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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - High 70s and 80s hold for another day Thursday with mostly sunny skies.

High pressure weakens Friday so temperatures will cool by about 5 degrees.

Onshore winds return for the weekend, morning clouds and dense fog is likely for the coast, with cooling into the high 60s and low 70s.

High pressure will return again next week, along with more offshore winds, causing another warm up through at least next Wednesday.

We will warm into the mid 70s, not as toasty as it was this week, but still very warm and sunny for our mid December forecast.

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Hanukkah is not the Jewish Christmas. Articles and op-eds in newspapers remind readers of that fact every year, lamenting that the Jewish Festival of Lights has almost become an imitation of the Christian holiday.

These pieces exist for a reason. Hanukkah is a minor festival in the Jewish liturgical year, which is marked by major holidays in the fall and spring — the High Holidays and Passover, respectively. Because of its proximity to Christmas, however, Hanukkah has been culturally elevated into a major celebration, Samira Mehta, a professor of women and gender studies and Jewish studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, writes for The Conversation.

American shops and schools nod to diversity by putting up menorahs next to Christmas trees or including the dreidel song in the “holiday concert” alongside Santa, Rudolph or the Christ child. Even Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish movement, holds public menorah lightings that look remarkably like public Christmas tree lightings.

Store windows, doctors’ offices and college dining halls display Christmas trees and menorahs side by side, though the latter is a ritual object, not merely a decoration. A menorah, or “hanukkiah,” is lit in a specific way, on specific days, with accompanying prayers — more akin to a Christian Advent wreath than to the holly decking the halls.

These issues can be especially tricky for interfaith families. Jewish Americans are worried about Hanukkah growing too similar to Christmas — but the history of both holidays is more complicated than these comparisons let on.

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It’s the end of the year—a time for reflection, relaxation and resolutions. Come 2026, maybe you want to learn a new skill, make the gym a regular part of your routine or spend more time with friends and family. But if you’re planning to set a New Year’s resolution that has to do with your wallet, you’re not alone.

A whopping 97% of Americans age 25 and older with a household income under $100,000 said they have already set or are considering financial resolutions as part of their 2026 resolutions, according to a survey of nearly 1,400 people conducted by Wells Fargo and marketing research firm Ipsos. The top resolutions are saving more money and spending less, but respondents are also resolving to improve their credit scores, pay off debt and start a new side hustle or income stream, reports Current, a consumer fintech banking platform.

Setting a financial resolution is easy. It’s sticking to it that’s hard. But financial advisors say that there are several simple steps you can take now to help give your future self a leg up.

1. Reflect on the last year

In order to make resolutions that you’ll be able to put into practice, you need to start by reflecting on the last year, says Chelsea Ransom-Cooper, a certified financial planner at Zenith Wealth Partners.

Review your spending and transactions. You can either do this with a budgeting app or your mobile banking app, many of which offer money management tools to see what type of items and services get you to swipe your card most often. Note what your biggest spending categories are, and whether anything surprised you.

2. Be realistic

There’s no point identifying milestones you won’t be able to hit, and doing so can be discouraging. For example, if you only saved $1,000 last year, you probably don’t want to say that this year you’re going to save $10,000.

A key part of this step is determining whether you have any significant changes to your income, Ransom-Cooper says. Perhaps you’re expecting a raise at the end of the year or you’re starting a new job with a higher salary after the holidays. If that’s the case, it may make sense to give your savings goal a bump. But if you know you’re also taking on new expenses, like higher rent or medical bills, you’ll want to adjust for those changes as well.

You should also limit the number of goals you set and keep them simple, says Cristian Mundy, a certified financial planner at LifeLine Financial & Wealth Management Group. Don’t write down 10 to 20 goals, but instead stick to three to five, then build from there if you need to add more goals later.

And don’t overcomplicate things. Make sure these are behaviors you can keep up, such as setting aside $20 each week for a future car.

“You’ve got to make it a habit,” Mundy says.

3. Keep your goals top of mind

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