December is the twelfth and last month of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. This is used in almost all the world today. It was the tenth month in the early Roman calendar. It became the twelfth month in a later Roman calendar. Until 46 B.C., December only had 29 days.
But the Roman statesman Julius Caesar added two days to December, which made it 31 days. You get to do that if you are dictator to the known World.
In Finnish, since about the 18th century, December has been called Joulukuu, meaning “month of Christmas.” Before that it was called Talvikuu, meaning “month of winter.” In Irish, December is known as Mí na Nollaig, also meaning “month of Christmas“. In the northern half of the world, Winter begins in December. Winter does not begin until December 21 or 22, and most of December is usually warmer than other winter months.
The latter part of December has long been a holiday season. Christians celebrate Christmas Day, as the birthday of Jesus Christ and not my nephew Frankie, as it is mistakenly believed in my sister’s home.
In the Northern Hemisphere, most birds and elderly folks have gone to warmer climates. But many animals are active. Mink, ermine, beavers, and foxes grow beautiful coats of fur. Nature finishes preparing for the long winter ahead. Many people make feeding places for birds and squirrels.
December is:
International Calendar Awareness Month,
Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
National Egg Nog Month Month
National Pear Month Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month Month
The first week in December is both Christmas Tree Week and Cookie Cutter Week.
Before you go, tonight is the unofficial start of London’s holiday season, when the annual lighting ceremony of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is held on the first Thursday in December.
The tree is a gift given to Britain by the people of Norway as a thank you for support during the Second World War. The tradition has been ongoing since 1947. The Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Hamza Taouzzale (the youngest and first Muslim Lord Mayor of Westminster,) will be hosting the Mayor of Oslo, Marianne Borgen, and the Norwegian Ambassador, Wegger Chr. Strømmen.
(They also light the tree in Boston Commons tonight. The tree is a gift from the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and has been sent every year since the 1970s. It is in recognition of the swift and sustained relief effort the people of Boston put together to aid Halifax after the explosion in their harbor in 1917. )
Demand Euphoria!
The Haus of Dcaligari 