All over the globe, December is a season of lights, family, and food. The customs look different from place to place — but if you look closely, they’re reaching for a lot of the same things.
In December, families all over the world celebrate! Some celebrate Christmas. Different countries have their own special ways of doing it.
Three places, three different ways to celebrate!
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Does your family celebrate anything special in December? What do you do?
All three pictures have something bright in them. What do you see?
What is your favorite thing about wintertime?
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They all have LIGHTS! A star on a tree, a glowing lantern, a candle. December is the darkest time of year, so people all over the world light things up.
Try it
Be a light! Curl up small, then slowly open your arms wide like a light spreading through a dark room. Now turn to a partner and say “¡Feliz Navidad!” — that’s Merry Christmas in Spanish!
Today is also Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day — marking the 1941 attack that brought the United States into World War II. Flags fly at half-staff.
December sits at the darkest point of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Look at what cultures do about that.
Different origins — look what they share.
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What do all four of these celebrations have in common? Look at the details.
December is the darkest month in our half of the world. Why might that lead to traditions built around light?
Las Posadas means “the inns” — families walk door to door asking for shelter. Why would a tradition be built around being let in?
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All four involve light, gathering, and food. The winter solstice — the shortest day of the year — falls in late December, so cultures across the Northern Hemisphere developed traditions that push back against the dark. Las Posadas reenacts a search for shelter, and its heart is hospitality: the moment the door opens and strangers are welcomed in. That’s a value worth having in any season.
Try it
Tradition swap! With a partner, describe one December tradition your family keeps — a food, a song, a place you go. Then find one thing your two traditions have in common. There’s almost always something.
Additional Notes/Activities
If additional activities are needed for the Morning Meeting, they will be added here.