December

🌿 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 window to sit in the sun. This would also be a good time to pray. Through prayer the Holy Spirit strengthens us from the inside and the sun charges us from the outside.

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

Holiday Events

· November 28-January 11 San Antonio River Walk

· Christmas Village in Philadelphia

· North Pole Experience

· Glendale Glitters

· Arizona Parks

Winter Get away Season

Bahamas International Film Festival: Official BIFF Website Hobbit 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

Dolly Steamboat – Canyon Lake Tours

Dec 3-First Wednesday-St. Joseph’s Chaste Heart

· St. Francis Xavier

Dec 4-Thu. Full Cold Moon

· National Christmas Tree

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

· Winter Solstice

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