As faithful readers of this blog know, I celebrate Christmas. So, this week I’ll be feverishly getting ready for that holiday because this year has been, well, let’s just say interesting for me personally.

But Christmas is far from the only holiday being celebrated this week, so I thought I’d take a moment to talk about some others.

First up is Winter Solstice on Dec. 22. The shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, those of us daylight creatures begin celebrating the slow lengthening of the days. It also marks the beginning of winter (and the beginning of my period of longing for snow, a holdover from my childhood). For pagans, it’s time to celebrate Yule—a celebration of light and the rebirth of the sun.

Next up, on Dec. 23, is Festivus (also known by the saying, “A Festivus for the rest of us.”). As a member of the entertainment industry, I have to admit, I find the fact that a scriptwriter for a TV show managed to created a whole new holiday awesome. For those of you unfamiliar with this secular holiday, it came into being from a Seinfeld episode aired in 1997. The rest, as they say, is history. You can read more about Festivus here.

Next is Christmas Day, Dec. 25. It’s hard to avoid knowing what this one is all about. But if you’re an Elf on the Shelf, you’re pretty tired by this point.

Dec 26 marks the beginning of Kwanzaa, a weeklong celebration of African heritage in African-American culture. Although not a holiday I personally celebrate, I’ve had the honor of participating in Kwanzaa celebrations in the past with friends. To learn more about Kwanzaa, click here.

Our next to last holiday is not really an official holiday, and I’d never heard of it, but how could I mention National Fruitcake Day, which falls on Dec. 27. This one explains itself.

Finally, for those of you wondering why I didn’t mention Boxing Day yet, this year it falls on Dec. 28, at least in the UK. There’s a lot of interesting history behind this one, but Wikipedia does a better job than I could, so click here to learn more.

Now, thanks to our fantastic Fiction River editors and writers, you can read not only about Christmas, but also about fruitcake and Boxing Day in Fiction River: Christmas Ghosts. It’s a holiday week trifecta. Heck, even the Winter Solstice gets a mention.

So, whatever you celebrate—and even if you celebrate nothing—I wish you a safe, happy, magical holiday season.

Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer.