10 December Holidays You Never Knew About But May Need to Celebrate

The obvious holidays aside, are you curious about what else is happening in December? Well, we have your list right here! 

We pulled together some of the most educational, interesting, and even silly holidays that we could find, along with some suggestions for how to celebrate and acknowledge them with your students. Take a look! 

December 1 is Eat a Red Apple Day. 

This holiday screams “teacher” too much for us to ignore. We can’t actually find a good explanation for why this day exists, but we like the nod to our profession. 

December 3 is International Day of People with Disability. 

Do your part to bring more awareness to your classroom, not just on this day but every day. Here’s an article about what parents of special needs students want you to know. This is also a good day to celebrate the special education teacher at your school. Tell them how much you appreciate their work. It’s a small act that really matters. 

December 4 is Wildlife Conservation Day. 

There are so many species that are worth learning about, and understanding the conservation efforts to help some of them is crucial. This is a great time to help students understand what conservation means and how it applies to lots of different animals. You can also check out one of our virtual field trips with The Nature Conservancy; here are some of them. 

December 7 is Pearl Harbor Day. 

This marks an important day in the history of the United States, and it’s a particularly good topic if you have middle school or high school students. Many veterans appreciate the acknowledgment of Pearl Harbor. How will you use it as a small history lesson and reminder to your students? 

December 10 is Human Rights Day.

On December 10, 1948, the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Also, the Nobel Peace Prize is often awarded on this day. So December 10 is a good time for a classroom discussion on human rights and the meaning of the prize. For the latter, look at some of the past winners. For instance, December 10 is also considered Jane Addams Day because she was the first woman to ever win the prize. 

December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. 

The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution make up the Bill of Rights, and this is a good day to remember what they are. If you’re looking for other Constitution-related activities, check out this WeAreTeachers article on Constitution ideas and projects. 

December 16 is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day. 

Do you need a reason to have chocolate? We’ve got you covered! Be sure to get our chocolate pairings poster (pictured above). It would look great in your staff area. 

December 20 is Sangria Day. 

This is a day you’ll obviously have to celebrate after school hours. What a great opportunity to look up a good holiday sangria recipe and spend time with your teacher BFFs. Better yet, find a good happy hour and let someone else make the drinks. The sangria image here is from our wine pairings for teachers poster. Save and print it.

December 21 is the Winter Solstice.

Teach your students about the solstice and what it means. You can also use this as an opportunity to test out some winter science experiments or try some winter crafts. 

December 27 is Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day. 

Source: Beg, Borrow, Steal

You’ll probably be home on winter break on December 27, but you can still test out some new snowflake patterns to try when you’re back at school. Paper snowflakes are great for decorating your home, classroom, or school door. Here are some additional winter door ideas. 

Do you celebrate any unusual holidays in your school? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out these inexpensive gift ideas for students.