December 13: Saint Lucy’s Day 

Saint Lucy’s Day is a celebration of light and it makes sense for a variety of reasons. First of all, according to the legend, Saint Lucy herself was a martyr who brought food to Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs during the last persecution to happen in the Roman Empire. To bring as much food as possible, the girl lit her way with a candle wreath on her head. Second, this holiday is mostly celebrated in Scandinavia – and those Northern winters have pretty dark days, which leads me to the third reason: it used to fall on the shortest day of the year. And you need a little light of hope as a pick-me-up during those increasingly cold and gloomy winter days. So you bake lussekatter (or saffron buns, here’s a recipe to try), you choose someone to be your Lucy (no gender restrictions!), you dress them in white, put a crown of candles (or fairy lights) on their head, and you sing the traditional songs! Traditionally, you also drink glögg, or mulled wine, and here’s an alcohol-free recipe. This year especially, we all need this extra bit of light – so why not make it spark in a new way! 

December 15: Zamenhof Day

L.L. Zamenhof was a Polish intellectual who created Esperanto, “the most widely spoken constructed language” (and yes, I am quoting Wikipedia here), and December 15 just happened to be his birthday. The date is celebrated by Esperantists, who are said to hold all kinds of talks and educational activities to promote the language and literature written in it. For a wee home celebration, it might be a great idea to spend some time reading about it (for instance, did you know there were native speakers of Esperanto?). But what good will simply reading about a language do without practicing it? You can start a Duolingo course or try and learn 500 words in Esperanto here. Fulfil that “learn a new language” resolution a whole two weeks before New Year’s!

Somewhere in this galaxy: Life Day 

If it is too late to wait for May 4 and your Star Wars marathon cravings are reaching their peak, this is a day for you. Life Day, a Wookiee celebration of life in all its glory, was introduced into canon in an infamous holiday special released on November 17, 1978. And yes, it might seem weird mentioning it now, in December, but Wikipedia actually claims the holiday has no set date – and who would turn down a chance to get back to that galaxy far far away? Moreover, Life Day is supposed to be a festival of singing, dancing, and declarations of love and courage, and there can simply be no “too much” of that. So, even if you don’t consider yourself a fan of the franchise, blast your favorite tunes, call your friends on Zoom, and dance it off! And another tip: this year, the fans were treated to a much better LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special that can just kick off your Life Day celebrations. 

December 21: Winter Solstice 

Yet another chance to reflect on what light and darkness mean to us, the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year as the South Pole tilts towards the Sun and the Northern hemisphere welcomes full-blown winter. Now, we have already celebrated the light with Lucia songs and saffron buns, so the winter solstice can be a day of reflection and channeling your inner light into anything you do. According to the all-knowing internet, every year people travel to Stonehenge to watch the sunset of the shortest day of the year – and, naturally, in 2020 you have the chance to watch a livestream of just that, no need to pay for travel expenses. So this might be a place to start. What if it becomes the ultimate self-care day? After you watch the sun set, light those candles and run a bath or get down with a book, no screens or distractions. One other idea is filling out your Year Compass, outlining your goals and dreams for 2021, or maybe simply writing down the things you are grateful for. Kindle and support that light, next year is bound to be better. 

December 31: Ōmisoka

Ōmisoka is a Japanese way to see the year off. Traditionally, you were supposed to do it properly – paying back your debts, cleaning house, bathing, completing what you could, so that you can enter the new year anew, you know, start with a clean page. These days, people gather for parties and, apparently, watch mixed martial arts (Wikipedia told me this). Now, naturally, it’s hard to say you are celebrating Ōmisoka, as you’d have to actually travel to Japan for that. What you can do, however, is actually clean and bathe (never a bad idea), try out some soba noodle recipes, and learn something about the culture. For instance, here is a list of the ten most renowned Japanese directors to help you compile the perfect movie marathon. Or, for a less serious welcome of the new year, check out our own Studio Ghibli and unsung anime heroes stories. Let 2021 start magically! 

And a little bonus

This completely digital year also brings you a chance to celebrate the New Year Las Vegas-style! Yes, that’s right, blasts and bursts of color, epic sights, and a live DJ. As this year the show is not open to the public, everyone around the world can join it in the virtual realm here. According to the website, there will also be a chance to share your aspirations for the coming year to win a trip to Las Vegas. And guess what? Thanks to the time difference, there can still be time to celebrate the New Year multiple times – so that your own traditions, a Japanese movie marathon, and a Las Vegas party all fit into this one night!