Deck the halls, light the menorah, and start the bonfire this winter holiday season.

Despite the media's commercialization of Judeo-Christian holidays, many East students celebrate less recognized holidays with their families or by themselves.

Jessica Kjer ('04) considers herself Neo-Pagan because she observes an array of religions including Wicca, Druid, Shamanism, and others. The essential commonality among these religions is that followers believe in and pray to one to one or more gods that pre-date Christianity. Most Neo-Pagan worship also involves nature and the elements.

Nearly all Neo-Pagans follow a creed of ever mind the rule of three, what one gives out comes back to thee.E As a natural law, anything negative you do to someone else will come back to you, though worse. I see Neo-Paganism as being very open to interpretation, and that is one of the reasons I was drawn to it,Esaid Kjer.

Kjer observes Yule, a celebration of the winter solstice, which falls around December 22, depending on when the solstice occurs. The celebration of Yule is centered on the birth or rebirth of a major god, commonly referred to as The Horned One.E There is no specific name for this god since different Pagans worship a variety of deities.

During Yule, Kjer uses yule logs to create a bonfire to mark the birth of the god. Christmas and Yule have many similarities; most Christians have yule logs during Christmas, and the tradition of the Christmas tree and holly are similarly derived from Paganism.

I am actually what one would call a solitary practitioner. I am not part of a group or organization so I celebrate in my own way. I celebrate holidays at my leisure because I do not believe in religion ruling one's life,Esaid Kjer.

Even though Kjer is the only member of her family who observes Yule, she does not mind that the holiday is rarely recognized.

My opinion on the more main-stream holidays is indifference. People are entitled to their own beliefs, and I honestly don't mind all the media attention drawn to only those religions that are more popular,Esaid Kjer.

Kjer is not alone in her observance a holiday that receives little media attention.

Peggy Chang (E4), a Buddhist, recognizes two holidays in December. On December 17, Buddhists observe the birth of their teacher, Buddha. The other holiday falls on December 30th, which honors the date that Buddha attained Nirvana.

To me, these holidays are like the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. I don't do much on these days, but I recognize their existence, and I appreciate that this man was once born,Esaid Chang.

Although Chang is not Christian, she still celebrates Christmas with her family. Like Kjer, Chang does not mind the attention that the major holidays receive, and she enjoys becoming more immersed in popular American culture.

There's nothing wrong with sharing the holiday joy with the general public,Esaid Chang.

Aside from Yule and celebrations of Buddha, another popular winter holiday is Kwanzaa, an African-American cultural festival, celebrated from December 26 to January 1. Other winter holidays include the Sikh holiday Poh-I and Dong Zhi, a Chinese celebration of the winter solstice.

As a large variety of unique winter holidays exist, people of all religions and traditions can appreciate a casual greeting of Happy HolidaysEthis time of year.