Cannabis and the Holidays: Exploring Timeless Traditions and New Festive Trends

The holidays bring a renewed focus on connection and togetherness, inspiring creative ways to celebrate with loved ones. While traditions like festive gatherings and exchanging laughs over ugly sweaters continue to evolve, the spirit of giving has grown even stronger. This year, cannabis-inspired holiday gifts are making waves, offering a unique blend of modern wellness and festive cheer that adds a fresh twist to timeless holiday traditions.

Giving gifts is a way to express gratitude and appreciation for those we love, and the look on someone’s face when you give them something that reflects your connection makes you feel as warm and fuzzy as a Christmas sweater. For the religious, exchanging presents is an opportunity to strengthen their faith and bond with the community. For the family, exchanging gifts is an opportunity to shut off from daily life and create more lasting memories.

As religion pertains to the history of cannabis, its roots run deep.

Evidence was established in 1936 by an etymologist named Sula Benet, from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences in Warsaw. Benet discovered that the word for cannabis (once originally thought to be of Scythian origin), appears to have been first noted in the Semitic languages, such as Hebrew.

In traditional Hebrew, Cannabis is known as kaneh or kannabus.

• The root kan in this construction means “reed” or “hemp”,
• While bosm means “aromatic”.

Benet demonstrated that the ancient word for cannabis is Kaneh-Bosm and that it is mentioned 5 times in the Old Testament! It is said to be a ‘fragrant kane’ and is designated as kaneh-bosm. As well, it was written as part of the holy anointing oil – as evident from Exodus 30:22 -33 when prophet-shaman Moses goes to speak to the Lord he goes into an enclosure called ‘the tent of the meeting’ where he covers himself in (hemp) oil and places some of it in the incense altar- he then burns it and speaks to the Lord through a pillar of smoke over the incense altar.

A Gift From the Old Testament:

Then God Said, I Give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth, and every tree that has fruit in it.
Genesis 1:29-30

What about other traditional holiday stories, such as that of St. Nick?

The whole story of ‘Santa Claus’, that Old English take on the Old Dutch tradition of ‘SinterKlaas’, then morphed into American literature with jolly ‘St. Nick’, dates back to the 1100s. The only connection with cannabis here is that the story of Sinterklaas has its roots in the Netherlands, the country that has welcomed legal recreational and decriminalized use of marijuana since 1976.

I suppose there are coffee shops that sell some pretty indulgent holiday edibles that could make Sinterklaas/Santa Claus and St. Nick even jollier characters than the folklore imagined! I’ll take it!

Gift giving over the holidays has become even more personalized than ever before, and cannabis-related gifts (in some states, marijuana itself) are a unique and unforgettable choice.

Dating back to 1876, the Sultan of Turkey gave the United States marijuana as a gift! Since its documented inception in 2727, cannabis has experienced a tumultuous journey of highs and lows, showcasing a pattern where the timeless becomes contemporary. There’s no more fitting way to reconnect with our historical roots and lift our holiday spirits than by commemorating its enduring presence and embracing the exchange of cannabis-inspired gifts.

Looking to start a new holiday tradition? You'll love our Cannabis Yule Log! Streaming Christmas Day through New Year's Day.

If the weather outside is frightening and you're looking for something delightful tune into our streaming CannaYule Log! The idea of a burning cannabis-themed yule log started with Green Bee Life founder, Maria Calabrese who was inspired by her love of the holidays and her home's idyllic fireplace setting that has appeared on the Hallmark Channel.

Tune into the Canna Yule Log.