December 23

HumanLight is a celebration of humanist values: tolerance, compassion, empathy, honesty, free inquiry, reason and rationality, and more. The event began in New Jersey by the New Jersey Humanist Network in 2001. The event provides an excellent alternative to Christmas celebrations.

From the HumanLight web site:

"The very first HumanLight celebration was held in New Jersey on December 23, 2001 at a gala event attended by close to 100 people. HumanLight is December 23rd, and should always be celebrated on or around this date. This date was chosen for several reasons. A critical objective was to be part of the peak celebration time of the holiday season, yet to have a distinct date of our own that did not coincide exactly (and thus interfere) with other holidays such as the Winter Solstice, Christmas, or Kwanzaa. We liked December 23rd because it was close to the shortest day of the year, a natural event of note, as well as very close to vacation days that typically lead to family gatherings. We wanted Humanists at family gatherings and other holiday social events to be able to say "Happy Holidays" and mean it; to have a positive, constructive way to start a conversation in which they could explain to loved ones what Humanism is about. "

For more information contact:

New Jersey Humanist Network
PO Box 8212
Somerville, NJ 08876
(609)371-1357
president@njhn.org
www.njhn.org