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🌿 Turning Inward: Advent and the Human Environment
As December begins, we turn our attention indoors—both physically and spiritually. The Advent season invites us to prepare for the birth of Christ, and our homes become sacred spaces for prayer, hospitality, and reflection. Yet these same spaces often harbor unseen pollutants: synthetic cleaners, stale air, and overstimulation. Consider simplifying your environment this month:
- Let houseplants purify the air and symbolize new life.
- Open windows when possible to welcome fresh breath and Spirit.
- Limit chemical products and choose gentler alternatives.
- Conduct a monthly examination of conscience, letting the rhythm of the liturgical year guide your renewal.
🕯️ Overview of December 2025
Advent begins on Sunday, November 30, and continues through December 24, culminating in the celebration of Christ’s birth. The liturgy draws us into three focal points:
- The longing of the Old Testament for the Messiah.
- John the Baptist’s prophetic voice, preparing the way.
- Mary’s maternal preparation, full of grace and surrender.
Each week deepens our anticipation, with Gaudete Sunday (December 14) offering a joyful pause amid the waiting.
DECEMBER
We turn our attention indoors with Advent prayers and
preparations for the birth of Christ; for most of us, the indoors makes up the
part of our environment in which we spend the most time. It is also the most
unregulated and can be the most polluted part of the total environment –due to
new home cleaning products and tighter ventilation. Consider a simpler home
environment, where houseplants purify the air, where fresh air is plentiful,
and where chemical products are limited and controlled. The yearly cycle of
twelve months can make us more aware of our human environment and should help
us as individuals and as a community to conduct a monthly examination of
conscience.
Overview
of December[1]
The
liturgy of Advent focuses on remembering Christ's first coming at Bethlehem
which then directs our mind to Christ's Second Coming at the end of time. The
readings focus on the people of the Old Testament awaiting the Messiah, John
the Baptist, heralding the way for Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary and her
maternal preparations.
Advent and Christmas
The Advent season in the Northern Hemisphere is normally cold, dark and the days are short. Traditions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas have been established to help dispel the psychological fear that develops as a result of the darkness. However, in the Southern Hemisphere the days are long and warm.
This is a good time if you have the means
to take a winter break and go to a warmer climate to give you a chance to
create a brighter spirit. However, if this is not possible, we can greatly
reduce our fears by getting some sun for 10 or 15 minutes a day. Try to walk at
the brightest time of the day, or if you have a sun
Also spending some time exercising daily will definitely dispel our fears. We are both physical and spiritual and having a balance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual activities will make us resilient to the darkness in the world. I find hiking a wonderful anecdote to the blues and fears.
It is also
important to reach out to others. We can strengthen ourselves by being with and
for others. No matter what your cultural background, this season will provide
many ethnic opportunities to celebrate together. Think of the giant Redwoods,
they are the largest trees in the world. These trees survive by intertwining
their roots because the ground is so hard the Redwood cannot strike a taproot
to hold itself up but by supporting each other they become the largest trees in
the world.
Events and Feasts for December 2025
Hit the Slopes
Ice Fishing Season
- Wolford
Mountain Reservoir – Colorado River District
- Arizona Ice
Fishing Lakes & Species Guide
- Grand
County Ice Fishing Tournaments
- Rainbow
Lake Fishing Report 2025
Holiday Events
·
November
28-January 11 San Antonio River Walk
·
Christmas Village in Philadelphia
·
Arizona Parks
Winter Get away Season
- Bahamas International Film Festival: Official BIFF WebsiteHobbit Tour every day (closed Christmas)
New Zealand
- GetYourGuide
– Phoenix/Scottsdale Apache Trail Tour
- Detours
American West – Apache Trail Tour
- iCruise
– Caribbean Cruises December 2025
- Cruise
Critic – December 2025 Cruise Deals
- Royal
Caribbean – Holiday Cruise Deals
Dec
3-First
Wednesday-St. Joseph’s Chaste Heart
·
St.
Francis Xavier
Dec
4-Thu.
Full Cold Moon
Dec
5-First
Friday-Sacred Heart of Jesus
·
Night-Shoes
out for Cinder Claus and Gluevine
Dec
6-First
Saturday-Immaculate Heart of Mary
·
St.
Nicholas
Dec
7
Second Sunday of Advent
·
Ambrose,
Memorial
·
Pearl
Harbor memorial
Dec
8-Mon.
Immaculate Conception of Mary, Solemnity
Dec
9-Tue.
St. Juan Diego
Dec
10-Wed.
Our
Lady of Loreto
Dec
12-Fri. Our Lady of Guadalupe (USA), Feast
·
Begin
the Nutcracker
Season
Dec
13-Sat. St. Lucy
Dec
14-Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday
·
Hanukkah
2025 – Begins at sundown Sunday, Dec.
14 and ends Monday, Dec. 22.
