Happy Holidays: A Season of Light, Love, and the Golden Rule 🎂🥳 🕯️🎄
Celebrate the winter holidays with light, love, and kindness.
Hello festive followers, Christmas carolers, and friends of all faiths,
This time of year is my absolute favorite—not only because it's my birthday but also because of the holidays and celebrations that fill our hearts with joy.
The winter solstice is today, Saturday, December 21, 2024, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year to the Northern Hemisphere—ideal conditions for holiday lights and warm blankets.
As a child, having my birthday during the winter break was frustrating, away from school and my friends. But now, after six decades, I love sharing my birthday on the longest night, and with holiday celebrations with everyone.
The Winter Solstice 🌌❄️⛄️
So my birthday is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. But let's look on the bright side—it also marks the arrival of my favorite season.
Winter! Think snowflakes, Frosty the Snowman, and epic snowball fights.
As the Earth does its dance around the sun, the solstices mark the times when this tilt is most extreme. During the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice, the upper half of the Earth is tilted away from the sun, creating that short day and long night we all know and … well, tolerate.
Here in Oregon, it’s darker, wetter, and colder but from now until the end of June, each day will get a little bit longer and brighter—despite what the groundhogs do.
The winter solstice isn't just an astronomical event; it's a time of renewal and reflection. It's an opportunity to appreciate the darkness before welcoming the returning light. This cosmic cycle brings the promise of brighter days ahead and reminds us of the resilience and interconnectedness of all life. So, let's toast to longer nights snow, and the magical moments winter brings!
A Season of Light, Love, and the Golden Rule 🙏❤️📜
December is a time of celebration, reflection, and connection, as people around the world celebrate diverse religious and cultural traditions. Around the colorful lights, festive meals, and celebrations, one universal idea unites us all: the need to care for one another. This shared principle is found in nearly every major faith and philosophy, proving that the heart of the holidays is compassion, love, and service to our neighbors.
Baha’i Faith: “Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.”
Buddhism: “Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”
Christianity: “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”
Confucianism: “One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct… loving kindness. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.”
Hinduism: “This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.”
Islam: “Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.”
Jainism: “One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated.”
Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary.”
Native Spirituality: “We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive.”
Sikhism: “I am a stranger to no one: and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all.”
Taoism: “Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.”
Unitarianism: “We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”
Zoroastrianism: “Do not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself.”
As you celebrate this December, let the Golden Rule guide you—light a path of kindness, care for your neighbors, and embrace the common humanity that binds us all.
Wishing you a season filled with light, love, and goodwill. Happy Holidays!