Nathan plans to go to a Chinese restaurant with her family, a common outing for Jews, she said.
Adam Angel, Eugene Yuriditskyand Jason Green, from Baltimore County, who are also Jewish, added that it is a long-standing joke among Jews that many can be found in Chinese restaurants on Christmas.
"It's like we have a deal that if they stay open, we will eat their food," Yuriditsky said.
Regardless of faith or tradition, many people will spend time with friends and family, and perhaps take stock of the passing year before the new one begins.
Brimhall-Vargas said friends of all faiths will come to his home during the holidays. Together they will participate in witchcraft in preparation for the coming year, he said. This year's spell, he said, involves placing herbs and seeds harvested throughout the year into a bowl of water.
"Witches believe they work with natural energies to bend and shape the future," he said. Those seeds will carry the intentions of the new year and will be planted during the next full moon, he said. The friends who will come over for the celebration are not all Wiccan, he said.
"[We] open up our home for anyone who wants to come," Brimhall-Vargas said.
"When you're open, you tend to attract open-minded people of a lot of different faiths. I sort of take pride in that."
