Christmas is part of the most important time of every year in America. It is traditionally a time of goodwill, of positive vibes, of thinking of others, and of opportunities to make a positive difference in the world. It is also a time for reassessing our relationship with spirituality. In this regard, it is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the leader of the Christian tradition. The Holidays encompass these sentiments and traditions.
On the other hand, other traditions are also observed during this time. It represents sacred celebrations among the Jewish people—Hanukkah, the rabbinic Jewish festival that commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and the subsequent rededication of the Second Temple. These observances enrich the Holidays for many.
This period of time is also special in other traditions, with cultural observances such as the Winter Solstice (Yule) and Kwanzaa, a seven-day period highlighting the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is especially important to many people in the Black community and identifies tenets that can go a long way toward helping bring balance to a community that has suffered a particular brand of racist maltreatment. The Holidays are a time for unity and reflection.
Kwanzaa is not a substitute for Christmas, however. If the Nguzo Saba are faithfully observed, they can go a long way toward helping bring stability to the Black community. The Nguzo Saba principles are Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith). Kwanzaa starts the day after Christmas and continues through the last day, January 1.
This year, 2025, represents a very special holiday season, with life across the planet facing major changes. There are wars and rumors of wars, and American citizens stand to experience economic and sociological hardships based on machinations generated by the Trump regime. President Donald Trump ironically received an inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” awarded to him by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Interestingly, Trump was awarded this “peace prize” during a period when the American regime is in the process of killing people in the Caribbean who have been accused by the Trump regime of being narco-terrorists. There has been no proof of these assertions, and those who are familiar with American law are convinced that the regime is committing war crimes.
In addition to that activity, Americans face a devastating change in their economic well-being: congressional Republicans have refused to extend subsidies connected with the Affordable Care Act, known colloquially as Obamacare. This promises to cause obscenely high increases in health care premiums.
There are also attacks against Americans through the ICE initiative, wherein Trump’s goons target and arrest people whom they believe are “illegal immigrants” in order to deport them to anywhere they decide. That initiative prides itself on creating chaos in certain communities, and it is clear that everyone they target is not actually a “criminal and/or illegal immigrant.” Essentially, the ICE initiative is doing a bang-up job of creating fear and panic in certain communities, especially those populated by Black and Brown people.
This last initiative highlights the bigoted nature of the machinations of the Trump regime. Trump has openly used extremely derogatory language to describe his enemies and people who are not white. Essentially, Trump is in the process, with his billionaire cohorts, of dismantling America in order to rearrange it in the image they choose. And make no mistake, the outcomes are not designed to benefit regular Americans; oligarchs, however, stand to benefit greatly from the plans that they are in the process of implementing.
Basically, the world is in chaos. All over the planet, people are dealing with human beings who are persecuting other human beings. In essence, wars and rumors of wars are increasing. This is absolutely the antithesis of what is expected during these sacred, but challenging, times. It is as though people are losing faith in goodness due to the bad actors who have emerged as leaders.
With this said, there is no doubt that better times are possible, but they will not come without the dedication of citizens worldwide—and in this regard, the chosen few choose themselves. These are the brave ones among us who can help ensure that we have “HAPPY HOLIDAYS.” Aluta continua.