December welcomes many holidays around the world. Holidays are a beautiful time of the year, focused on gathering with family and friends and sharing foods and traditions. The beautiful commonality of all these unique holidays is the union of sharing foods around a table while honoring history and heritage. 

We take great pleasure in being a part of your family’s cherished traditions and love growing food for all occasions. You can see that in our care for our soil to ensure healthy fruits and vegetables and our community support with our weekly food donations. 

We look forward to helping you enjoy more time with your family this month to celebrate your special holiday. Let our recipes in our blogs and our recipe index on our website help you find your creativity in the kitchen. These recipes have been curated by our Culinary and Educational Specialist, (Miss Jenn), along with input from our valued team, and Community Supported Agriculture members, bringing you an abundance of rich ideas. Search up recipes easily right from our website like this one for green potato pancakes perfect for the season right now when you need something comforting and warming. The best part about this recipe is that it is also seasonal meaning that potatoes, kale, and onions are available now on our farm. Learn more about why it’s best to eat in harmony with the seasons on our blog. 

Find additional inspirations to explore new foods while learning about these seven December holidays around the world which include Saint Nicholas Day, Santa Lucia, Bodhi, Las Posada, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Omisoka. 

Saint Nicholas Day honors the saint who serves as a role model for gift giving commonly known as Santa Claus. This holiday is celebrated in Europe with delectable foods including bread, cookies along with pork and apples. Germans serve traditional Pfannkuchen which are sweet or savory pancakes. Sweet pancakes may include jam, butter, apple sauce, hazelnut spread, or fruit. Savory pancakes may include onions, potatoes, or other root vegetables.

Santa Lucia Day is celebrated on December 13th and is also called “Little Yule Day” and features a day to honor the patron saint of light. This day signifies the start of the Christmas season and is celebrated in Scandinavian countries with fasting, avoidance of meats, and eating fish on certain days. Families that observe this holiday can be found serving coffee and traditional saffron buns and ginger biscuits. 

Bodhi Day celebrates the moment when the Buddha reached enlightenment and is observed on December 8th. Those who celebrate this day serve rice and milk or cookies in the shape of the Bodhi tree. 

Las Posada is celebrated in Mexico and Latin American countries commemorating the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Traditional foods served on this day include tamales made from corn and meat, Pozole ( a traditional soup or stew), and Buñuelos, a dessert made from fried dough. 

Hanukkah is observed for eight days and is also called the Festival of Lights. The traditional foods of Hanukkah are brisket, latkes (potato pancakes), kugel (a sweet egg noodle casserole), and sometimes applesauce. Check out our recipes for Potato Pancakes and Potato Kugel on our website. 

Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 through January 1st commemorating African American culture and heritage. Foods seen at the Kwanzaa table may include yams, eggplant, couscous, buttermilk biscuits or spoonbread, various types of fritters, and injera (fermented pancake-like Ethiopian flat bread). 

Omisoka is the last of the December global holidays and is celebrated on December 31st commemorating the coming of the New Year. People participating in this celebration exchange gifts eat special foods consisting of buckwheat noodles, shrimp, and vegetables. Sounds like a delicious way to ring in the new year. 

We hope this article has sparked your imagination to try something new this season! Our farm store is a great place to start. Stop in to see what has been freshly picked for you today! Visit our hours of operation page to learn more.