Happy Holidays from Amanda Hope!
While this year is a little bit different, the spirit of giving and sharing is still shining bright.
We at Amanda Hope Rainbow Angels wish you all a bright and hope-filled holiday season.
Join Jodi in crafting a beautiful candle to spread the joy and spirit of giving and helping!
Then listen to a special Holiday Storytime with our Comfort and Care Counselor Casille!
Listen to her read THREE different holiday books for Kwanzaa, Chanukah, and Christmas and read along to learn about each of the three holidays!
"Li'l Rabbits Kwanzaa" by Donna L. Washington
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a celebration that started in the 1960s as a way to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage. The name Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning first fruits of the harvest. Karamu : The feast on the 6th night. Zwadi: presents you give at Kwanzaa Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:
Umoja (Unity): The animals joined together to celebrate Karamu
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): Li’l Rabbit behan his search all on his own
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): Momma Field Mouse, Momma Possum and Momma Raccoon worked to make the feast. The Frogs and spiders hung the lanterns. Spider and Cricket made the music.
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): Granna Rabbit helps Poppa Squirrel hide his nuts and find them again in the spring. Granna Rabbit helps Momma field Mouse with her children.
Nia (Purpose): Li’l Rabbit left home with a purpose. He wanted to help his grana have a wonderful Karamu.
Kuumba (Creativity): The storytelling, dancing, music, painting, poetry, making the Swadi for the party, and cooking are examples.
Imani (Faith): Granna Rabbit has faith in Li’l Rabbit
"The Ninth Night of Hanukkah" by Erica S. Perl
Chankuah
The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. As part of the rededication, they needed to relight the menorah, whose source of fuel was olive oil but they only found a single jar of oil enough to last a single day. To their surprise, the menorah stayed lit for eight days, which was seven more days than they expected. Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration, and each day commemorates each day that the oil lasted. On each day, a branch of the nine-branch Hanukkah menorah is lit with the shamash ("helper" candle), which sits on the middle branch. Jewish children often play a game called dreidel. The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top, each side having a Hebrew letter. The four letters (nun, gimel, hey, shin) stand for the Hebrew phrase, "Nes gadol haya shaam," meaning, "A great miracle happened there."
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" by Dr. Seuss
Christmas
Christmas (which means "Feast day of Christ") is a Christian holiday that refers to the birth of Jesus (whom Christians believe is the Son of God), and a cultural holiday for non-Christians. Christmas is celebrated all over the world, as a religious holiday or as a time of celebration by Christians. The traditions are different from country to country, but they nearly always include a feast, giving gifts or cards, and enjoying church or public festivities such as singing Christmas carols and songs. Santa Claus is a tradition in many countries of the world.
Fun Facts About Christmas: If you add up all the gifts given in the song the Twelve Days of Christmas there are 364 total gifts. The tradition of the Christmas tree comes from the country of Germany. The earliest known decorations for the tree were apples.