Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. According to the Christian gospels, Jesus was born to Mary in Bethlehem, where she and her husband Joseph had traveled to register in the Roman census. Christ's birth, or nativity, was to fulfill the prophecies of Judaism that a messiah would come, from the house of David, to redeem the world from sin. Early Christians celebrated more the subsequent Epiphany, when the baby Jesus was visited by the Magi (and this is still a primary time for celebration in Spain). Efforts to assign a date for his birth, though better known from Writings from some centuries later, would have been important to all Christians then, no less than now. The precise chronology of Jesus' birth and death as well as the historicity of Jesus are still debated.

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday, also known as the Festival of lights. "Hanukkah" is a Hebrew word meaning "dedication". It also has other spellings in English, such as Chanukah, Hannukah, Hanukah, Chanuka, Chanukkah, Hanuka, Channukah, Hanukka, Hanaka, Haneka, Hanika and Khanukkah. The first evening of Hanukkah starts after the sunset of the 24th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, and the holiday is celebrated for eight days. Since in Jewish tradition the calendar date starts at sunset, Hanukkah begins on the 25th. Originally a minor holiday, it gained considerable importance beginning in the 20th Century with many denominations of Judiasm in part to its close proximity to the Christian holiday of Christmas.

Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday observance held from December 26 to January 1 honoring African-American heritage, primarily in the United States. Timed to serve as an alternative to the growing commercialism of Christmas, it was founded in 1966 by Ron Karenga (Ron Everett). Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, but a cultural one, a syncretic festival, based on various elements of the first harvest celebrations widely celebrated in Africa, around the 10th month of the year. According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Foundation in October 2004, 1.6% of consumers celebrate Kwanzaa.

Ramadan or Ramadhan (Arabic) is the ninth month of the Islamic year. Siyam or Saum ("fasting" in English) is the fourth of the Five Pillars of Islam and one of the Branches of Religion in Shi'a Islam. Siyam requires fasting every day during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan reaches its height in its last ten days. One of the last five odd numbered days of the month is called the Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power), marking the date of the revelations of the first verses of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad. The Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan.

In astronomy, the Winter Solstice is the moment when the earth is at a point in its orbit where one hemisphere is most inclined away from the sun. This causes the sun to appear at its farthest below the celestial equator when viewed from earth. Solstice is a Latin borrowing and means "sun stand", referring to the appearance that the sun's noontime elevation change stops its progress, either northerly or southerly. The day of the winter solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year.

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