My Holiday Challenge for You

The holidays are a celebration of light.

That’s right; no matter your tradition, the darkest season of the year is a time to celebrate light.

Short days, long nights. Darkness-inspired reverence for light. Duality.

Fall’s Diwali is a festival of lights that symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. People decorate their homes with clay lamps called diyas, representing how inner light protects against spiritual darkness, and they align roads to temples with oil lamps.

Hanukkah is a festival of lights that represents liberation from the darkness of oppression. The menorah’s candles are lit to celebrate a story of the miracle of a tiny jar of oil lasting eight days — a rekindling of faith, reemergence of knowledge, and triumph of freedom.

Kwanzaa is celebrated by lighting candles on a kinara to illuminate values held dear and the path to a brighter future. The ceremonial lighting symbolizes the people, their struggle and hope, with enlightening stories told to strengthen shared principles.

Christmas celebrates Christ’s light, which is believed to shine through the darkness; a light that can never be extinguished. The Star of Bethlehem is bright, guiding the way as the light of the world, shining hope on mankind, which is represented by flickering candles and sparkling strings of bulbs.

The holidays are a time of year to be kind, generous, and nice to one another. It’s a time to seek and see the light within everyone.

In these divisive times, this is my holiday challenge to you:

BE the light.

Spark the goodness in others by reminding them of their own light.

Reflect back to people the good you see in them.

Shine brightness through the dark.

Be inspired by these traditions to spread lightness and goodness.

Happy Holidays!