So, I paused while deep in the holiday cookie baking marathon to just absorb the message of the candle flame burning on my countertop.

Gazing to look at a flame dancing and glowing will melt away so much tension.

For safety reasons, all my decorative candles are battery operated, but there is always a real wax candle ready to burn and enjoy in a safe spot, so I can calm and ground myself.

Wanting to expand on this theme of a calming flame and our natural attraction to and need for light, I have unabashedly used ChatGPT to assemble a brief list of worldwide celebrations centered upon light:

🌟 Holidays & Festivals of Light (Worldwide)

Diwali (India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, global Hindu communities)Festival of Lights — triumph of light over darkness.

Hanukkah (Jewish communities worldwide)Festival of Lights — miracle of the menorah.

Christmas (Worldwide)Light symbolizing hope, guidance, and renewal.

St. Lucia Day (Sweden, Scandinavia)Celebrates light during the darkest days of winter.

Loy Krathong / Yi Peng Lantern Festival (Thailand)Floating lanterns and lights honoring renewal and gratitude.

Vesak (Buddha Day) (Asia, worldwide)Temples illuminated to honor enlightenment.

Lantern Festival (Yuan Xiao Jie) (China, East Asia)Lanterns mark the end of Lunar New Year celebrations.

Kwanzaa (African diaspora)The Kinara candle-lighting ceremony symbolizes principles of unity and purpose.

Fête des Lumières (France – Lyon)Citywide celebration using artistic light displays.

Inti Raymi (Peru, Andes region)Festival honoring the Sun god, celebrating solar light.

Nowruz (Iran, Central Asia, global Persian communities)Fire and light rituals symbolizing rebirth and renewal.

Obon Lantern Festivals (Japan) Lanterns guide ancestral spirits.

Mid-Autumn Festival (China, East Asia)Moonlight symbolizing unity and reflection.

More than any other time in my life, I am sensing a radical increase in darkness in the world, and the sense of being overwhelmed by it grows by the day.

For so many of us, may we first absorb the message of the single flame this holiday season:

How a single flame can brighten a dark space

How taking a few minutes of contemplative gazing at a candle’s flame can transform how we feel inside

How we can take that calm and gentleness in our hearts to be kinder to ourselves and others

How we can share that light to lift others

How other people are naturally pulled to the light with their own light

How a group of people with lights can light up the world!

So, in the fray, first keep a candle handy in a safe spot to get yourself centered and calm, and then take its message with you back into the world.

In light, peace, health, and calm –

Deidre

Thank you, dear readers, for all your feedback and praise for our posts this year! It is thrilling to hear how our messages have helped and inspired you!

Coming soon – more techniques, recipes, thoughts and movements as foodtalk4you.com heads into 2026!

Please remember to subscribe so you won’t miss out on any of our weekly posts and make a point of sharing our blog with someone this week!

GREETINGS FROM SHEREE: Merry Christmas everyone! I have so much to be thankful for this year. One of the most important things is the fact I’m still here – more than many can say. Only one reason why, Jesus!

So, this Christmas, I’d like to give thanks to Him for sparing me – and allowing me to be with my family for one more memorable Christmas Season.

Heaven’s Song

Beneath the midnight sky so still, on Bethlehem’s quiet hill

A chorus rose – so pure, so strong, the angels filled the night with song

“Glory to God,” their voices rang. As heaven’s hosts in wonder sang

The King had come the world to save, to light the darkness, free the slave

Their melody swept through the air. A holy sound beyond compare

Shepherds in awe, their hearts took flight

Led by the song, they found the light

This Christmas may that song resound, in every heart where grace is found

For heaven’s joy still sings on earth, a timeless hymn of Jesus’ birth

God bless us, everyone.