People enjoying their evening on a beach on Honolulu, Hawaii.

Mele Kalikimaka! How To Say “Merry Christmas” In Hawaiian

Translating "Merry Christmas" into Hawaiian offers insight into the language's modest inventory of consonants.
Christopher Columbus

Challenging Columbus Day

More and more states are choosing not to honor Columbus Day celebrations. We look back at the history of the holiday.
Construction paper, scissors, a pen, and cut out hearts; everything necessary for homemade Valentine's day cards

The Origins of St. Valentine’s Day

The complicated origins of St. Valentine's Day.
A mall decorated for Christmas

The Demographics of U.S. Holiday Gift-giving

In a 1991 paper for the Journal of Consumer Research studied the effects of income, family size, and other demographic differences on gift-giving patterns.
A family gathers around the table for Thanksgiving

The Modern Invention of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving as we know it was deliberately invented in the nineteenth century.
Painting of French revolutionaries waving a French flag and fighting for independence in the late 1700's.

The Origins of Bastille Day

Bastille Day as we know it began as private educational events phased into lively street fetês, and eventually the parades and fireworks we know today.