Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics, William P. McCracken (seated), and Director of Aeronautics Clarence M. Young (right)
provided Santa with airway maps and their assurances that airway lights would remain burning that night to guide St. Nick's sleigh.
A few years earlier, McCracken received the first federal pilot license in the United States. He offered Orville Wright the first license, but
he declined the honor because he was no longer flying.
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
December marks the beginning of the winter holiday season in the United States. In addition to preparing for the colder weather that often follows the winter solstice on December 21, many Americans will be shopping, cooking, and gathering with friends and family for socially-distanced holiday parties, religious observances, and cultural activities related to the festive season.
The 2020–21 winter holiday season begins with the 8-day celebration of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah beginning December 10. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of Jerusalem's Second Temple around 165 B.C., following the Israelites defeat of Greek emperor Antiochus. Also known as the "Festival of Lights," the holiday observed by many of the nation's nearly 7.2 million Jews symbolizes the "miraculous event" at the temple when a single day's supply of oil provided 8 days of light. In addition to lighting candles on a traditional menorah, Jewish families gather to enjoy traditional foods, 8 days of gift giving, game playing, singing, and prayer.
Christmas follows 1 week after Hanukkah ends, and like the Festival of Lights, often includes family gatherings, singing, traditional foods, and religious observations. Many American households display a decorated fresh or artificial Christmas tree which becomes the focal point for the exchange of gifts between friends and family. Children anxiously await the arrival of Santa Claus and his flying sleigh led by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as the "jolly old elf" delivers from some of the gifts that are the result of the billions of dollars Americans spend at hobby, toy, and game stores in November and December.
The relatively new holiday Kwanzaa follows on December 26, and is observed by many of the United States' 44 million Black or African American inhabitants. First celebrated in 1966 after the devastating Watts Riots in Los Angeles, CA, the 7-day holiday began in an effort to encourage the nation's Black communities to celebrate their shared history, values, and culture. During Kwanzaa, celebrants light candles in a kinara that represent the principles of Kwanzaa (unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith). Like Hanukkah and Christmas, Kwanzaa includes symbolic foods, family gatherings, a celebratory feast, and gift giving.
As December comes to an end, holiday- and Covid-weary Americans may happily bid farewell to 2020 and welcome the arrival of 2021 on January 1. "First Night" festivals, concerts, fireworks, and countdown parties will be held virtually this year in many cities, such as St. Petersburg, FL; Buffalo, NY; and Monterey, CA. Other cities, including Las Vegas, NV, and San Diego, CA, have decided to cancel all or part of their celebrations to minimize the risk of spreading Covid-19. Similarly, many cities have cancelled or plan to host virtual Lunar New Year events to usher in the "Year of the Ox." Asian Americans who celebrate the February 12 Lunar New Year—the start of the year based on cycles of the moon—may spend the holiday with close family at home instead of at the colorful and raucous events that have been traditionally held in cities with large Asian and Southeast Asian populations, like Houston, TX; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; and Boston, MA.December and the winter holidays can be a hectic time for families as they rush to prepare for holiday gatherings and feasts, shop for and wrap gifts, and celebrate family and cultural traditions. If you find yourself with a few moments of free time between caroling, gift wrapping, and dreidel spinning, you can learn more about your own favorite holiday traditions as well as the culture and holiday celebrations enjoyed by your neighbors using census data and records. For example:
Retailers depend on holiday shoppers to make their year profitable. The U.S. Census Bureau's Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services Survey reported that retailers earned nearly $526.3 billion
in December 2019. Department stores earned more than $18.4 billion, bookstores earned more than $1.0 billion, electronics and appliance stores earned 11.8 billion, and even new car dealers
ended the year strong with nearly $82.4 billion in sales.
Image courtesy of the Ohio Development Services Agency.
When Americans welcome 2021, the nation's population could be nearly 331 million—a more than 3.5 million increase since January 1, 2020, and about 11.4 million more since 2015.
Traditionally, revelers celebrate the New Year with parties, parades, and a midnight countdown. New York City, NY—the nation's largest city with an estimated population of 8,336,817—holds one of the most famous New Year celebrations that culminates with a "ball drop" that began in 1907 .
Due to Covid-19, New York City will celebrate the arrival of 2021 virtually.
The U.S. Census Bureau must deliver the population data used for apportionment to the president by the end of the census year.
In 2010, the agency delivered the U.S. resident population data to the president on December 21, 2010.
On August 3, 2020, Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham said that despite Covid-19's challenges, the agency would deliver the 2020 Census data to the president by the December 31, 2020, statutory deadline.