Wise Guys Sammys

the Hebrew calendar. In 2020, the festival celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem when the Maccabean people revolted against the Seleucid Empire. It is also celebrating the “Miracle of the Cruse of Oil,” a legend recounting how the Maccabees found a single cruse of pure oil when they retook the temple, and that oil being enough to light the temple’s menorah – a special ninebranched candelabra and a symbol of Judaism – for one night. Miraculously, according to the tale, the oil lasted for eight nights. Hanukkah in America is commonly celebrated with family and friends coming together to eat food fried or baked in oil, such as latkes (a fried potato pancake), exchange gifts and light the menorah.

Give Gifts to Spread Love

Beyond eating lots of food, all of these faith-based celebrations include the exchanging of gifts. In Arabic, the phrase “tahaabu, tahaadu” translates to “give gifts to spread love to one another.” If you have a friend, a family member or a coworker whose religion is different than yours, you might wonder what an appropriate gift to give is. For Mawlid, tradition has long been to give gifts of food to one another, but recently, giving interest-specific gifts has become more popular. That means Mawlid is a great time to make a dish you know the receiver will like (and what a gift, not having to worry about dinner for a night!), as well as an opportunity to discover more about the person.

Diwali is a celebration of light and prosperity and gift-giving is a major part of that. Gifts of clothing and jewelry are always appropriate and, given the time of year, gifts such as warm gloves, scarves, knit caps and jackets are ideal. Candles and special ceremonial oil lamps are also popular, as well as chocolates and flowers.

For Hanukkah, gifts aren’t a requisite part of the celebration, but are very common, with some families exchanging gifts each night. The gift you give should be thoughtful and personal, like all gifts. Blue and white are the traditional colors of Hanukkah, and shoppers can find pajamas, candles, throw pillows and more designed to match the holiday.

Beyond the Box

If you are giving gifts for Christmas, or for nondenominational celebrations, use your knowledge of the recipient and your relationship with that person to guide you. Small gifts such as soaps, candles, coffee and candy are great for any occasion and wonderful for the secular office get-together. Jewelry makes a wonderful gift for those close to you. Toys and games are perfect for kids, and kids at heart. Does your friend or family member have a specific hobby? Find out if they’d like a new set of paint brushes, some gardening gloves or a gift card to a hobby shop.

One thing to keep in mind during the holiday season is that, while we all have our differences in culture, upbringing and the way we observe holidays – whether religious or secular – we have more in common than not. No matter what part of the world you come from, our ancestors have been greeting the end of the harvest season and the shortening of days with celebrations of nature’s bounty, togetherness, resilience and love for thousands of years.

If you aren’t sure about how to give a gift to a new friend who celebrates a holiday with which you’re unfamiliar, ask respectful questions, start a dialogue and get to know that person. When you give a gift, you may be giving something material that is needed and welcome, but you are also giving something immaterial – your friendship, respect and love.

Tahaabu, tahaadu, Diwali ki Shubhkamnayein, Hanukkah Sameach, Merry Christmas and happy holidays.