HoehmTown Happenings

A Holiday Message for Our Community

This week we celebrate several holidays with religious and cultural significance for numerous including the rare occurrence when two occur on the same day. December 25th marks Christmas and the start of Hanukkah. Christmas, known liturgically as the “Feast of the Nativity”, marks the birth of Jesus and is one of the major religious holidays within the Christian religion. In fact, for believers, Christmas marks the incarnation of God taking on human form in the person of Jesus. So important is this notion of the incarnation that a whole tradition has grown around the holiday including nativity scenes. Many of the traditions surrounding Christmas date back to St. Francis of Assisi who in the 12th century was the first to recreate the nativity scene with live animals and human participants.

Hanukkah is known as the “Festival of Lights” and commemorates the rededication of the second Temple after a struggle. In 168 B.C. King Antiochus IV Epiphanies sought to outlaw the Jewish faith, banned any practices associated with the religion, and sacked and desecrated the Temple. The Maccabees, a small group of devout Jewish warriors rebelled against the King and regained control of the Temple. According to the Talmud there was only enough oil for one night to light the Menorah. Still, miraculously it lasted eight nights which was a spiritual sign of God’s support of the Maccabees who were victorious and rededicated the temple. Hanukkah is a holiday that speaks about, light, hope and belief.

Kwanzaa is a newer holiday that was first celebrated in 1966. It draws upon the celebration of “First Fruits” in African tribal religions and is a holiday dedicated to reaffirming and supporting African American heritage and identity. Kwanzaa is celebrated for a week, with each day highlighting a specific ideal that is commemorated with the lighting of a candle for each day. Kwanzaa begins on Thursday, December 26, 2024, and runs through January 1st, 2025.

These three different holidays commemorate many of the same ideals. All three of these holidays speak about, unity, light, new beginnings, and hope. Uniquely, the calendar has worked out that these all coincide this week. A much-needed message as we conclude a year, that at times, was anything but unified or light-filled. This year has had many trials and tribulations and has certainly been eventful. The uniqueness of this year and ups and downs ranged from an east coast earthquake and a rare solar eclipse which had many wondering if these were harbingers of the apocalypse. In our Town we had many ups and downs with the unexpected death of a beloved Councilman, Mark Woods, and numerous changes with judges and council positions.

Nationally, we experienced unprecedented change with one of the most contentious elections in history. President Biden stepped aside abruptly over the summer not seeking re-election and many questioned the mainstream media in ways in which they never have before. Our local Congressman Mike Lawler was re-elected and former President Donald Trump was elected convincingly to be only the second person to serve two non-consecutive terms. Wars raged in Ukraine and the Middle East and natural disasters shook our own country. I was proud, as not only my son, but our community collected toys and goods to send to assist people in North Carolina affected by the tropical storm.

It seemed that given everything that occurred in 2024, an eclipse and earthquake were truly a metaphor for a year filled with unprecedented occurrences. My wish as
we complete this year is that all of us will bask in the glow of light that these days offer. The winter solstice, which just occurred marks the shortest day of sunlight
in our hemisphere and from here on in each day will begin to have more sunlight. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, each as if on cue, offer spiritual light to guide our way as the daylight lengthens. Each of these is a harbinger of light, goodness, unity, and peace. My wish for all who read this is the same, may you be bathed in light, happiness, and know the peace that only this season brings.