December isn't just a month. It’s a marathon. For most people, the minute the calendar flips, a weird kind of panic sets in because we all realize there are way more holidays in the month of December than we have actual days to celebrate them. You think you know what’s coming—Christmas, maybe Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve—and then suddenly you’re invited to a St. Lucia Day breakfast or someone is asking if you have plans for Boxing Day.
Honestly, the sheer volume of cultural, religious, and secular observations in these 31 days is staggering. It’s the densest part of the year for global traditions.
If you’re trying to keep track of what holidays are in the month of December, you have to look past the big-box store displays. Sure, the red and green decor is everywhere by November, but the real story of December is a patchwork of light-based festivals, winter solstice markers, and deeply specific regional traditions that have survived for centuries. It’s a chaotic, beautiful mess of history and modern celebration.
The Religious Heavyweights and the Calendar Shuffle
Most people start the list with Christmas. That’s the big one for billions of people. Celebrated on December 25th, it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, but it’s also become this massive secular engine of gift-giving and tree-decorating. What’s interesting is how the timing works. It’s fixed. Every year, same day.
Hanukkah is different. It’s the Jewish Festival of Lights, and because it follows the Hebrew calendar, it dances around. Sometimes it starts in late November; other years, it’s deep into December. In 2024, for instance, it started on the evening of December 25th—a rare "Chrismukkah" overlap that doesn't happen often. It lasts eight nights, marking the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. You’ve got the lighting of the menorah, the latkes (so many latkes), and the game of dreidel. It’s a holiday about resilience, really.
Then there’s Advent. It’s not just a cardboard calendar with bad chocolate. For Christians, particularly Catholics and Lutherans, it’s a four-week season of preparation starting four Sundays before Christmas. It’s quiet. It’s supposed to be reflective. Of course, that’s hard to do when the mall is blasting Mariah Carey on a loop, but the tradition remains a cornerstone of the month.
Darkness and Light: The Pagan Roots
Long before the modern versions of these holidays, people were terrified of the dark. No, seriously.
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The Winter Solstice—usually December 21st or 22nd—is the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a massive turning point. Historically, this was a time of both fear and celebration. If you look at Yule, which is a Germanic and Nordic pagan festival, it’s all about the return of the sun. They’d burn a Yule log for twelve days to ward off evil spirits and welcome the light back.
A lot of what we do now—bringing evergreen trees inside, hanging mistletoe—comes directly from these pre-Christian rituals. Evergreens were a symbol of life that stayed green while everything else looked dead. It was basically a "hang in there" sign from nature.
In Iran and among Persian communities, there’s Yalda Night (Shab-e Yalda). People stay up all night on the solstice to protect each other from the darkness, eating pomegranates and watermelon. The red symbolizes the glow of life. It’s one of those holidays in the month of December that perfectly captures the human instinct to huddle together when the world gets cold.
The Specific Dates You Might Be Missing
- Saint Nicholas Day (December 6): This is huge in Europe. It’s not Christmas, but it’s where a lot of the Santa Claus lore started. Kids leave shoes out. If they’re good, they get coins or candy. If not? Well, in some places like Austria or Germany, they have to deal with Krampus, the terrifying half-goat, half-demon who handles the "naughty" list.
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8): A major holy day for Catholics, particularly in Italy and Latin America. It’s often the unofficial start of the Christmas season in those regions.
- Saint Lucia’s Day (December 13): Primarily a Swedish tradition. A girl wears a crown of candles and brings saffron buns (lussekatter). It’s another "light in the darkness" festival that’s incredibly atmospheric.
- Las Posadas (December 16–24): This is a nine-day celebration in Mexico and parts of the U.S. It commemorates Mary and Joseph’s search for an inn. There’s singing, processions, and eventually, a lot of food. It’s a community-driven holiday that makes the lead-up to the 25th feel more like a journey than a single event.
Kwanzaa: A Modern Tradition
Kwanzaa starts on December 26th and runs through January 1st. It was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga as a way for African Americans to connect with their African heritage. It’s not a religious holiday. It’s a cultural one.
Each day is dedicated to one of seven principles, like Umoja (Unity) or Kujichagulia (Self-Determination). There’s a candle holder called a kinara, and much like the menorah, a new candle is lit each night. It’s a relatively young holiday compared to something like Saturnalia, but it has become a vital part of the December landscape for millions.
The Day After: Boxing Day and Beyond
If you’re in the UK, Canada, or Australia, December 26th isn't just "the day the batteries run out." It’s Boxing Day. Historically, this was the day servants and tradespeople received gifts (or "boxes") from their employers. Today? It’s basically the biggest shopping day of the year and a massive day for sports—specifically football (soccer) and cricket.
Then we hit the home stretch. New Year’s Eve on the 31st. It’s the ultimate secular holiday. Everyone, regardless of religion or culture, can get behind the idea of "last year sucked, let's try again." Whether it’s the ball dropping in Times Square or eating twelve grapes at midnight in Spain, it’s the final exhale of the month.
Why We Have So Many Holidays in the Month of December
It isn't a coincidence that everyone decided to throw a party in December. It’s physiological.
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The "winter blues" or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a real thing. When the sun goes down at 4:30 PM, humans get depressed. Anthropologists like Dr. Gerald Milnes have noted that winter festivals serve as a social survival mechanism. We gather, we light fires, we eat calorie-dense food, and we exchange gifts. It keeps the community cohesive when the environment is most hostile.
Basically, we celebrate because we have to.
There’s also the historical layering. The Romans had Saturnalia, a week-long party in mid-December where social norms were flipped—slaves were served by their masters, and businesses closed. When Christianity spread, many of these existing "mid-winter" dates were repurposed to help the new religion stick. That’s why the list of holidays in the month of December feels like a layer cake of different eras.
Making Sense of the Chaos
Trying to navigate all these dates is a lot. If you're feeling overwhelmed, you aren't alone. The best way to handle the December madness is to pick the traditions that actually resonate with you rather than trying to do it all.
Maybe you don't need a 10-foot tree, but you really like the idea of lighting a candle for the solstice. Or maybe you're all about the food of Hanukkah but skip the religious services. The beauty of the modern December is that it’s become a "choose your own adventure" experience.
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Real-World Action Steps for December Planning
- Check the Lunar Calendars: Don't assume dates. Since holidays like Hanukkah and the start of Ramadan (which sometimes falls in December) move every year, check a physical or digital calendar early in November.
- Budget for the "Micro-Holidays": It’s the small stuff that gets you. Saint Nick’s Day or a solstice dinner can add up. Set aside a small "December Miscellaneous" fund so you aren't stressed by mid-month.
- Learn One New Tradition: If you always do the same thing, try incorporating a neighbor's tradition. Make some lussekatter or learn about the history of the Caganer in Catalan tradition (google it, it's hilarious).
- Prioritize the Solstice: If the holiday rush feels too commercial, lean into the natural holiday. Spend the evening of the 21st with the lights off, just candles. It’s a great way to reset before the madness of the 25th.
- Community Volunteering: December is the busiest month for food banks and shelters. If you want to honor the "spirit" of the month without the mall, book a volunteer slot early—they fill up fast.
The list of holidays in the month of December is long, but it’s also a reminder that we’re all just trying to get through the dark. Whether you're lighting a candle, spinning a dreidel, or just waiting for the sales on the 26th, you're part of a massive, global tradition of finding a reason to smile when it's cold outside.