candleSymbol of Light
Candles have traditionally been used in many celebrations as a symbol of warmth and hope.

Special Days in December

The twelfth and last month of the year is filled with holidays and special dates. In the northern hemisphere, winter officially begins with the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Celebrate these cold and dark days by embracing traditions, including curling up with a hot cuppa and a good book.

December 1
This is the day that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955.
See: Rosa Parks
December 1–6
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday that commemorates Israel's freedom from the oppressive Syrian-Greek rule and the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
See: Hanukkah
December 3
On this day, Illinois was admitted as the 21st state into the Union.
December 5
This is the day that Prohibition ended in 1933.
See: Prohibition
December 7
On this day, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor without declaring war in 1941.
See: Pearl Harbor
December 8
This is Bodhi Day - a Buddhist holiday celebrating the day in 596 B.C. when Buddha attained enlightenment.
See: Buddhist books
December 10
This is Human Rights Day. This day is observed by the international community each year and commemorates the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
See: Human Rights and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
December 15
This is the Bill of Rights Day This day commemorates the date in 1791 when the Bill of Rights was officially added to the U.S. Constitution.
See: Bill of Rights
December 16
On this day, the Boston Tea Party occurred in 1773. Patriots, disguised as Native Americans, dumped tea into the Boston Harbor It was an important event pre-dating the American Revolution.
See: Boston Tea Party
December 19
Benjamin Franklin published "Poore Richard's Almanac" on this day in 1732.
See: Benjamin Franklin
December 21
This is the day that the legal age to vote in the United States was lowered to 18 in 1970. This day also marks the Winter Solstice, the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days.
See: Right to Vote and Winter Solstice
December 23
This is Festivus day - a holiday featured in "The Strike" episode of the television series, “Seinfeld.” (A festival for the rest of us). The episode first aired on December 18, 1997.
See: Festivus day
December 25
This is Christmas day, a holiday celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus.
See: Christmas books
December 26
This is Boxing Day - a public holiday in many Commonwealth countries and some European nations. Traditionally, December 26 was the day to open the church’s donation box to share the contents with the poor.
See: Boxing Day
December 27
On this day, in 1944, the Battle of the Bulge ended. The Battle of the Bulge was the last major Nazi offensive against the Allies in WW II.
See: Battle of the Bulge
December 31
This is New Year's Eve, the final day of the Gregorian calendar year.
See: The Book of Calendars