In this season of miracles, let there be hope

They call it the season of miracles. Some call it magical. 

It’s a time of shimmering candlelight, the scent of evergreens, sparkling decorations, time spent with family and friends.

This year, for just the fourth time since 1900, Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, begins at sundown on Christmas Day. This convergence will happen only twice more this century (in 2035 and 2054), when the 25th day of the month of Kislev will occur on the 25th day of December.  We just took a scroll through the next 75 years on the perpetual Jewish calendar published online here to confirm that. 

So it may not be as rare as being able to see a total solar eclipse from the same place on Earth — something that happens once in every 375 years —or even as rare as a visit from Halley’s Comet — once every 76 years — but Hanukkah and Christmas converging like this is still pretty rare. 

Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of one day’s worth of kosher olive oil, found inside Jerusalem’s Holy Temple when reclaimed by the Jewish people in 165 BCE, lasting for eight days — just enough time to produce a new batch of pure oil, needed to rededicate the temple. Hanukkah means dedication in Hebrew.

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, in a stable in the village of Bethlehem, born to a virgin. That’s at least two miracles. 

But Dec. 25 was not widely celebrated as the day Christ was born until 354 CE (AD), when it was designated by the pope of the Roman Catholic church. 

The exact date of Christ’s birth remains unknown. But Dec. 25 already had strong symbolic connections to themes of light, renewal and hope, by the time Pope Liberius formalized Dec. 25 as the date of Christmas in the Roman calendar. It was a date associated with the winter solstice, which marked the rebirth of the sun, explaining the days growing longer. It was also the date of the pagan festival Sol Invictus, which celebrated the Sun god. And it coincided with an earlier Roman festival called Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the god of agriculture, with feasting and gift-giving.  

The triumph of light over darkness, spiritual renewal, a new beginning for humanity all came together in the celebration of the birth of the baby Jesus, the light of the world and its savior, according to the Christian faith.

The Christmas holiday is celebrated today by the 2.4 billion people worldwide who identify themselves as Christians. It’s also celebrated by large portions of the 1.2 billion people who say they are secular, agnostic or atheist, and by a fair number of people of other faith traditions. We have capitalism to thank for that, since Christmas has become so inextricably linked to rampant consumerism, it’s tough to stay focused on the original meaning of the holiday — even if you’re a practicing Christian. 

Today, Santa Claus is a universal symbol of Christmas. Santa’s origins are multi-layered, rooted in the story of St. Nicholas, a Christian saint, known for his generosity, who lived in the 4th century in what is now Turkey.  He has evolved over the centuries, shaped by other cultures and traditions, including the Norse god Odin, who delivered gifts to children during Yule, the German folkloric character Kris Kringle, and the Dutch Sinterklaas, a tradition brought to America in the 17th century.

Santa’s image has since been shaped by 19th century writers — Washington Irving’s “A History of New York,” which portrayed Santa as a jolly St. Nick who smoked a pipe and flew over rooftops in a wagon, and Clement Clarke Moore, whose 1823 poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” known by most as “the Night Before Christmas,” depicted Santa as a plump, jolly old elf who piloted a sleigh pulled by magical reindeer. Rudolph was added to the team in the 20th century. 

This week’s holidays mean different things to different people. But we think there is a universal theme regardless of faith, culture and custom, and that is hope. 

Hope is the thing that inspires us all, the thing that keeps us going when the going gets rough, the glue that bonds us together as family, kin and humankind. 

It’s hope that allowed the Jewish people to believe the oil might just be enough when they lit a flame that first night. It’s hope that’s embodied in the tiny baby born in the manger more than 2,000 years ago. 

It’s hope that inspires children to believe in the magic of Santa Claus. 

And it’s hope for the future that keeps the rest of us going in these uncertain times, living in a world beset by war, disease and hunger on a planet threatened by the impacts of our very existence. 

We hope you find quiet time to savor in the midst of the busy-ness of the holiday, that you have the warm embrace of a loved one, happy memories to cherish and hope in your heart for peace and goodwill throughout the world. That’s not too much to hope for, right? After all, this is the season of miracles.