December: A month to remember

December: A month to remember

Hello Everyone!

Happy December!

Yes, I know, it is December and a few more days until the beginning of 2021.December is my favorite month in the calendar (specially this year). It marks the beginning of winter,arrival  of holidays and ending of the year followed by a New year. There are many holiday celebrations during this month that includes Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Today I will share with you the reasons for why I love December.

Number one reason will be the arrival of Christmas, that brings many joyful moments and memories . I like the Christmas decorations,music  and lights. I love having a break during christmas and staying at home with my family enjoying a warm cup of hot cocoa with candy canes near the decorated Christmas tree,watching Christmas movies and opening the wrapped presents . Going back into the memory lane, I remember having winter concerts, cookie cafes and pajama days in elementary school. I remember going to see Christmas lights , going for ‘Pancake with Santa’ at the YMCA ,decorating gingerbread house and having holiday cookie parties at home (when I was in kindergarten and first grade). According to the old photo albums,my first christmas was when I was 3 months old and my aunt and cousins had visited me in Chicago. I had received lots of presents. One of my favorite memories is of going on the polar express ride after reading the book “The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg.There is a movie based on the book and it is the best christmas movie ever .Let me share with you my ride in the polar express. I was around seven. years old when my dad took me to Madison (Wisconsin)for the Polar express ride. I enjoyed riding on the polar express going to the North Pole,meeting Santa and receiving treats and a silver bell. Maybe my next blog should be on “The Polar Express”.

The second reason will be the wonderful season of winter. It may be cold and freezing with many snow day school closings but December is the best time to enjoy early days of winter. I remember playing outside in the snow, building snowmen,snowboarding and playing fun games like making caves, snowball fights and more. Finally enjoying hot cocoa.But the worst part of winter is getting sick and having to bundle up all the time.

The third reason is the end of the year and the start of the New year. Making New years resolutions and New Year’s Eve celebrations are always the best. Not to forget the party and watching late night TV, especially the cheers with the ball dropping in Times Square. This last day of December creates hope and positivity at the start of the year. 

The fourth reason is the wonderful family time and activities including baking and watching christmas movies . My favorite christmas movie is Christmas Inheritance, Rudolph the rednosed reindeer, the polar express and Pluto’s Christmas Tree( an animation by Walt disney). I have not watched Home Alone before because I couldn’t find the full movie. But now I look forward to watching a lot of Christmas movies this year. I have always loved Christmas treats and exchanging gifts. My favorite treats are candy cane popcorn balls and christmas sugar cookies. As baking is my new passion I have been baking a lot recently.

My fifth reason is kind of personal. Well, it is because of my family. There are a few  December birthdays in my family. December 15th is my maternal grandfather’s birthday. He passed away in 2005 of a heart attack and so I haven’t met him. Following this day is my cousin’s birthday. He is a resident doctor in Ohio and had to spend his 27th birthday alone due to covid but still had a virtual birthday celebration with family.  Finally, December 25th is my maternal uncle’s birthday ( mom’s brother AKA mama).He is no longer with us in this world as he lost his battle to cancer 7 years ago. I don’t really remember him but he was the first one to feed me my first bite of food at the  ‘Rice feeding ceremony’, as it is a Nepali tradition. There are a couple of photos of him in the family album. So you see, December is a bittersweet month for us.

My sixth reason is the awesome pre and post christmas shopping. It is a time for good deals on things. This year I got a waffle maker, baking trays and a sandwich maker and are my favorite gifts so far. Yesterday I went shopping for christmas presents with my mom and there were lots of things on sale.I  like post christmas mornings as I look forward to opening presents and going for post Christmas shopping. It is so exciting to receive and give presents. When I was little, I was so eager to check the stockings over the fireplace for gifts and notes from Santa. I wondered, when did Santa come? I used to place cookies and milk for Santa near the fireplace because I believed that Santa would enjoy the treats when he came to drop gifts for me. Looking back, I laugh about my innocence but still want to believe in it.

Enjoy the cookies and milk Santa!

My final reason is the different December holidays and traditions celebrated by diverse communities in the world. Here I share some of the special holidays that fall in December.

Hanukkah- Hanukkah means “dedication” in Hebrew. The eight-day holiday celebrates the festival of lights and  the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem after it was retaken by the Maccabees, a group of Jewish warriors, from the Greeks in the 2nd century BCE, as explained by Tablet magazine. During Hanukkah, they light eight candles to show the eight nights the candle lasted for. They play a game called dreidel with hebrew letters and have a feast with latkes at type of potato pancake and many others. Hanukkah is celebrated by Jews for eight days every year around december.

Kwanzaa- Kwanzaa is a Swahili word that means “first” and signifies the first fruits of the harvest. From December 26 to January 1, many people of African descent in America-celebrate Kwanzaa. Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way, but celebrations often include songs and dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry reading, and a large traditional meal.

Winter Solstice- Winter Solstice also known as midwinter, occurs when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. It is celebrated on December 21st every year.

Saint Nicholas Day-  On December 6th, Saint Nicholas Day recognizes the third-century saint who became an inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus. St. Nicholas is known for selling all his possessions and giving his money to the poor. … Nicholas later became part of the inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus.

Christmas Eve- Christmas eve is the day before christmas and is celebrated of the night Jesus was born in a manger. On that day, people sing christmas carols, go to church, bake christmas cookies, spend time with family and put cookies and milk in front of the fireplace and have a big christmas dinner. 

12 grapes on New Years Eve: Another December tradition on new years eve in Spain is eating 12 grapes at midnight. Eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve is both a tradition and a superstition in Spain. Rare is the Spaniard who will risk poisoning their fate for the coming year by skipping the grapes, one for each stroke of midnight.

So here are my top 7 reasons why December is my favorite month. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year!

PS: Goodbye 2020! I will not be sad to watch you go!