A Multicultural Celebration

This holiday season, in addition to our traditional Christmas celebration, my husband and I will be learning about a variety of holidays from other religions and secularist groups. We hope to honor the various cultures and broaden our horizons by opening our minds and home to these different festivities.

The idea for an Omnist December came to me a couple years ago, but every time the season comes around, things get so hectic that I forget to plan it out. Well, not this year. I have done some research and am prepared for each holiday we've put on our calendar. I'd like to say we are celebrating ALL holidays in December, but that is simply impossible as so many fall on the same day and some are similar in a lot of ways. However, we have devoted time to learning about each holiday and believe we have chosen ones that demonstrate a level of multiculturalism that can be visibly portrayed in a festive way in our house, while still keeping the true meaning of the holiday sesason alive. To be clear, we do not intend to appropriate these holidays. This is not an Anglo-Saxon celebrating Cinco de Mayo with tequila shots. This is not a WASP dressing in a Native American costume for Halloween. Neither is it a "war on Christmas". My husband is Lutheran and we try to follow the teachings of Jesus. This December is to show that we can all celebrate in our own ways. Nearly every holiday has the same basic principles: joy, family, friends, love, peace, giving, gratitude, and good food.

Our various, though incomplete holiday displays, clockwise from top left: Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, Festivus, Krampusnacht, Milad un nabi, Hannukah, Our Lady of Guadalupe, FSMas, Satanist Starbucks cup, and Decemberween.

My mother likes to call herself an "Omnist". Like Fox Mulder, she wants to believe. Her philosophy is that anything is possible and if there is no evidence for any of them, why not believe that they all are true? After all, most religions are so similar in their core beliefs anyway. I love this philosophy. I myself think the same argument could be made for atheism, but I find her belief system much more optimistic. And the world needs more positivity.

This is a joyous time of year to celebrate with the ones that we love. No matter how you choose to enjoy this season, I hope you will find our posts interesting, enlightening, and hopefully uplifting. Join us as we celebrate. We will post blogs detailing our experiences so tune in for updates on each holiday!

December 5: Krampusnacht
December 4-15: Hanukkah
December 8: Bodhi Day
December 12: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 13: FSMas (Pastafarian Holiday)
December 21: Humbug Day
December 22: Blue Christmas / Yule
December 23: Festivus
December 24: Milad un nabi
December 25: Decemberween / Christmas
December 26-January 1: Kwanzaa
December 31: First Foot / New Years Eve