Google decorates search results for whatever's your holiday
Typing "Christmas," "Chanukah," "Kwanzaa" or even "Festivus" into the Google search box brings up pages specially decorated for each holiday. Cheers!
- I've been a journalist for more than three decades. I was a finalist in the 2021 Digiday Media Award for Best Newsletter.
Google has created a universally sweet way to celebrate the holidays.
If you go to Google.com and search for "Christmas," Xmas," or "Noel," your results page is decorated in holiday cheer for the day that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Well, it's more of a wintery scene with a pale-blue sky and a snow-covered landscape, dotted with evergreens. A cheery Santa Claus peeks out from behind one tree as snowflakes fall, waving a yellow-mitten-covered hand. However, his tree has a beautiful star atop akin to the Star of Bethlehem.
This is Google's way of saying "Happy Chanukah!"
Meanwhile, a search for "Chanukah," " Hanukkah," "Chanukkah" and probably many more spelling variations leads you to a royal-blue night sky with Stars of David and a dreidel visible. A menorah with nine candles flickering creates a warm, orange-pink glow in the scene. The eight-day Jewish holiday started Saturday night.
Google also sends warm Kwanzaa wishes.
Type "Kwanzaa" into Google's search box and you are sent to a page topped with a pale orange background and a Kwanzaa kinara with three red, one black and three green candles burning. The black candle symbolizes the people of Africa. The red candles mark their struggles and the green candles symbolize their hopes. The weeklong holiday, which is marking its 50th anniversary, begins Monday.
Even Festivus, the fictional holiday inspired by "Seinfeld," gets into the act. A search for "Festivus" brings up a page with a long aluminum pole running down the left side. The exists-only-in-your-mind holiday occurred on Friday and included the "Airing of Grievances" and "Feats of Strength."
May your grievances be few this holiday season and may your strengths be many.