December 8

 Holidays and Observances
(Alphabetical Order)

2026 Daily Holidays that fall on December 8, include:

• Bodhi Day
• Feast of the Immaculate Conception - (Catholic)
• National Chocolate Brownie Day 
• National Christmas Tree Day 
• National Lard Day
• Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day 
  
• Take it in the Ear Day 

2026 Weekly Holidays that include December 8, are:

• Advent - November 29, 2026 - December 24, 2026
• Clerc-Gallaudet Week - December 3-10
• Computer Science Education Week - December 7-13, 2026 (Always the week of December 9, Birthday of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper)
• Delaware Winter Weather Awareness Week – Observed December 7–11, 2026 (A late-year campaign run by state transport and emergency teams to prepare the public for upcoming coastal winter storms, extreme drops in temperature, black ice, and home weatherproofing needs). Date Rule: Held annually during the first full week of December starting on Monday. 
• Hanukkah - Evening of December 4, 2026, through Evening of December 12, 2026
• National Aplastic Anemia & MDS Awareness Week - December 6-12, 2026
• National Groundwater Awareness Week - December 8-10, 2026
• National Hand-Washing Awareness Week - December 6-12, 2026 (First Full Week of December)
• National Influenza Vaccination Week - December 6-12, 2026 (First Full Week of December
• National Older Driver Safety Awareness Week - December 7-11, 2026 (First Week in December)
• Recipe Greetings for the Holidays Week - December 6-12, 2026 (First Full Week of December)
• Tie One On For Safety Campaign - Runs November 26, 2026, through January 1, 2027 (Thanksgiving to New Years Day)

2026 Monthly Holidays that include December 8, are:

• There are too many monthly holidays to include here, so please check out our December Holidays page to see all of the holidays that are celebrated the entire month of December.

NOTE:

1. A page on each holiday will be coming soon and linked above.
2. If a date is a movable holiday, that is different every year, I'll include the year as well as the date rule above. Otherwise, the holiday falls on the same date each year.

Astrological Sign

The Astrological Sign for December 8 is Sagittarius.

Birth Flower of the Month

The Birth Flower(s) for the Month for December are:

• Holly/Narcissus - Sweetness, Self-Esteem, Vanity, The Sweetness of whoever receives it

Birthstone

The Birthstone(s) for December is:

• Tanzanite
• Zircon
• Turquoise

Famous Birthdays

• 1542 - Mary, Queen of Scots (d. 1587)
• 1765 - Eli Whitney, American engineer who invented the cotton gin (d. 1825)
• 1861 - William C. Durant, American businessman who founded General Motors and Chevrolet (d. 1947)
• 1894 - E. C. Segar, American cartoonist who created Popeye (d 1938)
• 1925 - Sammy Davis, Jr. American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1990)
• 1936 - David Carradine, American actor, director and producer (Kung Fu) (d. 2009)
• 1953 - Kim Basinger, American actress (Never Say Never Again, Batman, The Getaway, L.A. Confidential)
  

Famous Deaths

• 1980 - John Lennon, English singer, songwriter, guitarist and member of The Beatles (b. 1940)
• 1982 - Marty Robbins, American country western singer, songwriter and NASCAR race car driver (Won Grammy for his song El Paso) (b. 1925) 
• 2016 - John Glenn, American astronaut and Senator in Ohio, Third American in space, and first American to go orbit the Earth (b. 1921)
• 2019 - Caroll Spinney, American puppeteer and actor (Big Bird and Oscar The Grouch on Sesame Street) (b. 1933)

Famous Weddings and Divorces

• 1872 - American Mormon religious leader Brigham Young marries his 55th and final wife, American poet Hannah Tapfield 
• 2006 - Actor Scott Baio (Happy Days), marries Renee Sloan
• 2010 - Rock singer Nancy Wilson of Heart, divorces director Cameron Crowe after 24 years of marriage

Quote of the Day

November 8th is National Christmas Tree Day!   

Above is the Video Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

The best of all gifts around the Christmas Tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other! ~ Burton Hillis

Healthy Diet Habit Tip of the Day 
or a Recipe of the Day

Info. to Come!

Season

December 8th falls within the Fall Season in the Northern Hemisphere.

Fall is full of all things pumpkin, leaves falling, and fun holidays and get togethers with friends and family as we enter the Holiday Season and celebrate Halloween, and Thanksgiving. With Fall ending on December 20, 2026, it draws us near to Christmas and the New Year celebrated in the winter season!

Check out our Fall Season page for information about Fall, Fall Dates, Major Fall Holidays and Observances, Major Fall Festivals, Fun Facts About Fall, Fall Food Tips, Fall Gardening, Fall Preparation (Cars, Clothes, Garden, Home), Fall Quotes, and Fall Weather info.

Kerry has put together some great information and tips on fall foods: 

• Fall Cooking

• Fall Foods

• Fall Snacks

• Fall Weight Loss Tips

Fall is all about pumpkins, so please also check out our pumpkin pages:

• Pumpkins

• Pumpkin Carving 

• Pumpkin Recipes

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, this day falls in the Spring Season 

• Spring Weight Loss Tips 

This Day in History

• 1907 - King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne
• 1941 - After the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan on December 7, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be "a date which will live in infamy", after which the United States declares war on Japan and enters World War II
• 1941 - Japanese forces simultaneously invade Shanghai International Settlement, Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies
• 1953 - Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his "Atoms for Peace" speech
• 1955 - The Flag of Europe is adopted by Council of Europe
• 1963 -Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707 is struck by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, killing all 81 people on board
• 1966 - The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in the Aegean Sea during a storm resulting in the death of over 200 people
• 1969 - Olympic Airways Flight 954 strikes a mountain outside of Keratea, Greece, killing 90 people
• 1972 - United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737, crashes at Chicago Midway International Airport after aborting its landing attempt, killing 45
• 1987 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sign the Intermediate-Range-Nuclear Forces Treaty
• 1988 - Five people are killed and 50 injured when a U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany
• 1990 - The Galileo spacecraft flies past Earth for the first time
• 1992 - The Galileo spacecraft flies past Earth for the second time
• 2009 - Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq, kill 127 people and injure 448 people
• 2019 - First confirmed case of COVID-19 in China

This Day in Music

• 1980 - John Lennon of The Beatles is murdered by Mark David Chapma in New York City
• 1984 - Out of Touch by Hall & Oates hits #1 in America (video below)
• 2007 - Noel, the Christmas album by Josh Groban hits #1 in America and ultimately becomes the top-selling album of 2007
• 2013 - Metallica plays a show in Antarctica sponsored by Coca-Cola Zero, making them the first band to perform on all seven continents

This Day in Sports

• 1984 - At the Australian Open Chris Evert-Lloyd beats Helena Kukova 6-7, 6-1, and 6-3
• 2007 - Tim Tebow, Florida Quarterback wins the 73rd Heisman Trophy Award
• 2011 - After a 161-day lockout that shortened the season by 16 games, the NBA and players union reach a financial agreement

Word of the Day from Wiktionary

Wishing You a Great Day Today!