December is packed with holidays, observances, food themes, awareness days , historic figures and authors birthdays, science and historic based anniversaries, and more! Whether you’re looking for something special to study, celebrate, or add to the menu, this list of special days for December, 2017 gives you plenty to choose from.
Resources for teaching through December, including a PDF of December’s Special Days, can be found at the end of this list.
December Themes, Observances, and Awareness Days:
- Art and Architecture
- Basketball (1st played Dec. 1891)
- Bingo
- Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention
- Learn a Foreign Language
- Operation Santa Paws
- Read a New Book
- Safe Toys and Gifts
- Spiritual Literacy
- Tie
- Universal Human Rights
- World AIDS
- Write A Business Plan
- Write a Friend
December’s Food Themes
- Egg Nog
- Exotic Fruit
- Food Safety
- Fruit Cake
- Pear
- Quince
- Root Vegetables
- Tomato
- Winter Squash
December, 2017 Daily Specials
(the * means that the special day does not necessarily fall on the same date every year)
Dec. 1
- Aardvark Week begins
- Christmas Tree Week begins
- Civil Air Patrol Day
- Cookie Cutter Week begins
- Day With(out) Art Day
- Deaf Heritage Week begins
- Eat a Red Apple Day
- First Passenger Balloon Flight 1783
- Handwashing Awareness Week begins
- Rosa Parks Day
- Pie Day
- Tolerance Week begins
- Draft Reinstated 1969
- World Aids Awareness Day
Dec. 2
- Abolition of Slavery Day
- Ear Muff Day * (1st Sat.)
- Fritters Day
- Mutt Day
- Saint Paul’s Cathedral opened 1697
- Missionary Mary Slessor born 1848
- Missionary CT Studd born 1860
- Special Education Day
Dec. 3
- Advent begins * (4 Sundays leading to Christmas)
- Disabled Persons Day
- First Human Heart Transplant 1967
- Handwashing Awareness Week *
- Illinois Statehood 1818
- Make a Gift Day
- Recipe Greetings for the Holidays Week begins * (1st Full Week)
- Roof Over Your Head Day
- Galileo invented the Telescope 1621
Dec. 4
- Computer Science Education Week *
- Cookie Day
- Dice Day
- Feast of St. Barbara
- International Cheetah Day
- Monopoly Game Debut 1935
- Older Driver Safety Awareness Week begins *
- Phonograph invented 1877
- Santa’s List Day
- Wear Brown Shoes Day
- World Wildlife Conservation Day
Dec. 5
- Bathtub Party Day
- Bubble Gum Day
- Walt Disney born 1901
- Gold discovered at Sutter’s Mill 1848
- International Ninja Day
- Prohibition Ends (21st Amendment) 1933
- Thailand National Day
- President Martin Van Buren born 1782
- Volunteer Day (UN)
Dec. 6
- Everglades National Park established 1947
- Finland Independence Day 1917
- Give a Secret Gift Day
- Microwave patented 1945
- Miners Day
- Mitten Tree Day
- Pawnbrokers Day
- Put On Your Own Shoes Day
- St. Nicholas Day
- 13th Amendment ratified 1865
Dec. 7
- Civil Aviation Day
- Cotton Candy Day
- Delaware Statehood 1787
- Letter Writing Day
- Sculptor/Artist Marie Grosholtz Tussand born 1761
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 1941
Dec. 8
- Brownie Day
- First Greeting Card printed 1843
- Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day
- Take it in the Ear Day
- US declared War on Japan 1941
- USSR Dissolved 1991
- Inventor/Scientist Eli Whitney born 1765
- Winter Flowers Day
Dec. 9
- A Charlie Brown Christmas Debut 1965
- Christmas Card Day
- International Anti-Corruption day
- Pastry Day
- Petrified Forest National Park established 1962
- Roller Skates Patented 1884
- Tanzania Independence Day 1961
- Weary Willie Day (circus clown)
- Wreaths Across America Day * (2nd Sat.)
Dec. 10
- Day of Animal Rights
- Dewey Decimal System Day
- Poet Emily Dickinson born 1830
- Human Rights Day
- Mississippi Statehood 1817
- Nobel Prize Day
- World Choral Day *(2nd Sun.)
- Worldwide Candle Lighting Day * (2nd Sun.)
Dec. 11
- Apollo 17 Moon Landing 1972
- Ding-a-Ling Day
- Germany declared war on US 1941
- Indiana Statehood 1816
- International Mountain Day
- Northern Lights Recorded for First Time 1719
- Noodle Ring Day
- Republic of Upper Volta Independence 1958
- UNICEF founded 1947
Dec. 12
- Ding-a-Ling Day
- Ginger Bread House Day
- Golf Tee Patented 1899
- Hanukkah (Chanukah) begins *
- Hot Cocoa Day
- Hovercraft Patented 1955
- Founding Father John Jay born 1745
- Kenya Independence Day 1963
- Pennsylvania Statehood 1787
- Poinsettia Day
Dec. 13
- Day of the Horse
- Francis Drake Begins Voyage Around the World 1577
- Ice Cream Day
- Santa Lucia Day
- Violin Day
Dec. 14
- Alabama Statehood 1819
- Bouillabaisse Day
- Scientist Tycho Brahe born 1546
- Children’s Day
- Christmas Bird Count Week begins
- Deck the Halls Day
- Halcyon Days begin * (7 days before Solstice)
- Monkey Day
- Nostradamus born 1503
- Raggedy Ann Doll Debut 1914
- Roast Chestnuts Day
- South Pole First Reached 1911
Dec. 15
- Bill of Rights Day 1791
- Cat Herders Day
- Architect Alexandre Gustave Eiffel born 1832
- Lemon Cupcake Day
- Nero born 37 AD
- Underdog Day * (3rd Fri.)
