By Lasca Randels
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Ready or not, December is here! December is the busiest month of the year for many due to Christmas shopping, holiday parties and travel. With the arrival of December, here are some holidays and events taking place as well as trivia associated with this month.

TRIVIA: 

• December birthstones are Tanzanite, Zircon and Turquoise. Birth flowers for the month of December are Narcissus and Holly.
• Zodiac signs are Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) and Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).
• Christmas, along with Easter, is the period of the highest annual church attendance. 
• Dec. 1 is National Cookie Cutter Day, National Eat a Red Apple Day, National Women Support Women Day and National Christmas Book Day.
• Cyber Monday was created by retailers to encourage people to shop online. Cyber Monday has become the online equivalent to Black Friday and offers a way for smaller retail websites to compete with larger chains.

HOLIDAYS:

• Dec. 7 — National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
• Dec. 21 — Winter Solstice
• Dec. 24 — Christmas Eve
• Dec. 25 — Christmas Day
• Dec. 31 — New Year’s Eve

HOLIDAY COOKIE RECIPES:

• Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe 
• Gingerbread Cookies
• Best Snowball Cookies
• Christmas Monster Cookies

EVENTS:

• Dec. 2 — Shredding Event, noon to 3 p.m., KC Recycling Depot, 220 S. Union St., Warsaw. 
• Dec. 5 — Light Up the Night, 6-8 p.m., 225 E. FortWayne St., Warsaw.
• Dec. 13 — Cookies with Santa, 1-4 p.m., 6840 S. County Farm Road, Claypool. Event by Echoes of the Past.
• Dec. 19 — Family Movie Night/The Polar Express, 7-9 p.m., 800 N. Park Ave., Warsaw. Sponsored by the Warsaw Parks & Recreation Department.