Fun Facts About December

December Facts About the Calendar

December’s name is older than its place at the end of the year.

1. Its name means “ten” December comes from the Latin decem, “ten”. It was the tenth month of the Roman calendar of Romulus, which began in March, and it kept its name after January and February were added to the start of the year. ↳ December
2. It is the last month and has 31 days December is the 12th and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and it is 31 days long. ↳ December
3. The Anglo-Saxons called it “Yule month” The Anglo-Saxons referred to December and January together as Ġēolamonaþ, “Yule month”. In the French Republican calendar, December fell across the months of Frimaire and Nivôse. ↳ December
4. Winter up north, summer down south December is the first month of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the first month of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, so seasonally it matches June on the other side of the equator. ↳ December
5. Two zodiac signs share it The zodiac signs for December are Sagittarius, until December 21, and Capricorn, from December 22 onward. ↳ December
6. It has three birthstones December’s birthstones are turquoise, zircon and tanzanite. Zircon replaced lapis lazuli on the US jewellers’ list in 1952, and tanzanite was added by the American Gem Trade Association in 2002. ↳ Birthstone
7. Its flower is the narcissus December’s birth flower is the narcissus, the genus of spring-flowering plants that includes daffodils, jonquils and paperwhites. ↳ December
8. In the US it is Egg Nog and Fruit Cake month Among December’s month-long observances in the United States are National Egg Nog Month, National Fruit Cake Month and National Pear Month. ↳ December

December Facts About the Night Sky

Long nights make December one of the best months for stargazing in the north.

9. It holds the shortest day of the year December contains the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the fewest daylight hours, and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the day with the most. In the north, astronomical winter traditionally begins on December 21 or the date of the solstice. ↳ December
10. The Geminids come from an asteroid The Geminids and the Quadrantids are the only major meteor showers that do not come from a comet. The Geminids’ parent is 3200 Phaethon, which is thought to be an asteroid and has the spectrum of a rocky one. The shower is usually strongest on the morning of December 14 and can produce 120 to 160 meteors an hour in ideal conditions. ↳ Geminids
11. The Geminids were only noticed in 1862 Geminids were first observed in 1862, much later than the Perseids (36 AD) or the Leonids (902 AD). ↳ Geminids
12. A second shower arrives before Christmas The Ursids run from about December 17 to 25 or 26 and peak around December 22. Their stream is so narrow that one veteran observer said you have to be within 12 hours of the maximum to see much. ↳ Ursids

December Facts From History

From tea in a harbour to footprints on the Moon, December has seen a lot of firsts and lasts.

13. The Boston Tea Party was in December On the night of December 16, 1773, members of the Sons of Liberty, disguised as American Indians, threw 340 or 342 chests of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor. It took them about three hours. ↳ Boston Tea Party
14. Slavery was abolished in the US in December The Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States, was ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18, 1865. ↳ Thirteenth Amendment
15. The first powered flight lasted 12 seconds On December 17, 1903, the Wright Flyer made the first sustained flight of a crewed, powered, controlled heavier-than-air aircraft about 4 miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville Wright’s famous photographed flight that day lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet (37 m), shorter than the wingspan of a Boeing 747. ↳ Wright Flyer
16. Nobel Prizes are handed out on December 10 Alfred Nobel died on 10 December 1896, and the prizes are presented on 10 December, the anniversary of his death. They were first awarded in 1901, on the fifth anniversary. ↳ Nobel Prize
17. The South Pole was first reached in December Roald Amundsen and four companions reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911, about five weeks ahead of Robert Falcon Scott’s British party. Amundsen had kept his real goal so secret that even his crew thought they were heading for the Arctic. ↳ Amundsen’s South Pole expedition
18. Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7 Japan launched a surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The United States, until then neutral in World War II, declared war on Japan the next day. ↳ Attack on Pearl Harbor
19. Rosa Parks kept her seat on December 1 On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama. Her refusal, in defiance of segregation laws, sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, and she is sometimes called the “mother of the civil rights movement”. ↳ Rosa Parks
20. The last Moon walk was in December Apollo 17 flew from December 7 to 19, 1972, and was the most recent time humans set foot on the Moon. Harrison Schmitt, who walked there with Gene Cernan, was the only professional geologist to land on the Moon, and the crew took the photo of Earth now known as The Blue Marble on the way there. ↳ Apollo 17

Fun Facts About December Holidays and Traditions

December is crowded with festivals, from a fourth-century saint to a 1990s sitcom holiday.

