25 Interesting Facts About Christmas
By Sara Kornberg and Anne Buckle. Published 21-Nov-2024
It’s finally December, but it can feel like the holidays are out of reach. At timeanddate.com, we thought we’d help shorten the wait by unpacking 25 facts and events you might not know every day up to Christmas.
We’ve made our very own advent calendar to count down to Christmas.
©iStockphoto.com/Olga Pozniak
Dec 1: Special Sunday
December marks the official start of our countdown to Christmas!
This year, it’s also the first Sunday of Advent in 2024.
Advent counts the last four Sundays before Christmas Day and is celebrated in countries including Australia, Canada, the UK, Norway, Germany, and the USA.
Dec 2: Weird Traditions
The holidays are full of traditions—some weirder than others.
If you live in the UK’s southwest, specifically Wales, beware of knocks on your door between Christmas and January 6. It might be a singing horse skull coming to drink all your alcohol.
Although horse skulls are the traditional choice for the Welsh tradition of Mari Lwyd, this picture shows a cow skull—maybe because it is easier to source. Photo by R. Fiend / CC BY-SA 3.0
Dec 3: Many Different Celebrations
Today is Make a Gift Day. So take out the glitter, the yarn, and your glue gun and start on those Christmas gifts!
Did you know that Christmas is celebrated on different dates around the world?
Many people celebrate and open gifts on Christmas morning, while others, like Scandinavians, open their gifts on Christmas Eve.
For hundreds of years, people in the Northern Hemisphere have been lighting up the darkest time of the year around the December solstice, including the ancient celebration of Yule.
December solstice traditionsDec 4: Total Eclipse of ...
... the Moon. Today, it’s 100 days until the Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon) on April 14, 2025. The path of totality for this total lunar eclipse runs through Mexico, the USA, Canada, and half of Europe and Africa.
Our timeanddate team will (of course) be broadcasting the eclipse LIVE.
Who’s excited? We are!
See timeanddate.com’s live footage of the March 13–14, 2025 total lunar eclipse.
Dec 5: Enchanted Christmas
On this day, in 1901, Walt Disney was born. His magic world has ensured the Christmas spirit for kids worldwide for decades.
Who doesn’t remember Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s Christmas “Groundhog Day” or From All of Us to All of You?
Dec 6: Good Old Santa Claus
On this day, San Nicolò comes with his bag of presents in Italy—as does St Nicholas in the USA, Belgium, Ukraine, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
Children who celebrate St Nicholas’ Day receive treats like candy, cookies, small toys, or fruit in stockings, socks, shoes, or bags.
This Santa enjoys the magical northern lights over a serene, snow-covered winter forest. ©iStockphoto.com/Paolo Graziosi
There are many variations of Santa. For example, in Iceland, there are not one but 13 Father Christmases, called the Yule Lads, and they have names like Sheep-Cote Clod, Door Slammer, and Meat Hook. And they are not only nice!
Dec 7: Half Moon Magic
On December 7, Saturn appears close to the Half Moon. Around this time, the Moon has moved one-quarter in its orbit around Earth.
Saturn is one of the planets farthest from Earth that can be seen with the naked eye, but you’ll need a small telescope to see the planet’s rings.
Half Moon and Saturn. Use our Night Sky Map to see the close approach from your location. This is the sky above New York at 20:00 (8:00 pm) on December 7, 2024. (The size of objects is exaggerated to show their positions more clearly.)
©timeanddate.com
Dec 8: Celebrating with the Pope
Many Christian communities around the world annually observe the Feast of the Immaculate Conception today, and it is a public holiday in places such as East Timor, Guam, Italy, Malta, Monaco, and Spain.
On this day, the Catholic pope gives Roman firefighters a floral wreath for the statue of the Madonna at Piazza Mignanelli.
It’s also the second Sunday of Advent today.
Dec 9: Christmas Card Day
It’s Christmas Card Day! If you haven’t sent out your greeting cards, do so today!
Send some warm Christmas wishes on a cold and snowy day. ©iStockphoto.com/loops7
Dec 10: Still a Few Days Left
We’re getting closer to Christmas.
Dec 11: From Ten to Twelve
Our current Gregorian calendar and its predecessor, the Julian calendar, both have 12 months.
However, the month names we use today are derived from the Roman calendar, which initially had only 10 months. “Decem” means ten in Latin, so December was the 10th and last month in the Roman calendar.
Dec 12: A Good Night for Baking
When should you take a gingerbread house to the doctor? When it feels crummy!
