Happy Festivus. And Christmas. And Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, and all the rest. It's a festive month
Be a hit at all the holiday parties with your amazing knowledge of December trivia. Read on.
It’s the holiday season, which means, of course, it’s time to break out the Advent Calendar and start the countdown to Santa’s arrival, also known as Christmas. Other year-end holidays—Hanukkah and Kwanzaa—also begin Christmas week as does the ever popular Festivus.
This year, I ordered a brand new Advent Calendar and it arrived just as I was sitting down at my keyboard to share this year-end newsletter with you.
The term “Advent Calendar,” by the way, comes from the German Adventskalender, the word “advent” derived from the Latin “adventus” meaning arrival.
And what arrived from Amazon to kick off my holiday decorating was this:
Yes, that’s the villainous Hans Gruber plummeting from the top of Nakatomi Tower, the climactic ending to Die Hard starring Bruce Willis, which always tops my list of must-see Christmas movies.
You just slide Hans down one story a day until he splats onto the plaza on Christmas morning. Really captures the spirit of the season, doesn’t it!
Now, I have to confess that She Who Must Be Obeyed has no idea I have ordered this, so I can only imagine her joy when this shows up in a place of honor near the Christmas tree, which I will be putting up as soon as I finish scribbling this article. I’m sure she’ll love it, right?
A big shout-out to the Miami Herald’s Dave Barry and his annual Holiday Gift Guide for leading me to this priceless discovery.
Holiday Bests
Since I mentioned my list of favorite holiday films, here, back by popular demand, is my updated and carefully curated list of all the season’s bests:
MOVIES
Die Hard
The Snowman
A Christmas Story
Home Alone
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
MUSIC
Jingle Bells by Jimmy Buffett
White Christmas by Taylor Swift
Silent Night by Beyonce
Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt
Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley
BOOKS
A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd (this is where the leg lamp is invented).
Strange Timing by J.C. Bruce
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva
HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN
In chronological order (just so nobody thinks I’m playing favorites) here are the dates of the major December holidays:
Festivus
Dec. 23 marks the date for this annual made-up holiday concocted by the family of Seinfeld writer Dan O'Keefe and aired as an episode of the show on Dec. 18, 1997. Created as a counterpoint to the excesses of Christmas, Festivus involves a plain aluminum pole (instead of a Christmas tree) and is a time for wrestling, meatloaf eating, and airing of grievances. What started as a joke has now become an international phenomenon.
Christmas
Christmas on Dec. 25 celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, although his actual birthdate is entirely unknown. The celebration morphed from the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia, celebrating Saturn, the god of agriculture. As Rome merged the burgeoning religion of Christianity into its polytheistic culture, Saturnalia seemed a good time to celebrate the birthday of Jesus.
But what about Santa Claus? If you go online and ask “Where did Santa come from?” you’ll find a blizzard of scholarly responses such as this one. But the short answer is much simpler. Where did Santa come from? The North Pole, of course.
(And his house could be in danger because of global warming. I discuss that in my latest novel, the sixth in The Strange Files series, Strange Timing.)
Hanukkah
The Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, begins the evening of Dec. 25 and ends at nightfall on Jan. 2. It celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after it was liberated by a group of Jewish fighters known as the Maccabees in 164 BC.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, beginning on Dec. 26 and continuing until New Year’s Day, is an annual celebration of African-American culture culminating in a communal feast called Karamu. Created in the 1960s, many people celebrate Kwanzaa and Christmas together. Here’s a fascinating article that explains the celebration.
New Year’s Eve
Some cool trivia about the biggest celebration on Dec. 31:
The Times Square ball drop began in 1907, but celebrations in the heart of Manhattan actually began several years earlier.
More than a billion people watch the ball drop every year. It weighs nearly six tons.
The most common New Year’s resolutions, according to Encyclopedia Galactica, are to lose weight, exercise more, and read more mysteries.
