What are some things you know and enjoy about December? Some responses from adults and children will be the same.
“Santa Clause! Christmas!” children will yell.
I believe you’re never too old for Santa because Christmas is ageless!
Yes, kids and most of us adults would agree Christmas is one of the best things about December. The word Christmas dazzles and shines like the tinsel, flickering lights, and iridescent bulbs on decorated Christmas trees. No other holiday sparkles so long with festive door trimmings and yard decorations soon after Thanksgiving’s turkey delights.
The family gatherings on December 25, exchanging gifts and being the stuffed turkeys, are a part of the Happy Holliday! and Merry Christmas!
But hey! Don’t forget, whether you’re young or old, there’s no Christmas without Christ!
Christ is the reason for the Christmas season!
Based on Christian tradition, the advent of Christ or the celebration of His arrival is in December. On December 25, we celebrate His birth.
Christmas is also called the Feast of the Nativity. The first celebration of the feast was December 25, 336 A.D., but Christ’s actual birthdate remains unknown.
Here are a few other interesting things to consider about December, which is also my birth month.
December 25 is six days before the month’s end and the end of the year.
December is the 12th or last month of our Gregorian calendar year.
Like six other months of the year, December has 31 days; it is in the second half of the year and the last quarter.
The word December contains the Old English word Decem, which means tenth, but this may or may not have anything to do with the month’s name or origin.
Some think December’s origin is connected to the Roman god Decanus because December was the tenth month of the Roman calendar.
The winter and summer solstices occur in December in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (marking the shortest and longest day), respectively. Therefore, the longest and shortest night of the year also occurs in December relative to the hemisphere.
Did you know the December sky is known for annual meteor showers around the same time each year? With or without audiences, stargazers, or sky-watchers, the Geminids or meteors are silent fireworks streaming against the night backdrop. On December 13-14, one hundred or more meteors per hour take part in the shooting-star extravaganza.
Did you know the December full moon (December7) is also called the Cold Moon a Mohawk name describing the temperature?
December 26 is the first day of Kwanzaa.
The Zodiac signs for December are Sagittarius, November 23 – December 21, and Capricorn, December 22 – January 19.
December is the month of many historical events and other interesting occurrences. There are songs and poems about the enchantments of December.
The following poem, Love and Friendship, by Emily Bronte, speaks of December as endearing and enduring.
Love and Friendship
Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Friendship like the holly-tree—
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms
But which will bloom most constantly?
The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again
And who will call the wild-briar fair?
Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now
And deck thee with the holly’s sheen,
That when December blights thy brow
He still may leave thy garland green.
Have a happy December and Merry Christmas!
Be well.