Tuesday 1
Gateway Tours by Appointment 9:30am-3:00pm. Gateway School, 255 Swift Street. Come and learn how Gateway School inspires curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking through innovative education for a fast-changing world. You’ll have the opportunity to see the health and safety protocols of our facilities while also learning more about our curriculum. Visit www.gatewaysc.org to make an appointment for a personalized, individual tour of our campus.

National Pie Day

National Eat a Red Apple Day

Rosa Parks Day Rosa Parks Day honors an American Civil Rights hero. On either February 4 or December 1, the holiday recognizes the civil rights leader Rosa Parks. Learn more about Rosa Parks, that day in Montgomery, Alabama, and her role in the Civil Rights movement. Discover how the Montgomery Bus Boycott affected the bussing system. Several books and films offer insight to this day in history and the Civil Rights movement to follow. Book suggestion: Rosa by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Bryan Collier.

National Day of Giving – #GivingTuesday

Wednesday 2
Gateway Tours by Appointment 9:30am-3:00pm Gateway School, 255 Swift Street. Come and learn how Gateway School inspires curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking through innovative education for a fast-changing world. You’ll have the opportunity to see the health and safety protocols of our facilities while also learning more about our curriculum. Visit www.gatewaysc.org to make an appointment for a personalized, individual tour of our campus.
Rockin’ Pop-Up, 3pm facebook.com/SantaCruzMuseumOfNaturalHistory/live Join the Geology Gents, Gavin and Graham, for monthly conversations about rocks live on Facebook. Each month we’ll explore a different geologic topic, from Santa Cruz formations to tips for being a more effective rockhound. Graham Edwards and Gavin Piccione are PhD candidates in geochronology with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Santa Cruz.

National Fritters Day

National Mutt Day

Special Education Day

Thursday 3

National Roof Over Your Head Day

Friday 4

National Cookie Day

National Dice Day

National Sock Day

Saturday 5
Winter Wonderland at Spring Hill School – Be enchanted with stories, crafts and puppeteering. This event is perfect for your soon-to-be Kindergarten or TK child. To register, email: [email protected] This is a live, interactive, free and virtual event. Crafts & supplies will be provided. 250 California St, Santa Cruz
Wonderland Toys & Classroom Resources 5th Birthday Celebration AND Grand Opening in Aptos! 10:00am-4:00pm. Come check out Wonderland’s new location next to Safeway in the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center.Shop local and bring the family for crafts, raffle prizes, giveaways, mini family photography sessions available, and more! wonderlandsantacruz.com (831) 316-7261 Theresa and Hannah, owners of Wonderland, ready the Aptos store for its opening!

Sunday 6
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s second annual “Sea Stars Brunch”, a virtual fundraising event from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (PST) on Sunday, December 6, 2020 via Zoom. Tickets will be donation-based. The program will include an address by keynote speaker, ?Haben Girma,? who will discuss her time surfing in Monterey Bay. Girma is the first Deaf-blind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, and is a human rights lawyer advancing disability justice. The event will also premier the Sanctuary Foundation’s short-film, feature an online auction, and a pre-party cocktail demonstration. The Sea Stars Brunch is an annual fundraiser celebrating the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and all those who have contributed to its health through education, conservation, research, and business. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) marine conservation nonprofit working to protect the Monterey Bay Sanctuary through education, outreach, and whale disentanglement programs. For more information: montereybayfoundation.org; or visit the Foundation on Facebook or Instagram @montereybayfoundation. Participants can register to attend at: montereybayfoundation.org/event/2020-sea-stars-brunch/?.

St. Nicholas Day

Miners’ Day

Monday 7

National Letter Writing Day
Dear reader, it’s been so long since we wrote, but fortunately today we have no excuse because it’s National Letter Writing Day on December 7! Letter writing has been in decline because of smartphones, the Internet and before that, the telephone, but for hundreds of years, it was the only way for people separated by distance to get in touch with one another. Today is a great day to get back to basics and hand-write a letter. But isn’t the idea of sitting down for half an hour and hand-writing something to somebody special? We miss it. Don’t you? Write back soon. Love, us.

National Pearl Harbor

Remembrance Day

National Cotton Candy Day

Tuesday 8
National Brownie Day

Pretend To Be A Time Traveler Day

Wednesday 9

National Pastry Day

Thursday 10
Chanukah Begins The Jewish Festival of Rededication, also called the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day celebration that falls each year on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, which generally falls in December in the Gregorian calendar. (In 2020, Chanukah is December 10 through December 18.) Chanukah, also spelled Chanukkah or Hanukkah, celebrates the rededication of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem.

Dewey Decimal System Day

Human Rights Day

Nobel Prize Day

Friday 11

National Salesperson Day

Saturday 12
Gateway Tours by Appointment 10:00am-4:00pm. Gateway School, 255 Swift Street. Come and learn how Gateway School inspires curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking through innovative education for a fast-changing world. You’ll have the opportunity to see the health and safety protocols of our facilities while also learning more about our curriculum. Visit www.gatewaysc.org to make an appointment for a personalized, individual tour of our campus.

