Holiday Spirit

Rituals are a feature of all known human societies, including prayer in organized religions and cults, celebratory rites of passage, and dedication ceremonies, to name a few. Rituals are the glue that bind societies.

Seasons, too, feature their own celebrations: Spring, a new life; Summer, new activity; Fall, abundance and harvest; Winter, the anticipation of light and renewal.

The approaching Winter, with its longer nights and darkness, urging us to hibernate, is a good time to remember that life is hard and in the end, we die. That said, we might look at common rituals as the way to celebrate our need for each other on our path to a meaningful and productive life.

That is why I love Hanukkah, with its ritual of lighting candles for eight nights during the darkest time of the year. That is also why I love the essence of Christmas, shorn of its commercialism. The opportunity to celebrate both holidays at Highland gives me the chance to express my own gratitude for the resources we have and for the love and support of Constance that together turn Highland into this ritualistic seasonal icon i.e. a veritable winter fairyland for all of us featuring the smell of freshly cut pine trees, fire in fireplaces, wreaths and garlands on the entry doors, cats sleeping on the sofa, an abundance of delicious nuts and dried fruits, and fresh pomegranates, all part of a magical scene that makes kids believe in Santa Clause.

The best way to deal with the various hardships in life, like pandemics, wind and fire damage, and recessions is to practice our millennial-old rituals. To that point, this year we have gone out of our way to celebrate, so I would like to invite everyone to stop by for a tour of Highland, to attend tomorrow night’s year-end party, perhaps plan a lunch at the community table with friends, or to simply make a cappuccino and sit by the fireplace, whether to read or to contemplate the meaning of life.

— Sina.