December's Special Days: A Guide to Holidays and Observances

This article was prepared from the source material provided.

December carries a heavy load of annual holidays, but the month also offers a wide range of daily, weekly, and monthly observances that highlight health awareness, safety, and cultural traditions. According to the source material, these occasions can serve as a way to explore subjects such as health conditions, safety issues, and healthy lifestyle promotion—particularly useful when the holiday season feels overwhelming.

Credit: The Spruce / Margot Cavin

Daily Observances

The month opens on December 1 with Rosa Parks Day, World AIDS Day, Eat a Red Apple Day, and National Pie Day. Other notable dates include December 2 (Special Education Day, National Mutt Day), December 5 (Repeal Day, International Volunteer Day), and December 7 (National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Letter Writing Day, International Civil Aviation Day).

Mid-month highlights include December 10 (Human Rights Day, Nobel Prize Day, Dewey Decimal System Day), December 15 (Bill of Rights Day, National Cupcake Day, International Tea Day), and December 17 (Wright Brothers' First Flight Anniversary, National Maple Syrup Day).

The month concludes with December 25 (Christmas Day, National Pumpkin Pie Day), December 26 (Boxing Day, National Candy Cane Day), and December 31 (New Year's Eve, Make Up Your Mind Day, National Champagne Day).

Several observances have variable dates. December 18 marks the First Night of Hanukkah (which sometimes falls in November). December 21 is the First Day of Winter/Winter Solstice, a date that varies. National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day falls on the third Friday, and National Wreaths Across America Day on the third Saturday.

Weekly and Monthly Themes

Weekly observances include National Handwashing Awareness Week (first week), National Influenza Vaccination Week (typically first week), Tolerance Week (first full week), Human Rights Week (second week), and Thank a Soldier Week (the week including Christmas). Kwanzaa runs from December 26 to January 1.

Monthly themes cover a broad spectrum: Art and Architecture Month, Egg Nog Month, Handwashing Awareness Month, Hi Neighbor Month, Learn a Foreign Language Month, Made in America Month, National Drunk and Drugged Driving (3D) Prevention Month, National Fruit Cake Month, National Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month, National Pear Month, Procrastination Awareness Month, Read a New Book Month, Root Vegetables Month, Safe Toys and Gifts Month, Sign Up for Summer Camp Month, Stress-Free Family Holiday Month, Tomato and Winter Squash Month, Tropical Fruits Month, Universal Human Rights Month, World AIDS Awareness Month, and Write a Friend Month.

For those in the Northern Hemisphere, December brings the least daylight of the year. The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day, with as many as six hours less sunlight than the longest day in June, depending on location.