Holiday Post 2024: Traditions, Manners, and Miscellany

Welcome to the 2024 edition of holiday posts here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is where I take a small break from the usual and look at the holiday season. I make a few lists of links that may be of interest and add a bit of commentary that I hope my four readers find interesting. I do this mainly for a bit of fun during this time of the year. Let's start with traditions, manners, and miscellany of the holidays.

Traditions and Manners 

A small village model under a Christmas tree surrounded by poinsettias.

•  The U.S. Census Bureau has published their "2024 Winter Holiday Season" fact sheet. This is part of their "Facts for Features" series that looks at various holidays and special events over the year and then present various facts and figures drawing from census data. For example, did you know that the value of U.S. imports of Christmas decorations from China for 2023 was $2.82 billion? You can learn that and more by reading the article. 
• PNC Bank continues their annual tradition of compiling the actual costs of the items in the song "The 12 Days of Christmas."  They've been doing their Christmas Price Index now for 41 years. 
• The U.S. Postal Service continues their tradition of Operation Santa. 
• NORAD continues their tradition of tracking Santa Claus around the world as he does his gift deliveries. We discovered this a few years back, and it is a fun thing we do at home on December 24th. We keep the browser open to their tracker, and keep an eye on it over the evening. I am sure this is great for kids, but I think kids of all ages can appreciate it. 
• Some advice for dealing and coping with the holidays. The holidays can be a tense time for some folks. For me, that is part of the reason I avoid traveling to see others and/or hosting other people. We enjoy our quiet time at home. I don't consider spending time with others to be a relaxing activity, less so if it carries a risk of possible toxicity. 2024 is certainly proving to be a toxic year, and I am not saying that just because of the 2024 election season. So for folks who may be stuck with relatives they may rather avoid or other people who add to the toxicity, here are some suggestions for advice. 
• I shared this article from Sojourner's Magazine in the "Thanksgiving Post 2024" last month, and I am sharing it again because it has some useful tips if you dread holiday arguments, especially given this years awful political season. 
• For LGBTQ+ folks, Autostraddle offers "Questions To Ask Yourself Before Going to Your Family’s Super Straight, Potentially Hostile Holiday Gathering." 
• The holidays can also be stressful for children who have divorced and/or separated parents. Here is some advice for helping those kids cope via The Conversation.
  
• Create Write Now suggests a "Mindful Christmas: How Practicing Mindfulness Can Alleviate Holiday Stress." 
• Along with a little mindfulness, perhaps you may want to practice a little gratitude. For example, make a list of things you are grateful for in 2024 like That Artsy Reader Girl did in listing her Top Ten Things she is grateful for in 2024. 
• Maybe to keep the stress down in a holiday family gathering you can all play video games together. The Mary Sue offers a list of "10 best video games to play with your family over the holidays." 
• Are you one of the folks who still send Christmas and/or holidays greeting cards? We do send some cards out during the holidays, though I will admit not as many as in years past. Mental Floss looks at when you should be sending them. A good rule is to start sending them as soon as December comes around, so right about now would be good.
  

 

The Christmas Tree, Decorations, and Other Objects

 

A classic painting. Two rabbits in a forest look out at a large Christmas tree.

• Aww, you think that nice Christmas tree salesperson on a street or some rural place is a local grower? That is cute. Turns out those small, quaint, independent tree farms maybe not be a small and independent as they want us to believe. They are also becoming more rare. Turns out that, like every other bit of business, there is a "Big Christmas Tree" monopoly racket going on. So "let's talk about the big business of Christmas trees." Via Quartz. 
• Reader's Digest looks at the history of candy canes and their invention. I admit that personally I am not a big fan of candy canes nor mint candies in general, but I can appreciate they are part of the holidays traditions for many folks.
   

 

 

Other trivia 

(other topics)

 

Five kittens peeking out of some Christmas stockings.

• Via Mental Floss, learn about 9 people who shaped Christmas as we know it now.
• The Library of Congress looks at a few holidays cocktails gone by. Maybe you want to try making one of these old time libations this year. 

That is all for today. Stay tuned for the next post in the series where I will be looking at "Gifts, Strange Things, and Other Shopping." Thanks for stopping by, and as always comments within reason are always welcome. 

Happy holidays, and remember, when all else fails. . . 

British style sign in red with white letters. Text: Keep calm and drink coquito.