Festive Foods
This warm drink made of milk, sugar, and eggs shows up in stores every December.
Eggnog
This bright star is often associated with guiding travelers and appears prominently in the Northern Hemisphere winter sky.
The North Star (Polaris)
This 1966 Dr. Seuss character’s heart grew “three sizes that day.”
The Grinch
In Mexico, families mark the Christmas season with “Las Posadas,” reenacting the journey of this couple.
Mary and Joseph
During the 1968 Apollo 8 mission, astronauts famously read from the Book of Genesis while orbiting this celestial body on Christmas Eve.
The Moon
Latkes, a traditional Hanukkah food, are fried cakes made from this vegetable.
Potatoes
The winter solstice marks the beginning of this season in the Northern Hemisphere.
Winter
In Elf, Buddy is told that “the best way to spread Christmas cheer is” doing this.
Singing loud for all to hear
This Pan-African celebration created in 1966 is centered on seven principles called the Nguzo Saba.
Kwanzaa
In 1914, opposing soldiers paused World War I for a famous holiday truce on this holiday.
Christmas Day
This spicy cookie, often shaped like people, houses, or stars, is a holiday favorite.
Gingerbread
This natural visual phenomenon occurs when ice crystals in the air bend sunlight, sometimes creating colorful arcs around the Sun or Moon.
A Halo
In Die Hard, the Nakatomi Corporation’s holiday party is interrupted by this type of criminal.
Thieves/Robbers
This Buddhist holiday commemorates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death, all said to have occurred on the same day.
Vesak (or Buddha Day)
The tradition of sending the first commercial Christmas card began in this country in 1843.
United Kingdom
Italian families often serve “Feast of the Seven Fishes” on this holiday.
Christmas Eve
In polar regions, this phenomenon occurs when the Sun doesn’t rise above the horizon for more than 24 hours.
Polar Night
The Rankin/Bass TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer features Hermey, a misfit elf who leaves Santa’s workshop to pursue his dream of becoming this.
A Dentist
In Japan, families eat a famous fast-food meal on Christmas: buckets of this.
KFC
The tradition of decorating a tree indoors began in this European country.
Germany
This traditional fruit-studded cake from the UK is often soaked in spirits and served around Christmas.
Christmas pudding (or plum pudding)
This rare weather phenomenon produces long, feathery ice crystals in extremely cold, calm conditions, often floating down like snow but forming from vapor rather than liquid.
Diamond Dust
This 1946 film features the character George Bailey, who learns what life would’ve been like if he’d never been born.
It’s a Wonderful Life
Diwali, celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs, is known by this bright nickname.
The Festival of Lights
In Peru, the winter solstice festival Inti Raymi honors this Incan deity.
Inti, the Sun God