Gingerbread House Day Whether you’re a cookie building expert or your baked house falls apart as soon as you get the third wall glued on with icing, we can all agree the best part of building a gingerbread house is eating the sweet treat when we‘re done!

Poinsettia Day

Sunday 13
Members of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History are invited to join us for a guided exploration of tide pools! Space is limited. Register for more information. santacruzmuseum.org/upcoming-events/ Not yet a Member? Join today! https://www.santacruzmuseum.org/get-involved/membership/

National Day of the Horse Encourages people of the United States to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States. The domesticated horse we know today, also known as Equus caballus, was introduced into North America by Spanish explorers. Escaped horses eventually spread across the American Great Plains. Interestingly, there is a debate about the origin of E. caballus. Recent mitochondrial studies of an ancient horse called Equus lamei suggest that it is equivalent to the modern, domesticated horse. E. lamei once populated North America and died out more than 11,000 years ago. This could mean that E. caballus is technically a native species, and its evolutionary origin is North America.

National Cocoa Day

National Violin Day

National Guard Birthday

Monday 14
Members of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History are invited to join us for a guided exploration of tide pools! Space is limited. Register for more information. santacruzmuseum.org/upcoming-events Not yet a Member? Join today! antacruzmuseum.org/get-involved/membership/

Tuesday 15
National Cupcake Day

Bill of Rights Day

Cat Herders Day

National Wear Your Pearls Day National Wear Your Pearls Day on December 15th reminds us that when life throws dirt our way, we all have value in the end.

Wednesday 16
National Chocolate-covered Anything Day

Thursday 17
National Maple Syrup Day
Wright Brothers Day

Friday 18
National Twin Day

Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day

National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

Saturday 19
Saturdays in the Soil It’s time to get your hands dirty! We’re excited to relaunch Saturdays in the Soil, a monthly volunteer program in our native plant garden. Learn about local ecology, native plants, and sustainable gardening while coming together as a community (in a physically distanced manner!) to steward Tyrrell Park through the City’s Adopt-A-Park program. https://www.santacruzmuseum.org/saturdays-in-the-soil/

National Oatmeal Muffin Day

National Wreaths Across America Day

Sunday 20
National Sangria Day

Monday 21
Yule – Day of Winter Solstice The Winter Solstice marks the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere), all thanks to the tilt of the earth. In many cultures, the day is a day of feasting and celebration, but even if you’re totally agnostic, you can still find a reason to rejoice, because after today, you’ll see gradually shorter nights and longer days, which means you can look forward to the emergence of spring.

National Flashlight Day

National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day on the first day of winter remembers those in the homeless community who have died the previous year. The day is a time to honor them and remember the life they lived. Homelessness is a year-round concern for many. Winter increases the anxiety associated with finding shelter. During the holidays, the media focus their attention on raising awareness and improving opportunities. It’s an ideal time to garner a public forum for the issue, and local groups are encouraged to seek out and work with their local media outlets to publicize the event.

National Cookie Exchange Day The glorious occasion when festively-decorated cookie tins and boxes appear at cookie exchange parties. It’s a classic celebration where the host throws a holiday party for family and friends, to which everyone brings delicious homemade cookies to share around. The toughest decision is which cookies to take. Wintertime classics like thumbprint jam cookies or gingerbread are always festive, but since this day celebrates all cookies, go ahead and add in some funfetti cookies or lemon squares!

Tuesday 22
National Date Nut Bread Day

National Short Person Day

Wednesday 23
National Roots Day encourages families to delve into their family history, heritage, and ancestry. Each year during the holidays is an ideal time to collect family information. While families gather around the table telling stories and sharing memories, someone is sure to be the family historian. It is entirely possible a grandparent, parent, aunt or uncle has already started a family tree and will share with other family members.

Thursday 24
National Eggnog Day

Christmas Eve

Friday 25
National Pumpkin Pie Day

Christmas a day for spending time with family, observing Christ’s birth, partaking in lighthearted traditions, or just spreading some holiday cheer! Christmas has evolved over several millennia into a worldwide celebration that’s both religious and secular and chock full of fun-filled, family activities.

Saturday 26
National Candy Cane Day

National Thank-you Note Day

Sunday 27
Kwanzaa Heri Za Kwanzaa! Kwanzaa, celebrated from December 26 to January 1, is an African American and pan-African seven day cultural holiday that celebrates family and community. During the holiday, families celebrate with feasts, music, and dance, and end the holiday with a day dedicated to reflection and recommitment to the seven principles.

Monday 28
National Short Film Day

National Chocolate Candy Day

Tuesday 29
National Hero Day

Wednesday 30
Falling Needles Family Fest Day

Bacon Day

Thursday 31
National Champagne Day

New Years Eve

Universal Hour of Peace

Week Long
Dec 10-16
National Split Pea Soup Week

Month Long
Universal Human Rights Month We have seen our share of cruelty and hate. We can do better. That’s why the world is observing Universal Human Rights Month during December. This month is a reminder that the United Nations General Assembly codified the basic human rights of every person. It’s also a time to reflect on the way we treat others, and to do what we can in the fight for equality.