Take out all your baking supplies, unleash your imagination, and build a gingerbread house on Gingerbread House Day.
Dec 13: Golden Buns and Garlands
Today is Santa Lucia Day (Saint Lucy’s Day) throughout the Nordic countries.
Parents are usually invited to kindergarten and school to eat sweet “golden buns” with saffron and watch their children walk in a parade dressed in white clothes and often silver garlands. The kids are holding lights while singing the song “Santa Lucia.”
Lucia singers light up Stortorget in Malmo, Sweden, with traditional songs during a festive celebration. ©iStockphoto.com/klug-photo
Did you know the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia is named after Saint Lucy?
The Geminids Meteor Shower is one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year. The peak will be on the night between December 13 and December 14, so look up to the sky tonight!
Dec 14: Hello, 2025!
2025 is just around the corner, but how many days are left of 2024? Use our New Year Countdown to keep track of the remaining days.
Dec 15: Third Sunday of Advent
Today is the third Sunday of Advent. The Nordic tradition involves lighting one candle on each Sunday of Advent. The Advent wreath is also becoming increasingly popular in the United States.
These four candles symbolize hope, love, joy, and peace.
Dec 16: Happy (Many) Holidays
Have you thought about how many days off you’ll get this holiday season?
Next year, Christmas Eve falls on a Wednesday.
Use our Date Calculator to count how many days YOU get offDec 17: One Week To Go
Today, we’re only a week away from Christmas Eve.
Dec 18: Get Ready for 2025
Haven’t gotten around to ordering a calendar for 2025 yet? Design and print your own calendar in a second. The calendars can also be shared via email and social media as pdf files.
You can even add your birthdays and other events and appointments to it.
Dec 19: Let it Snow
Will it snow for Christmas so that we can make a snowman? Check the Christmas weather where YOU are.
To sculpt their snowman is high on the Christmas wish list for most kids.
©iStockphoto.com/Victor Chaika
Dec 20: Equilux: Equal day and night
Twice a year, day and night reach a perfect balance of 12 hours each, creating a little-known event called the equilux. Its date depends on a location’s latitude and can occur several days to weeks before or after the equinox.
But did you know some locations experience the equilux on the winter solstice?
For example, in the small town of Piedra Sentada in Colombia, equilux happens at 04:20 local time on the night between December 20 and December 21, 2025.
Who’s your pick for the Ugliest Christmas Sweater at timeanddate.com? ©timeanddate.com
The third Friday of December is also Ugly Sweater Day. Take that ugly sweater out and wear it in public; chances are, you won’t be the only one wearing the Rudolph sweater Grandma made for you ten years ago.
Dec 21: The Longest and Shortest Day
Today is the December solstice, the longest and shortest day of the year. To be precise, the solstice happens at exactly 09:20 UTC on December 21.
According to one definition, it marks the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
What are hemispheres?Dec 22: Christmas Lights
Catch the shooting stars of the last major meteor shower of the year, the Ursids, when it peaks in the night between December 22 and 23.
In 1882, the first Christmas tree to be illuminated by electric lights was displayed. Edward H. Johnson, an associate of inventor Thomas Edison and the Vice President of the Edison Electric Light Company, became the first person to decorate a Christmas tree with electric lights at his home in New York City.
Bring home the holiday spirit—with a freshly chosen Christmas tree. ©iStockphoto.com/Oleksandr Hrytsiv
Today is also the fourth Sunday of Advent.
Dec 23: Carved Radishes
On December 23, the old city of Oaxaca in southern Mexico blooms with life: Thousands of visitors line up to see the displays of radish carvings in all the colors of the rainbow.
Dec 24: Christmas Eve
Today is Christmas Eve, and in some cultures like Scandinavia, this is THE night of celebration.
Feeling sentimentally chatty? Convert your time zone before you wake anyone up.
For many, good food is a highlight of Christmas, like this Scandinavian feast with seasonal dishes shared on Christmas Eve. ©iStockphoto.com/knape
Dec 25: Merry Christmas
Christmas Day is one of the most festive Christian holidays in many countries worldwide. Keywords are family, stockings, Christmas tree, presents, and good food.
Did you know that Christmas Island was discovered on this date, hence the name? The Gilbertese name Kiribati is derived from the English word "Christmas.” The combination “ti” is pronounced s, giving KIRR-ih-BASS.
We wish you all a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas!
PS: We’re now just a week away from 2025. Do you know which location is the first to celebrate New Year’s?