Leigh Hunt is a 19th-century writer who grappled with the still relevant question: How can we celebrate and enjoy ourselves at this time of the year when there is so much misery in the world?
Here’s some advice for concerned working parents with kids at home during school holidays, based on our research on home security, burglaries and young offenders.
Christmas is hectic, and it can be easy just to go with the flow and vow to cut your plastic use in the new year. But here are some easy steps you can take now to make your Christmas plastic-free.
From going out dancing to choosing smaller plates, two nutrition researchers offer some tips for reaping the fun of the holidays without destroying your health.
Hide the credit cards and instead build traditions with your kids. Supporting a child through gift disappointment is important to their emotional, cognitive and social development.
Children start developing empathy and compassion as toddlers and should have a good understanding of generosity by age nine. Parents can help foster these behaviours.
For indigenous peoples, winter solstice has been a time to honor their ancient sun deity. Their rituals reveal a deep understanding of the natural world.
Lisa Bitel, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Behind today’s mythical Santa Claus from the North Pole, is a real saint – St. Nicholas. How he came to be today’s gift-giving jolly figure from the North Pole is a fascinating story by itself.
Both natural and artificial Christmas trees have environmental impacts, but they’re not major. What matters most is what happens to the trees after the holidays.
Despite the primacy of Christmas in American culture, the visibility of Hanukkah in pop culture reminds Jews that they have their own holiday in which they can take pride.
Diane Winston, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Around this time of the year, the Salvation Army’s red kettles become visible as part of holiday giving. How this British evangelical organization came to the US is interesting history.
Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity