I almost never say Merry Christmas in the month of December, except for on December 25th. This isn’t because I don’t respect this major Christian Holiday or because I don’t celebrate Christmas (even though I would characterize myself as agnostic bordering on atheist). No, the reason is that I choose to be more inclusive of all the other important holidays around the world that occur in December, including other Christian holidays. The lists below could have been a lot longer if I had included holidays around the world that occur in November and January. The point is that there are far more holidays than Christmas and would it kill us to send well wishes to everyone rather than being butt-hurt by a non-existent “woke” mentality? People are not canceling Christmas or snubbing that important holiday by saying Happy Holidays in the month of December, we are simply being more respectful and inclusive. I’m sure in my research that I’ve missed a few, so hopefully those around the world who know a lot more about the different December holidays can add to the lists or correct any misinformation I may have included. I love to learn!

Just for grins, let’s start with the list of other Christian holidays in December, in case you didn’t know or hear of all of them (I actually discovered a few more in my research).

December 6: Saint Nicolas Day is actually considered a Christian Holiday, honoring the birth of Saint Nicolas who is commonly known as Santa Claus.
December 8: The Immaculate Conception, honoring Mary, Jesus’s mother. This is a holiday celebrated by Catholics.
December 12: Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is also a Catholic holiday because the Catholics sure know how to celebrate. This one honors the reported appearance of the virgin Mary in Mexico City.
December 13: St. Lucia’s Day is a holiday celebrated in Sweden, Norway and some parts of Finland honoring Saint Lucia, an early Christian martyr killed by the Romans.
December 16 -24: Posadas Navidenas, a hispanic Christian holiday that celebrates Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.
December 18: Simbang Gabi is a Filipino Catholic holiday celbrated with nine Masses leading up to Christmas.
December 27: Feast of the Holy Family which is yet another Catholic holiday that celebrates Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
December 28: Holy Innocents Day which honors the deaths of the children killed by King Herod who was trying to kill Jesus.
December 31: Watch Night which is a Christian Holiday thanking God for the safety received all year.

In addition to the above holidays, here is a list of non-Christian holidays in December.

November 28 – December 6: Hanukkah which is the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, celebrating the Maccabean revolt in Egypt. Eight candles are lit with a menorah to honor the holiday. The dates of this holiday change each year.
December 8: Rohatsu (Bodhi Day) is a Buddhist holiday that celebrates Buddha’s decision and bow to sit under the Bodhi tree until he reached spiritual enlightenment.
December 21: Winter Solstice, a Wiccan or Pagan holiday noting the time of the year when the earth is most inclined away from the sun. Pagans and Wicca believers will celebrate that event through Yule, in which believers also honor the rebirth of the sun.
December 26: Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathustra) honoring the death of this Prophet who founded Zaroastrianism, one of the oldest monotheistic religions. This was a new one for me because I had never heard of this religion before.
December 26- Jan 1: Kwanzaa is a holiday celebrating African culture and community.
December 26: Boxing Day is celebrated in the UK, which was a day for off for servants who were given a Christmas box from their employer and a day off.
December 31: Omisoka is the Japanese New Year. This is considered one of the most important holidays in Japanese culture.

Proof that I don’t disdain Christmas is that I’ve written several holiday stories and they all primarily revolve around Christmas. Granted, most have a Santa Clause or elf theme, versus focusing on the religious aspect of Christmas, but the stories are fun, and hopefully, you have a chance to check them out including my latest, Donner Junior Saves the Day, for the Christmas collection that Affinity does every year. You can also feel free to check out my other books by clicking one of the links below. Don’t forget about this week’s sales books from Goldie Finalist Renee Mackenzie: Flight and Nesting.

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