December 6 is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas, whom many consider the inspiration for Santa Claus.

Buddhists around the world observe Bodhi Day (December 8), commemorating the day Buddha found enlightenment, according to tradition, while sitting under a bodhi tree.

Two feast days honor the Virgin Mary. On Monday (December 10), Roman Catholics observe the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which honors the teaching that Mary was conceived without sin. And December 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which recalls the appearance of the Virgin Mary to an Aztec peasant named Juan Diego in 1531.