Cookies for Santa

I’m sure that Santa appreciates all the cookies that are left out for him on Christmas Eve, but I can’t help thinking that he gets an awful lot of cookies, and might occasionally hope for something different.

What unexpected thing would you leave to delight Santa?

Chanukah

One of the customs of Chanukah is to play dreidel—a game of chance in which you spin a top, and take from or contribute to the pot depending on how the top lands. Sometimes you get a miracle, and the light keeps burning. Sometimes the dreidel falls to “shin” and you give back what you have gained.

How do you celebrate in uncertain times?

Winter Solstice

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the moment when the days cease their long slide toward darkness and move back again toward light. Also, it’s going to get colder, not warmer, for some time to come.

In times of cold, what helps you to focus on the light?

Wrapped

The point of gift wrapping is to allow something to be expected and unexpected at the same time—we know something is a present, while preserving the mystery of the actual contents. Part of the gift is maintaining the pleasure of anticipating the surprise.

What are you looking forward to having revealed?