One of the simplest ways to stoke the holiday spirit is opening a special book. Continue a tradition of reading aloud to family and friends, or seek out a new story to mark the festive season.

A holiday that falls in the fall, rather than winter, is Diwali, a five-day “festival of lights,” the dates of which vary by year based on the Hindu lunisolar calendar. While the festival is often in November, this year it spanned Oct. 18-23, with the main day – Lakshmi Puja – on Oct. 20.