It also comes as OC Social Services Agency, CalOptima and food bank leaders warn of drastic cuts and changes to government food assistance and health insurance programs that will impact hundreds of thousands of local residents.<\/p>\n
[Read: OC\u2019s Poorest Brace For Cuts to Food Stamps and Health Insurance This Thanksgiving<\/a>]<\/p>\n Christmas & The Birth of Jesus Christ<\/p>\n Many families are getting ready to celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 \u2013 when most Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, Christmas is when Jesus \u2013 who we believe to be God \u2013 took flesh and became like us in every way but sin out of love for us to redeem us, to save us and to open to us the promise of again being in heaven,\u201d said Tim Freyer, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange<\/a>, in a Tuesday phone interview.<\/p>\n As part of the celebration, many families hang Christmas lights and religious decorations inside and outside their home and put up a Christmas tree where they\u2019ll gather the night before or Christmas morning to open up presents.<\/p>\n Freyer said many people celebrate by going to church and giving thanks to God, share a meal together and give gifts. He also said that the decorative lights have a symbolic meaning of hope.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that Jesus is the light of the world,\u201d Freyer said. \u201cSo we hope to radiate his light which would be a light of love, of comfort, of healing, of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n There has been a host of tree lighting ceremonies across Orange County already including in Irvine, Laguna Beach, San Juan Capistrano and Dana Point with one scheduled tomorrow at Costa Mesa City Hall at 5 p.m.<\/p>\n Freyer said a lot of people continue to hope and pray for peace this Christmas season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe Jesus Christ is the prince of peace so it\u2019s fitting to ask him to fill our hearts and our world with peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Freyer also said people are praying for the many families impacted by the widespread deportation sweeps and those afraid to go out in public.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to pray and hope and work towards comprehensive immigration reform that would fix the system that people on the left and the right all recognize needs some repair work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hanukkah \u2013 A Festival of Lights<\/p>\n Jewish families across Orange County will begin celebrating the eight nights of Hanukkah this weekend by lighting a candle each night on their menorah \u2013 a multi-branched candle holder.<\/p>\n The lighting of the menorah commemorates the story of the Maccabees, a Jewish family who stood up against the oppression of the Seleucids<\/a> \u2013 successors of Alexander the Great \u2013 and their ban on Judaism in Jerusalem thousands of years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stephen Einstein, president of OC Board of Rabbis and founding Rabbi Emeritus Congregation B\u2019nai Tzedek in Fountain Valley, said the Jewish people\u2019s revolt against the Seleucids was one of the first wars fought for religious freedom.<\/p>\n \u201cThis happened before the time of Jesus. Had these folks not revolted and insisted on following our own religion, we probably then would not have either Christianity or Islam today, because both of those faith communities grew out of the Jewish experience.\u201d Einstein said in a Monday phone interview.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cSo it\u2019s amazing what a lasting difference this relatively small band of people made on, essentially, the history of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n The lighting of the menorah is symbolic of what happened after the revolt \u2013 a legend not included in the Books of Maccabees<\/a>, accounts detailing the revolt that are not in the Hebrew bible \u2013 the Tanakh.<\/p>\n According to the Talmud, one of Judaism\u2019s central texts, the Jewish people had only enough oil to light a candle for one night when they took back the Second Temple of Jerusalem and defeated the Seleucids \u2013 a Greek-Syrian dynasty that ruled West Asia.<\/p>\n The candle, however, miraculously burned for eight nights.<\/p>\n Einstein said Hanukkah is about creating light in a time of darkness and for many, the deportation raids mark a dark time in the nation \u2013 noting that people across the county are being detained.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a very dark time for so many people right now,\u201d Einstein said.<\/p>\n \u201cFamilies are fearful, and the Jewish community, which has gone through such an experience like this ourselves, more than once, feels this very deeply and really prays for all those who are at this moment are essentially under attack because of where they had been born or how dark their skin may be.\u201d<\/p>\n For many Jewish families, Hanukkah is a minor holiday unlike Passover and Yom Kippur but it has gained popularity for its proximity to Christmas.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of the time of year when it falls and because other people at the season are having big holiday celebrations, Hanukkah has become a much more widely observed and better known holiday,\u201d Einstein said.<\/p>\n Several congregations across Orange County will host menorah lighting ceremonies and Hanukkah celebrations over the course of the next week with events in Huntington Beach, Orange, San Clemente, Irvine, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Yorba Linda and more.<\/p>\n Kwanzaa \u2013 Practicing The Seven Principles<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Castillo_OC-Christmas-Lights_2024-10.jpg\")
Off of University Ave and Hanceford Road in Ladera Ranch right outside of Mission Viejo, Calif., is a small community that has created an interactive Christmas light display for pedestrians. Visitors are guided through the neighborhood with small signs to keep them engaged. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/12.10.2020-Omar-Sanchez-3-scaled-e1607663696316.jpg\")
The menorah lighting display inside Fashion Island is in partnership with the Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Newport Beach. Credit: OMAR SANCHEZ, Voice of OC<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Nelson_TempleBethDavid_Westminster_2023-7.jpg\")
A booth at Temple Beth David\u2019s Hanukkah festival in Westminster on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. Credit: CARISSA NELSON, Voice of OC<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Kwanzaa-beads.png\")
Families may enjoy crafts and other activities that encourage unity, reflecting a major principle of Kwanzaa. This craft station is set up at Pretend City in Irvine. Credit: CRYSTAL HENRIQUEZ, Voice of OC<\/p>\n