Letters to 2020

The year is coming to an end. It has been challenging, to say the least. The pandemic has been like no other in our time. It has affected many lives, directly or indirectly. It has taken loved ones from some families; it has caused others fear, depression, and financial hardship. 2020 has given all of us a lot to think about.

Chris Palmore is creating an anthology of letters to 2020.

Would you like to contribute to this anthology and share your reflections on and letters to 2020?

If so, please submit your letters by January 10^th to Chris via this link:

https://www.gratitudespace.com/lettersto2020/

A Wonderful Christmas Tradition

A Christmas tradition in Iceland is exchanging books on Christmas Eve. People then spend the rest of the night reading them in bed. It's called Jolabokaflod, or Yule Book Flood, because book publishers flood the market with new titles between September and November. Newly published books are listed and the list is then distributed to all households for free so that people can prepare for this wonderful holiday.

The Longest Night

Yalda, also called shab-e-chelle, is the annual observance of the triumph of light over darkness. This festivity happens on the last night of autumn, or the winter solstice (December 20 or 21). Iranians celebrate putting the longest night of the year behind them and anticipating more sunlight as the days get longer. On this joyful night, families and friends get together to drink, eat nuts, watermelons, and pomegranates, and read poems by Hafez, a fourteenth-century Persian poet who wrote about love, wine, and ecstasy.

Happy Yalda!