Dec. 16
- Author Jane Austen born 1775
- Composer Ludwig Von Beethoven born 1770
- Boston Tea Party 1773
- Missionary Amy Carmichael born 1867
- Chocolate-Covered Anything Day
- Los Posadas
- Vending Machine patented 1884
- Zionism Day
Dec. 17
- Aztec Calendar Stone excavated 1790
- A Christmas Carol first published 1843
- Gluten-free Baking Week begins * (week before Christmas week)
- Missionary Isobel Kuhn born 1901
- Maple Syrup Day
- Patriot Deborah Sampson born 1760
- Saturnalia begins
- Wright Brother’s 1st successful flight 1903
Dec. 18
- Bake Cookies Day
- Coral Reef National Park Established
- Migrants Day
- New Jersey Statehood 1787
- The Nutcracker Premier 1892
- Roast a Suckling Pig Day
Dec. 19
- Build a Snowman Day
- Look For An Evergreen Day
- Oatmeal Muffin Day
- Explorer Sir William Parry born 1790
- Poor Richards Almanac first published 1732
- Suspenders patented 1871 (Mark Twain)
Dec. 20
- Games Day
- Go Caroling Day
- Louisiana Purchase Day 1803
- South Carolina seceded from the Union 1860 (1st state to secede)
Dec. 21
- Apollo 8 Blast Off 1968
- Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered 1937
- Flashlight Day
- Forefathers Day
- Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day
- Humbug Day
- Litha
- Look on the Bright Side Day
- Nepal Independence Day 1923
- Pilgrims Arrival at Plymouth 1620
- Re-Gifting Day * (3rd Thurs.)
- Winter Solstice / First Day of Winter *
- Yule *
Dec. 22
- Date Nut Bread Day
- Dinofish discovered 1938
- First Electric Christmas Lights 1882
- Haiku Poetry Day
- Lincoln Tunnel completed 1937
- Thermometer Invented 1714
Dec. 23
- Federal Reserve System established 1913
- Festivus
- Pfeffernusse Day
- Roots Day (genealogy not turnips)
- Metric Conversion Act passed 1975
- Mormon prophet Joseph Smith born 1805
- A Visit From St. Nicholas First Released 1823
Dec. 24
- Chocolate Day
- Christmas Eve
- Egg Nog Day
- Great Fire of San Francisco 1849
- Libya Independence Day 1951
- Phonograph Patented 1877
- Founding Father Benjamin Rush born 1704
Dec. 25
- Red Cross founder Clara Barton born 1821
- Christmas
- Scientist Isaac Newton born 1643
- Pumpkin Pie Day
- Washington crossed the Delaware River 1776
Dec. 26
- Boxing Day (Canada & UK)
- Candy Cane Day
- Coffee Percolator invented 1865
- Kwanzaa begins
- Saint Stephen’s Day
- Thank You Note Day
- Whiner’s Day
Dec. 27
- Fruit Cake Day
- Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day
- Scientist Johannes Kepler born 1571
- Scientist Louis Pasteur born 1822
- Radio City Music Hall opened 1932
- Visit the Zoo Day
Dec. 28
- Card Playing Day
- Chewing Gum Patented 1869
- Childermass/Holy Innocents Day
- Chocolate Day
- Iowa Statehood 1846
- Pledge of Allegiance recognized by Congress 1945
- Westminster Abbey Consecrated 1065
- President Woodrow Wilson born 1856
Dec. 29
- President Andrew Johnson born 1808
- Pepper Pot Day
- Battle of Wounded Knee 1890
- Texas Statehood 1845
- Tick Tock Day
Dec. 30
- Bacon Day
- Bicarbonate of Soda Day
- Author Rudyard Kipling born 1865
- Author Mercer Mayer born 1943
- Take a Walk Day
Dec. 31
- Hogmanay
- Leap Second Time Adjustment Day
- Make Up Your Mind Day
- Artist Henri Matisse born 1869
- New Years Eve
- No Interruptions Day
- Universal Hour of Peace Day
- Unlucky Day
- Watch Night
Free Printable – Special Days in December
Here’ is the collection of my favorite “go to” resources for special days studies https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/07/31/learning-resources-for-special-days/
How I use Special Days lists in our homeschool blog series :
Special Days and the Evolution of Morning Calendar Time
A resource list for Special Days in December is in the works!
I make my monthly special days calendars by using several sources including old calendars, holiday books, newspapers, and the web. If you know of a special day that I do not have listed, please comment and let me know what it is so I can add it in. Below are the links to my favorite online calendars.
http://www.se7en.org.za/se7ens-december
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/december.html
http://food.unl.edu/december-food-calendar
http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/december.htm
http://www.projectbritain.com/calendar/
https://whatismyspiritanimal.com/animal-holidays-celebrations/
http://aglobalworld.com/international-independence-days/country-independence-day.php
Happy December!
betty jo