21. Many Advent calendars start on December 1 The first Sunday of Advent falls between November 27 and December 3, so many reusable Advent calendars simply begin on December 1. The custom was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries. ↳ Advent calendar
22. Saint Nicholas comes early, on December 6 In Western Christian countries Saint Nicholas Day is December 6. In the Netherlands and Belgium, children put out a shoe filled with hay and a carrot for the saint’s horse, and Santa Claus himself is partly named after the Dutch Sinterklaas. ↳ Saint Nicholas Day
23. Zen monks meditate all night for Bodhi Day Bodhi Day marks the Buddha’s enlightenment. In Japanese Zen it is called Rōhatsu and is kept on December 8, and monks and lay followers often stay up the whole night before it meditating. ↳ Bodhi Day
24. December 10 is Human Rights Day Human Rights Day marks the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948. ↳ Human Rights Day
25. Saint Lucy brings light on December 13 In Scandinavia, girls dressed as Saint Lucy in white, with a crown of candles, carry saffron buns in procession on December 13. The first modern Scandinavian Lucia celebration was held in 1928 at Skansen in Stockholm. In Hungary and Croatia, people plant wheat that day so it is several centimetres tall by Christmas. ↳ Saint Lucy’s Day
26. Hanukkah lasts eight nights Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar and lasts eight nights, with one more menorah candle lit each night. Because it often falls in the Christmas season, it has become a major cultural holiday, with dreidel games, latkes and sufganiyot. ↳ Hanukkah
27. Las Posadas lasts nine nights Las Posadas, celebrated mainly in Mexico and Central America, runs from December 16 to 24. Posada means “lodging”, after the inn in the Nativity story, and the nine nights stand for the nine months of Mary’s pregnancy. ↳ Las Posadas
28. Romans swapped gag gifts at Saturnalia Saturnalia, the Roman festival of Saturn, was held from December 17 and later stretched to December 23. Presents were often gag gifts or little wax or pottery figurines called sigillaria, and the later Christmas custom of a “Lord of Misrule” may go back to it. ↳ Saturnalia
29. Festivus is December 23 Festivus, made famous by the 1997 Seinfeld episode “The Strike”, is celebrated on December 23 with a bare aluminium pole, the “airing of grievances” and “feats of strength”. It was originally created by author Daniel O’Keefe, the father of the episode’s co-writer. ↳ Festivus
30. Boxing Day is December 26 Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, began in the United Kingdom as a day to give gifts to people in need. In much of Europe, December 26 is Saint Stephen’s Day, the “second day of Christmas”. ↳ Boxing Day
31. Kwanzaa runs from December 26 to January 1 Kwanzaa, a celebration of African-American culture, was created by Maulana Karenga and first celebrated in 1966. Its name comes from the Swahili matunda ya kwanza, “first fruits”, and an extra “a” was added so it would have a symbolic seven letters, one for each of its seven principles. ↳ Kwanzaa

December Facts vs. Our Christmas and Winter Pages

This page covers the whole month. For December 25 alone, read our Christmas facts; for the longest night, our winter solstice traditions and Yule traditions. December 31 belongs with our New Years traditions from around the world, and the month before is in our fun facts about November.

How to Use These December Facts

Use one December fact a day as an Advent-style countdown, turn the list into a holiday quiz, or read a few aloud on a long winter evening. Each takes 15 to 30 seconds. Want something darker for the long nights? Try our Krampus stories, scary Christmas stories or weird history facts.

How We Checked These December Facts

Every fact links to the Wikipedia article we checked it against on October 23, 2026. Where the sources hedge, so do we: the Boston Tea Party count is given as 340 or 342 chests, and the Lord of Misrule link to Saturnalia is a “may”. Holidays tied to other calendars, such as Hanukkah, move around from year to year. If you spot an error, tell us through the contact page.

Fun Facts About December — FAQ