December marks a very important month all around the world as it marks the year coming to an official end. For many, this means the last chance to complete the goal they had set for themselves for the year, large holiday preparations, hectic family visits and for students, finals creeping closer as the semester comes to an end.
Before December even hits, brands are quick to capitalize on the upcoming holiday season, from limited holiday drink flavors to early holiday shopping deals. Those that celebrate Christmas tend to benefit the most from the drawn-out pre-holiday prepping. However, there are also three other December holidays that tend to fly more under the radar in businesses.
Christmas began as a Christian tradition meant to mark the birth of their God’s child, Jesus of Nazareth, it has since evolved to also be celebrated secularly.
Besides the celebration of a birth, comes the story of a man called St. Nicholas, or the modern-day Santa Claus. In the fourth century, a man known as the patron saint of children would spend his time living by the idea that one must “sell what you own and give the money to the poor.” He was greatly known for always giving to those in need, even reportedly supplying three young women from a poor family with a dowry to prevent them from being sold into slavery for being unmarried.
The virtual St. Nicholas Center claims that he was deemed as the protector of children for saving them from famine, danger, false accusations and even for allegedly praying to God to restore the lives of murdered children which God granted, restoring their lives.
St. Nicholas became known as “SinterKlaas” by the Dutch and was eventually solidified into the modern day image by the famous 19-century writer Clement-Clarke Moore with his poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
Kwanzaa falls on the same dates every year, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, 2026. It’s an African American and Pan-African holiday established in 1966, making it the youngest of these holidays.
Following the Watts riots in Los Angeles, activist, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in order to bring African Americans closer together to foster a community.
Traditionally, the celebration in each family consists of storytelling, poetry, drums, a large feast and dancing. Each night of the celebration, a candle is lit alongside a discussion of one of the seven principles, or the Nguzo Saba.
The seven principles of Kwanzaa include unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Kwanzaa is named after the Swahili phrase that translates to “first fruits,” making it also a time to celebrate harvest. On a mat called a Mkeka, they place different crops including fruits, nuts and vegetables to represent the hard work of farmers to continue to feed the Earth, humans and animals. Kwanzaa is not related to a religion, but rather a culture.
Hanukkah, or the Festival of Light, is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the time of the Maccabees, 2 century BCE Jewish freedom fighters, who were able to liberate Jerusalem from the Syrian-Greeks. Once they secured back their temple, they removed all the idols placed there by the vandals to begin restoration to it.
They discovered their golden Menorah had been stolen during the previous rule and created a new one out of metal using what little oil they had left. While it was perceived to be only enough to last for one day, it ended up burning for eight, marking how long Hanukkah would last for.
Every year, Hanukkah starts on a different day as it follows the Hebrew-lunisolar calendar. Because of this, there actually will not be a Hanukkah celebration in 3031, Instead, there will be two celebrations in 3032. This year, it will run from the evening of Dec. 14 to Dec. 22.
Each candle on the Menorah represents a different day. On the first day, two candles are added to represent the first day of the holiday alongside a helper candle that lights them called the shamash. The shamash candle is the only one placed at a different height. Every night, a new candle is placed from right to left and then lit in the opposite direction. The candles must then burn for 30 minutes after the sun is gone.
In more recent years, the true origins of many Christmas traditions have emerged as people become more vocal about many Christian holidays claiming originally Pagan customs. While there has also been discourse surrounding Easter and the Pagan spring festival, Christmas and Yule also bear many similarities.
Yule is an ancient celebration of the winter solstice which celebrates the return of the sun. This day marks the shortest day of the year followed by the longest night. Astronomically, this day marks the official beginning of the winter season. For the northern hemisphere, this year’s winter solstice falls on Dec. 21 at 10:03 a.m.
The two most obvious Yule traditions that have blended into Christmas customs include the exchanging of gifts and the use of evergreens.
In Pagan tradition, the use of evergreen trees during the winter solstice had to do with the belief that they brought good luck as they were able to survive even the harshest weather.
They also used mistletoe as a sign of love and friendship which developed into the modern-day tradition of kissing under the plant. The exchanging of gifts came to share comfort and warmth during the solstice and to thank nature. Traditional Yule gifts include storytelling, candles, handcrafted talismans, winter greens, baked goods, journals and Yule logs.
