December 21th - Freebies!

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December 21st is... Winter Solstice, Yule/Yuletide begins, Yalda/Persian Winter Solstice Celebration, Don't Be A Scrooge Day, Phileas Fogg Win A Wager Day (1872), Look at the Bright Side Day, National Hamburger Day, Ann and Samantha Day, Crossword Puzzle's Birthday (1913), National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, National Flashlight Day, Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock (1620), World Peace Day, Radium Discovered (1898)

MORE (3rd Friday): National Underdog Day (1976)

PLUS - interesting books to read and free printables, paper crafts, kid crafts, activities, and coloring pages.

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Winter Solstice
-- No one's really sure how long ago humans recognized the winter solstice and began heralding it as a turning point -- the day marking the return of the sun. One delightful little book is written in 1948, 4,000 Years of Christmas, puts its theory right up in the title. The Mesopotamians were first, it claims, with a 12-day festival of renewal, designed to help the god Marduk tame the monsters of chaos for one more year.

Read: Yule: Rituals, Recipes and Lore for the Winter Solstice
-- Yule ― also known as the Winter Solstice ― is celebrated when nighttime has reached its maximum length, and there is a promise of brighter days to come as candles are lit and feasts are enjoyed. This guide shows you how to perform rituals and work magic with the energy of rebirth and renewal that comes with the return of the light.

• Beautiful Darkness: Celebrating the Winter Solstice -- This trio presents exquisite acoustic arrangements of traditional tunes and songs from Russia, Ireland, Wales, and other parts of the world, blending original material and spoken word to create the perfect backdrop for the winter season.

• Winter Solstice necklace -- The shiny silver pendant tray measures 25mm (1 inch) across. It comes with a matching 24" vintage style link chain necklace, ready to wear immediately.

• Winter Solstice Coloring and Activity Books

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The Burning of the Yule Log

Amazon Freebies:

• Free Winter Solstice ebooks. No Kindle? Download a FREE Kindle Reading App

• Read Winter Solstice ebooks for free with a Free Trial of Kindle Unlimited

• Free Winter Solstice apps

• Listen to Winter Solstice LPs with a Free Trial of Amazon Music Unlimited

• Watch Winter Solstice Videos for Free with a Free Trial of Amazon Prime

• Listen to Winter Solstice Audible books with Amazon Audible, and Get Two Free Audiobooks

• Free Alexa Skills | Winter Solstice

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Free Printables, Coloring Pages, Activities and Crafts:
• Free Printable Winter Solstice Cards
• Winter Solstice - celebrates the winter solstice through images and anecdotes of winters past, drawn from American literature and folk history.
• Everything You Need to Know About the Winter Solstice
• Winter Activities
• Free Holiday Tree Printable for Winter Solstice
• Free Winter Solstice Ritual - 46 page digital PDF ebook
• Winter Solstice coloring pages
• A Winter Solstice Symbols Quiz
• 12 Days of Pagan Prayers for the Yule Sabbat
• Great Ways to Celebrate Yule With Kids
• Winter Solstice Celebrations: Roman Saturnalia and Modern Christmas
• Winter Solstice Papercraft
• How To Make a Yule Log
• Winter Solstice DIY Aromatherapy Blend
• 5 winter solstice rituals to put you in the Yuletide spirit
• Make These Cool Floral Lanterns For Light During The Winter Solstice
• Winter Solstice Tea Mix
• How to Place Solstice Stones in Your Garden

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Don't Be A Scrooge Day
- Ebenezer Scrooge was an unhappy, negative and cynical businessman preoccupied with his greedy pursuit of money, who did not want to be bothered with, did not want to participate in, and could not get into the spirit of Christmas. Don't be a Scrooge! Forget the Bah-Humbugs! Make the most of the cultural traditions of the holiday. Enjoy the Christmas season!

National Hamburger Day
- The hamburger is about as American as the hot dog and apple pie. Rather than dragging out the grill, especially if you are located where the weather is biting at your toes, get online, and celebrate National Hamburger Day with restaurant food delivery!

Yalda
- The Persian Winter Solstice Celebration which has been popular since ancient times. Yalda is celebrated on the Northern Hemisphere's longest night of the year, on the eve of the Winter Solstice.

Ann and Samantha Day
- Celebrated worldwide, this twice-yearly holiday is meant for reflection on Anne Frank's and Samantha Smith's contributions to our world and to promote them as subjects worthy to be honored on official American postage stamps, as well as the stamps of all nations.

Phileas Fogg Win A Wager Day
- Phileas Fogg is the main fictional character in the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days. Accompanied by his manservant, Passepartout, Fogg attempts to circumnavigate the late Victorian world in 80 days, or less, on a wager of £20,000 set by the Reform Club. He takes the wager and leaves with Passepartout, vowing to return by 8.45 pm on Saturday, December 21st, 1872.

Look at the Bright Side Day
- a day to be optimistic. The term itself is an optimistic one. It calls upon us to look for something positive, out of an otherwise bad or sad situation. Often, a bad experience has positive lessons to be learned. If you have a bad day yesterday, look on the bright side.... today is another day and an optimistic one at that!

Crossword Puzzle's Birthday (1913)
- if there was ever an activity invented for long nights, it's the crossword puzzle. The first one appeared on DecEMBER 21, 1913, as a Christmas present to readers of the Fun page of the New York World's Sunday magazine. It was the brainchild of Arthur Wynne, the editor of the section, who dubbed it the Word-Cross.

National Flashlight Day
- The basic requirement for this day is a flashlight and good batteries. Flick the switch, and you can put anything into your spotlight. You never know when you will need a flashlight. This is a good day to make sure you and your family know where the flashlights are. Test each flashlight, to be sure the batteries are good. When in doubt, replace the batteries with new ones. It is also a good idea to put a flashlight in your car.

Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock (1620)
- Plymouth Rock is the traditional site of disembarkation of William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. It is an important symbol in American history.

World Peace Day
- If we start teaching our children by example, instead of just saying things and not following through ourselves, maybe, just maybe, they will understand the importance of their actions and deeds. It is a simple way to teach our children we do stand for living in a peaceful world.

Yule/Yuletide begins
- Modern Yule traditions include decorating a fir or spruce tree, burning a Yule log, hanging mistletoe and holly branches, giving gifts, and general celebration and merriment.

National Underdog Day (1976)
- Celebrated annually on the third Friday in December since 1976 to honor unsung heroes such as Sherlock Holmes' Dr. Watson or Robinson Crusoe's Man Friday. It also celebrates those who came from behind to make names for themselves.

Radium Discovered (1898)
- French scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovered the element radium on December 21st, 1898, for which they later won the Nobel Prize for Physics.

Category: CDN, children, crafts, December, feature, holiday, holidays, homeschool, papercrafts, printables, US, worldwide