Google wraps Hanukkah, Festivus, Christmas & Kwanzaa searches in festive holiday decor

Every year, Google brings its own holiday shine to searches for Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and even Festivus (a holiday inspired by the TV sitcom “Seinfeld”), by decorating corresponding search result pages for each holiday term with relevant imagery.

This year’s decorations for holiday searches are now on display. For Hanukkah, which begins on December 12 and will last through December 20, search results include a banner displaying a Menorah, dreidels and Hanukkah sweets.

The Kwanzaa banner follows suit with a Kinara candle holder and a selection of fruits and vegetables connected to the week-long celebration from December 26 through January 1, honoring African-American heritage.

Christmas searches serve up a top-of-page banner with a collection of Christmas-related goodies: candy canes, a gingerbread house, cookies and milk for Santa and a string of Christmas lights.

And last, but definitely not least, is Festivus, which is celebrated on December 23. Inspired by a 1997 episode of “Seinfeld,” Festivus was introduced by the character of Frank Costanza and entails a day devoted to the airing of grievances. Google searches for Festivus do not include a banner, but instead have the Festivus Pole alongside search results.

“At the Festivus dinner, you gather your family around, and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year!”

Compared to last year’s imagery, Google has definitely put more detail into each of the banners for this year’s holiday search terms. The displays are also not exclusive to the individual holiday search terms. Searches for “dreidel” returned the Hanukkah images, and a “Santa” search served up the Christmas decorations.


About The Author

Amy Gesenhues is Third Door Media’s General Assignment Reporter, covering the latest news and updates for Search Engine Land and Marketing Land. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs.com, SoftwareCEO.com, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy’s articles.