Dec
16-Tue.-Las
Posadas- Antiphon “Golden Nights”
·
9 days before Christmas
Dec 17-Ember Wednesday-Fast Day
Dec 18-Thu. Expectation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dec 19-Ember Friday-Fast Day
Dec 20-Ember Saturday-Fast Day
Dec
21-Fourth Sunday of Advent
Dec
22-Mon. St. Thomas
Dec
24-Wed. Nativity of the Lord Midnite Mass
Christmastide
begins with the First Vespers (Evening Prayer) of Christmas on December 24th
and ends on the Sunday after Epiphany. Christmas and Easter are the only
solemnities with octaves attached in the revised calendar. The Christmas octave
differs from Easter in that it includes some major feasts: St. Stephen
(December 26), St. John the Evangelist (December 27), the Holy
Innocents (December 28) and St. Sylvester I (December
31). The octave closes on January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
The
Reason for the Season
The month of December is filled with expectation and
celebration. Preparation is the key word for the first 24 days of December.
Everyone is getting ready for Christmas — shopping and decorating, baking and
cleaning. Too often, however, we are so busy with the material preparations
that we lose sight of the real reason for our activity.
Christmas is a Christian feast — and we must reclaim
it as such! In the same way that a family eagerly prepares for a baby, so in
Advent should we prepare for the coming of the Christ Child. We should keep
Advent as a season of waiting and longing, of conversion and of hope and keep
our thoughts on the incredible love and humility of our God in taking on the
flesh of the Virgin Mary. Let us not forget to prepare a peaceful place in our
hearts wherein our Savior may come to dwell.
The
best person we can turn to for help during Advent is Mary, Christ's and our
Mother. She awaited the day of His birth with more eagerness than any other
human being. Her preparation was complete in every respect. Let's crown our
preparation and borrow something of Mary's prayerfulness, her purity and
whole-hearted submission to God's will.
Dec
25-Thu. Christmas
Dec
26-Friday in Octave of Christmas
·
St.
Stephen, Feast first Martyr
Dec
27-Saturday in Octave of Christmas
·
St.
John, Apostle, Feast-Blessing of Wine
Dec
28 Sunday Feast of the Holy Family
Dec
29 Monday in Octave of Christmas
Dec
30 Tuesday in Octave of Christmas
Dec
31 Wednesday in Octave of Christmas
·
Sylvester
I-New Years Eve
[1]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/12.cfm
Tucson Winter Solstice Night Hike – Dec 21, 5:30–6:30 PM
Catalina State Park guided hike.
Arizona State Parks Events
Santa Claus House – North Pole, Alaska
Open daily through Dec 24. Santa available most days.
Santa Claus House Info
🧊 Iceman’s Calendar – December 2025
Font: Times New Roman, Size: 12 pt
December 1 (Monday)
– Monday of the First Week of Advent
🔗 USCCB Advent Overview
December 4 (Thursday)
– Thursday of the First Week of Advent
December 5 (Friday)
– Friday of the First Week of Advent
– St. Nicholas Eve
🔗 St. Nicholas Center
December 6 (Saturday)
– Memorial of St. Nicholas
– First Saturday Devotion
🔗 Catholic Culture – St. Nicholas
– Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (USA)
🔗 National Park Service – Pearl Harbor
December 7 (Sunday)
– Second Sunday of Advent
🔗 USCCB Readings – Dec 7, 2025
December 8 (Monday)
– Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
🔗 USCCB – Immaculate Conception
December 9 (Tuesday)
– Optional Memorial of St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
🔗 Catholic Culture – St. Juan Diego
December 10 (Wednesday)
– Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto
🔗 Vatican News – Our Lady of Loreto
December 12 (Friday)
– Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (USA)
🔗 USCCB – Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 13 (Saturday)
– Memorial of St. Lucy (Santa Lucia)
🔗 Catholic Culture – St. Lucy
December 14 (Sunday)
– Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)
🔗 USCCB Readings – Dec 14, 2025
– Full Cold Moon at 6:14 PM EST
🔗 Old Farmer’s Almanac – December Full Moon
December 17 (Wednesday)
– Traditional Ember Wednesday of Advent
🔗 Ember Days Overview – FishEaters
December 19 (Friday)
– Traditional Ember Friday of Advent
December 20 (Saturday)
– Traditional Ember Saturday of Advent
December 21 (Sunday)
– Fourth Sunday of Advent
🔗 USCCB Readings – Dec 21, 2025
– Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle
🔗 Catholic Culture – St. Thomas
– Winter Solstice at 10:03 AM EST / 8:03 AM MST
🔗 Almanac – Winter Solstice
December 24 (Wednesday)
– Christmas Eve
– Midnight Mass begins Christmastide
🔗 USCCB – Christmas Overview
December 25 (Thursday)
– Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
🔗 USCCB Readings – Dec 25, 2025
– Chanukah begins at sundown (Dec 14–22)
🔗 Chabad – Chanukah Dates
December 26 (Friday)
– Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr
🔗 Catholic Culture – St. Stephen
December 27 (Saturday)
– Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
🔗 Catholic Culture – St. John
December 28 (Sunday)
– Feast of the Holy Innocents
🔗 Catholic Culture – Holy Innocents
December 29 (Monday)
– Feast of St. Thomas Becket (UK calendar)
🔗 Liturgy Office UK – Dec 29
December 31 (Wednesday)
– Optional Memorial of St. Sylvester I
🔗 Catholic Culture – St. Sylvester
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