December is a month crammed with holiday cheer. People are constantly caroling, baking, and spreading joy. Most people only associate December with Christmas, but there is so much more than that.

There are many small, fun holidays toward the beginning of December. Some of these include “National Christmas Lights Day” on December 1st, “National Cookie Day” on December 4th, “Candle Day” on December 7th, and “National Llama Day” on December 9th. These holidays are fun, but most people don’t exactly “celebrate” them. Holidays like these fill the whole month as they do with almost every other month of the year. Although they can be fun to acknowledge, people celebrate the holidays towards the end of December a lot more.

After Winter Solstice on December 21st, the religious holidays begin. Hanukkah is on December 22nd and lasts for eight days. It is the Jewish Festival of Rededication, also called the Festival of Lights. This holiday celebrates the rededication of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem. On December 23rd, a holiday called “Festivus” takes place. This holiday was created by Frank Costanza on the sitcom Seinfeld as an “anti-Christmas” holiday. It’s for people who don’t enjoy the hype of Christmas and think the pressure of the holidays is too much. Then comes Christmas Eve and Christmas on December 24th and 25th. Christmas is a day for spending time with family, observing an important Christian holiday, partaking in lighthearted traditions, or just spreading some holiday cheer! Kwanzaa is next, celebrated from December 26 to January 1; it is a pan-African seven-day cultural holiday that celebrates family and community. During the holiday, families celebrate with feasts, music, and dance, and end the holiday with a day dedicated to reflection and recommitment to the seven principles. 

As one can see, December is packed with holidays pertaining to silly, fun things, religious beliefs, and holiday cheer. One can expect Christmas lights, baked goods, singing, and lots of snow throughout this month!