Editor’s note: Karen Harris Tully is a writer who lives in Raymond and has agreed to keep a journal to share with Daily World readers during the odd and uncertain time we’re all navigating.

Dear Journal:

Recently I saw and shared a long-ish quote on social media. The gist was reminding people to please not take offense when someone, like me, wishes you Happy Holidays because unless we know each other well, we can’t know what religion people are just by looking, and there are 14 holidays from a variety of religious and non-religious traditions this time of the year. Really, anytime someone takes the time to smile and give me a kind greeting, I’m happy.

But I had to admit, I had no idea what 14 holidays the quote is talking about. I mean, I know a couple, but I had to look it up. Wikipedia has an exhaustive list, and as I’m not writing a research paper, I figured it was a good start. Not counting the fictional ones (though yes, I love Festivus too) there are a lot more than 14. In December alone I counted 45. There are some well-known holidays here in the U.S., and some that are well-known in other parts of the world. Here’s a quick, much shortened list.

First week of December – Chalica (Unitarian Universalist)

Dec. 6 – Saint Nicholas Day (better known as Santa Claus). There are too many Catholic saints’ and Christian holidays in December to list them all.

Dec. 8 – Bodhi Day (Buddhist)

Dec. 10-18 – Hanukkah (Jewish)

Dec. 21 – Soyal (Hopi and Zuni); Winter Solstice or Yule (Native American and Indigenous Peoples, Wiccan, and many groups); Yalda (Persian and Zoroastrian)

Dec. 21-25 – Pancha Ganapati (Hindu)

Dec. 25 – Christmas (Christian)

Dec. 26-Jan. 21 – Kwanzaa (African-American)

Dec. 26 – Boxing Day (the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand); Zarathushtra (Zoroastrian)

Dec. 31 – New Years’ Eve, and Ōmisoka (Japanese)

In short, there are a lot of holidays in December! I know there are more and I hope people will forgive any I’ve omitted. We celebrate Christmas in our family, so I say, Merry Christmas AND Happy Holidays to you and yours! I want to wish everyone a love and joy-filled end to this very eventful year.

Song of the day: The Chanukah Song, Adam Sandler

Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi/fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com.