1  Birthday of Nikolai Lobachevsky, mathematician (biography) and Rex Stout, author (biography)

2  Birthday of Geroges Seurat, artist (biography) and Maria Callas, singer (biography)

3 Birthday of Phoebe Apperson Hearst, philanthropist, founder of the PTA (biography)

5  Birthday of Martin van Buren, 8th President (biography) and Fritz Lang, film director (biography)

6  Birthday of Dave Brubeck, musician (biography)

7  Birthday of Giovanni Bernini, sculpture (biography) and Noam Chomsky, linguist and political commentator (biography)

School Board of BUSD Meeting. 7:30 pm. 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. (Organizational Meeting)

8  Birthday of Mary, Queen of Scots (biography) and Diego Rivera, artist (biography)

9  Birthday of John Milton, poet (biography) and Amos "Junior" Wells, musician (biography)

12  Birthday of Henry Wells, businessman (biography) and Joe Williams, singer (biography)

13  Birthday of Carlos Montoya, musician (biography) and Archie Moore, athlete (biography)
 

14  Birthday of Nostradamus, seer (biography) and Shirley Jackson, author (biography)

School Board of BUSD Meeting. 7:30 pm. 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. (Tentative)

15  Birthday of Nero, Roman Emporer (biography) and J. Paul Getty, billionaire (biography)

16 Las Posadas (Spanish for "the inn") is a traditional Mexican festival which re-enacts Joseph's search for room at the inn. Each Christmas season, a processional carrying a doll representing the Christ Child and images of Joseph and Mary riding a burro walks through the community streets. The processional stops at a previously selected home and asks for lodging for the night. The people are invited in to read scriptures and sing Christmas carols called alguinaldos. Refreshments are provided by the hosts. The doll is left at the chosen home and picked up on the next night when the processional begins again. This continues for eight nights in commemoration of the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. (from the University of Kansas Medical Center)

Birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven, composer (biography) and Jane Austen, author (biography)

17 Birthday of Thomas Starr King, clergyman (biography) and Vaslav Nijinski, dancer (biography)

19  Birthday of H. Allen Smith, author (biography) and Cecily Tyson, actress (biography)

Beginning of Winter Break

20  Birthday of Branch Rickey, baseball executive  (biography) and Suzanne Langer, philosopher (biography)

21  Birthday of Joseph Stalin, political leader (biography) and Frank Zappa, musician (biography)

22  Birthday of Connie Mack, baseball manager (biography) and Benjamin Britten, composer (biography)

23  Birthday of Joseph Smith, Morman (biography) and Thomas Malthus, economist (biography)

24  Birthday of Fritz Leiber, author (biography) and Anwar Sadat, statesman (biography)

25 Christmas[Christ's Mass], in the Christian calendar, feast of the nativity of Jesus, celebrated in Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches on Dec. 25. In liturgical importance it ranks after Easter, Pentecost , and Epiphany (Jan. 6). The observance probably does not date earlier than AD 200 and did not become widespread until the 4th cent. The date was undoubtedly chosen for its nearness to Epiphany, which, in the East, originally included a commemoration of the nativity. The date of Christmas coincides closely with the winter solstice in the Northern
hemisphere, a time of rejoicing among many ancient cultures. Christmas, as the great popular festival of Western Europe, dates from the Middle Ages. In England after the Reformation the observance became a point of contention between Anglicans and other Protestants, and the celebration of Christmas was suppressed in Scotland and in much of New England until the 19th cent.In the mid 19th cent. (from encyclopedia.com)
Beginning of Hanukkah.( Evening of December 25 to January 1 ) The Holiday Of Lights - Celebration of the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem to holy service by the Maccabees after their successful struggle for  independence and religious freedom against the Syrians (2nd century B.C.E.). Commemorated by lighting candles during each night. (from ou.org.)

Birthday of Sir Isaac Newton, scientist (biography) and Rickey Henderson, athlete (biography)

26Kwanzaa is an African-American cultural festival beginning on December 26 and ending on January 1. The festival was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga. Dr. Karenga's goal was to establish a holiday that would facilitate African-American goals of building a strong family, learning about African-American history, and developing unity. While developing the new holiday, Dr. Karenga studied many African festivals and found many of them to be harvest related. Because of this, he named the celebration Kwanzaa from the Kiswahili word meaning "first fruits".  Karenga identified seven principles, the Nguzo Saba, of the African-American culture and incorporated them into Kwanzaa. The principles are Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith).  Before the Kwanzaa celebration begins, a straw mat (Mkeka) is placed on a table. A Kinara (seven-candle candle holder) and Mshumaa (the seven candles) are placed on the Mkeka along with Muhindi (ears of corn) and the Kikombe Cha Umoja (unity cup). The seven candles include three red ones placed on the right, three green ones placed on the left, and a black one placed in the center. The black candle represents the African-American people, the red candles represent their struggles, and the green ones represent their vision for the future.  Each day of Kwanzaa focuses upon one of the seven principles. After a candle-lighting ceremony, participants discuss what the principle means to them. Gifts are also exchanged during this time. A Karamu (feast) featuring traditional food, a ceremony honoring ancestors, music, and dancing is held on December 31. (from the University of Kansas Medical Center)

Birthday of Charles Babbage, scientist, father of the computer (biography) and Mao Zedong, political leader (biography)

27  Birthday of Louis Pasteur, scientist (biography) and Gerard Depardieu, actor (biography)

28  Birthday of Woodrow Wilson, 28th President (biography) and Pio Baroja, author (biography)

29  Birthday of Andrew Johnson, 17th President (biography) and Tom Bradley, mayor of Los Angeles (biography)

30  Birthday of Sandy Koufax, athlete (biography) and Tiger Woods, athlete (biography)

31 Birthday of Charles (Lord) Cornwallis, British General (biography) and Henri Matisse, artist (biography)