’Tis the season for bright holiday decorations signaling a season that brings Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.  The colorful lights glow as the days grow shorter and nights turn colder.

Kwanzaa is an African American cultural celebration that begins on Dec. 26 and continues through Jan. 1. The holiday has roots in the harvest in Africa but was created in 1966 during the Black Freedom Movement, as a way to reaffirm and restore African American culture.

Hanukkah, known as the Jewish Festival of Lights, is celebrated Dec. 25 through Jan 2. The holiday celebrates the victory of a five-man army over the Syrian king who ordered Jews to reject their religion. The eight days commemorate the miracle of a tiny jug of oil found in the temple of Jerusalem that burned for eight days.

Christmas, on Dec. 25, is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Santa Claus evolved from Saint Nicholas, who was the Bishop of Myra in the 4th century in what is now Turkey. Christmas trees were originally a German tradition.

Click here for a photo essay of holiday decorations at McDaniel.