By Amy Mann, Children’s Services
And Erin Streeter, Children’s Services Librarian

In nineteenth-century America, New Year celebrations were the event of the season. They often involved visiting friends and neighbors and exchanging gifts while Christmas was a religious holiday without much fanfare. Modern Christmas mixes the sacred meaning of the season with a joyful, exhausting, chaotic holiday that people have come to anticipate with both dread and tenderness.

Visit Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Warsaw Community Public Library on December 7 from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. No fees or registration required. Photo provided.

Christmas is not the only winter holiday being celebrated in the United States. Hanukkah (or Chanukah) is an eight-day Jewish holiday that commemorates a candle in the temple of the Maccabees that miraculously stayed lit. It is also known as the Festival of Lights and consists of prayer and worship, food, games, gifts, and visits with family and friends. It is not, as some think, “Jewish Christmas” and can take place in Nov. or Dec. depending on the year. This year Hanukkah takes place Dec. 23-30.

Kwanzaa, meaning “first fruits of the harvest” in Swahili, is a cultural, not religious, holiday that was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga for African Americans to remember their heritage and celebrate the year. Each night from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, a candle is lit to symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Traditional African dress may be worn, crafts created, or games played. African drumming, dance, and storytelling may also be part of the celebrations. As a cultural holiday, Kwanzaa can be celebrated in conjunction with Christmas, Hanukkah, or other religious holidays.

Further shifts in holiday seasons are still occurring today. Thanksgiving used to begin the winter holiday season in the United States, but retailers often have Halloween and Thanksgiving items as early as August. By the time Halloween arrives, Christmas aisles are being set up in stores across the country. This allows the Christmas shopping to start earlier with turkey dinners scheduled in between trips to the mall. Still, the extra days of twinkling lights bring smiles to many faces including ours at the library.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, Santa and Mrs. Clause will return to WCPL from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thank you to the Friends of the Library for sponsoring Santa Day! Our local Meijer store has also donated cookies for each child to enjoy. No fees or registrations are required. As always, the children’s department is available to show you more resources about your favorite holidays.