College Football Bowl Games
The Celebration Bowl kicks off the college football post-season bowl schedule on Dec. 14. The games continue until Jan. 20 with the National Championship Game. Here’s the complete schedule including dates, game times, and where to watch on television.
December Movies
This month’s most anticipated releases range from The Lion King sequel, Mufasa, to the war drama The Six Triple Eight. There’s a Lord of the Rings spinoff, too. Here’s the list:
Awards Season
December is a busy month in Hollywood and elsewhere for the music and film industries. Golden Globe Awards nominations will be released Dec. 9, the Billboard Music Awards will be presented Dec. 12, the Oscars shortlists drop on Dec. 17, and more. Here’s the complete schedule:
Monthly Calendar
Dec. 1. Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting
Dec. 2. National Skip School Day
Dec. 3 Giving Tuesday
Dec. 4. Choose Women Wednesday (Celebrating women in business.)
Dec. 5. Bathtub Party Day (Skip the shower and enjoy a good soak.)
Dec. 6 . National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women Day
Dec. 7. Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Dec. 8. National Brownie Day
Dec. 9. National Pastry Day
Dec. 10. Festival for the Souls of Dead Whales
Dec. 11. Noodle Ring Day (Honoring round pasta. Why? Why not?)
Dec. 12. Festival of Unmentionable Thoughts
Dec. 13. National Ice Cream Day
Dec. 14. Free Shipping Day
Dec. 15. National Cupcake Day
Dec. 16. Underdog Day
Dec. 17. Saturnalia
Dec. 18. Wear a Plunger on Your Head Day
Dec. 19. National Elmo Day
Dec. 20. National Sangria Day
Dec. 21. First Day of Winter
Dec. 22. National Short Person Day
Dec. 23. Festivus
Dec. 24. Christmas Eve
Dec. 25. Christmas and the start of Hanukkah
Dec. 26. The start of Kwanzaa
Dec. 27. National Fruitcake Day
Dec. 28. National Chocolate Candy Day
Dec. 29. International Cello Day
Dec. 30. National Bacon Day
Dec. 31. New Year’s Eve
Each week, my Essential News column in Florida Weekly captures more details on many of these events. As a newsletter subscriber, you also receive links to those articles. Watch for them in your email in-box. They usually arrive on Thursdays.
Readers Write
In my most recent Essential News column in Florida Weekly, a true story about how former President Calvin Coolidge spared the life of Rebecca the Raccoon—who had been destined for Thanksgiving dinner—prompted a flurry of letters (actual real letters from readers, not those transparently fake promotional letters I usually run). Readers also responded to an item noting the anniversary of the first heart transplant by surgeon Christiaan Bernard. Here’s a sampling.
Dear J.C.
Raccoon! Oh, my! It reminds me of the Beverly Hillbillies and Granny’s grits!
Carol Rossi
Dear J.C.
Don’t forget that Davy Crockett made hats from them, giving rise to the saying, “If that’s not true, I’ll eat my nourishing hat.”
David Fetzer
Dear J.C.
Thought you were talking about me! Thanks for recognizing Dr. Barnard. My niece had a heart transplant in 2017.
Rebecca Rife
Dear J.C.
Hey, thanks for mentioning my annual holiday gift guide. What an honor to be included in your amazing newsletter.
D. Barry
(Yeah, okay, I made that last one up.)
Got something you want to share? Write me at JCB@JCBruce.com
Special Announcement
Just because the readers of this newsletter are my very favorite people, I’ve reduced the prices on all e-book versions of The Strange Files series on Amazon just in time for your Christmas shopping. Check it out!
Parting Shot
J.C. Bruce is a journalist and author of The Strange Files series of mysterious novels (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, other online booksellers, and at selected libraries). He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and Florida, and was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from Miami’s Lightgate Institute of Extranormal Studies, which he totally made up for his book Strange Timing — recently named Florida Book of the Year.
Sponsored by TROPIC PRESS, publisher of The Strange Files Series of Mysterious Adventures.
