There are the familiar, traditional ways to celebrate the Christmas season, and there are quite a variety of other seasonal customs, both spiritual and secular, to consider. Metro Pulse staff members took a look at some of the winter holiday alternatives to the Christmases practiced around a typical Christian grandma’s house and put together stories that recount an Old English Christmas, a Wiccan Yule, the growing Kwanzaa holiday movement and a Christmas vacation spent in an exotic land. Sprinkle on the nutmeg and enjoy the disparity the season offers.

Christmases Long, Long Ago
Local event relives centuries-old traditions

Merry Wiccan Christmas
Local witches observe some very familiar holiday traditions

A Return to Reverence
Observing Kwanzaa ranges from community celebration to personal reflection

One Exotic Xmas
Overseas, in North Africa, it’s more than a little odd

December 16, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 51 © 2004 Metro Pulse