December Used to be the10th Month

Johnny-on-the-Spot … by John Foster

December is a busy month.

Even more so for our family.

Several birthdays, an anniversary combined with all the Christmas events.

These days, we consider December to the the 12th and final month of the year.

It’s been that way for some time on the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Back in ancient Roman times, those folks had December as the 10th and final month.

“December” comes from the Latin word “decem” which means “ten”.

Romulus said it was the tenth month of the year.

The original Roman calendar only had 304 days and the period we now refer to as January and February was considered “winter”, a month-less period.

So what was listed as your birthdate in that period?

It wasn’t until King Numa Pompilius added January and February to the calendar in 713BC to coincide with the standard lunar year that December became the 12th month.

Now, December started out with 30 days and was actually shortened to 29 days for awhile after January and February were added.

Evidently, day-timers weren’t used much in those days.

The Anglo-Saxons referred to this time as the “Yule” month.

It has two Zodiac signs; Sagittarius, till the 21st and Capricorn from the 22nd and on.

December has 3 birthstones; turquoise, zircon and tanzanite.

The narcissus is the birth flower.

The shortest day of the year, in terms of daylight, falls on the 21st or 22nd.

It’s the “winter solstice” or the official beginning of winter in he Northern hemisphere.

I’m sure you’re quite aware that Christmas falls on the 25th and New Year’s Eve comes on the 31st.

President Franklin Roosevelt told people on the 1st Sunday of this month in 1941 that it was a date “that would live in infamy”.

December 7th is “Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day”,

Now, not as noteworthy but still observed in December is “Fruit Cake Day” and “Fruitcake Month”.

When we Foster children were much younger, our Dad used to work for the Wonder Bread Company.

They always handed out these ornately colored tins which contained a fruit cake.

I never ever remember anyone in our house eating fruitcake but the empty tins held our crayons after the green and yellow cardboard boxes from Crayola fell apart.

Mom had another fruitcake tin just loaded with all sorts of buttons that we would play with.

Didn’t have to plug it in or anything.

December is also “Egg Nog Month”.

My Mother would make my Dad a glass of eggnog that he would gulp down along with his cup of black coffee and a small glass of orange juice for his daily breakfast.

That eggnog always had some ground nutmeg sprinkled on top, too.

It’s an aroma that sparks that specific memory for me.

There’s an event in this last month of the year, known as “Decembeard”.

It’s a fund-raising and awareness effort to fight bowel cancer.

Guys are to get sponsors and stop shaving this month.

Sounds like a noble cause.

It’s also when we observe “Blue Christmas”.

Since 1990, on December 21st, “Blue Christmas” is to provide a quiet and contemplative worship service to honor those experiencing grief and struggling with loss.

Now, when I hear “Blue Christmas”, Elvis Presley always comes to mind.

The tune with Elvis backed by the Jordanaires was on his Christmas album which came out in 1957.

But Allen Doye O’Dell recorded it first in 1948.

Performing as Doye O’Dell, this Texas country crooner was actually being groomed as a replacement for Roy Rogers during WWII.

Rumor has it O’Dell was actually being fitted for clothes for his “new role” when Roger’s draft “fell through”.

O’Dell himself joined the Marines and served proudly.

But there’s more in December.

We also observe “Festivus” this month thanks to the “Seinfeld” series.

The episode (“The Strike”) aired in December, 1997.

This fictional holiday includes the Festivus dinner and the unadorned Festivus pole.

There are miracles, an airing of grievances and feats of strength using the Festivus pole.

The “miracles” are actually easily explainable events.

Festivus comes from the word “Festus”, meaning a joyous holiday; a feast day.

It’s actually a form of playful consumer resistance to the over-commercialization of the season.

There was actually an effort undertaken to make December 23rd as an official holiday.

“A festivus for the rest of us”.

For a month named for “ten” before it became “12”, there’s a lot going on.