The “Holiday Season” is not a random sequence of celebrations. It is a cultural column of four events stacked vertically, each standing on the shoulders of the one before it. From Halloween to New Year’s, America climbs from the unknown to the familiar, from gratitude to intimacy, and finally to aspiration. Together, these events reveal how a nation of immigrants creates unity without a shared past: by building upward.
At each level, the country invites people who do not share bloodline, language, or religion to share something else instead: time. The sequence functions like a carefully staged ascent—first opening the door to strangers, then pausing to honor survival, then gathering loved ones closer, and finally stepping into the future with intention. It is through this rhythm, more than through any single myth or text, that the New World quietly teaches belonging.
Full article PDF:
Four Holidays, One Nation: How America Builds Belonging.
This article was previously published, and reproduced with permission.
Hadjian, Abbas. (2025, December 9). Four Holidays, One Nation: How America Builds Belonging. The Daily Journal. https://www.dailyjournal.com/articles/388895-four-holidays-one-nation-how-america-builds-belonging.