December is a very busy month for many. Several holidays occur during the month and December is the twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar and the last month of the year. To many, December is a favorite month because of the cooler temperatures, maybe even snow for some, and holiday events with friends and family.

Here are some interesting facts about December that you might not have known.

December was originally the tenth month of the Roman Calendar (until 153 BC). The word December comes from the Latin word decem, meaning ten.

December brings the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and this day is the shortest day of the year. This year the winter solstice will occur on Monday, December 21^st, making the day the first official day of Winter. 

The first artificial Christmas tree was made in Germany and was made from goose feathers dyed green.

Tanzanite is the official birthstone of the month of December.

December has two zodiac signs, Sagittarius (November 23^rd through December 21^st) and Capricorn (December 22^nd through January 19^th).

December 10^th marks the beginning of Hanukkah. The eight-night festival of lights beings at sundown on December 10^th and ends at sundown on December 18^th.

Christmas Eve is celebrated every December 24^th and Christmas Day is celebrated every December 25^th.

New Years Eve is celebrated every December 31^st and when the clock strikes midnight its officially the start of a new year.

An almanac predicts that if snow falls on Christmas day, the Easter holiday will be warm and sunny.

Spiders and Spider webs are considered to be good luck on Christmas.

The holiday song, “Jingle Bells”, was composed in 1857 and was originally meant to be a Thanksgiving song. Thew original title of the song was “One Horse Open Sleigh”.

In the North Pole, the sun does not rise and in the South Pole the sun does not set in the month of December.