Christmas gift.
For the last time for this year, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, Happy Holidays, and good night! See you next year, everybody! 🤗🙂
With love.
Joshua “Joshie” Sullivan.
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