Whether you're a holiday fanatic who wants even more reason to celebrate the month or a Scrooge with a burning desire to buck tradition, we've got plenty of offbeat observances to put on your December calendar.

HORSES
Police horses, though they may seem outdated, actually serve several important purposes.
Delve into the history of Khutulun, the 13th-century Mongolian princess—and descendant of Genghis Khan—who challenged marriage suitors to wrestling matches.
History is teeming with unlikely heroes—these ones just happen to have feathers and fur.
Maligning ponies has become a go-to way to dismiss someone. How did that happen?
The poem “The Rainbow Bridge” has long comforted animal lovers who are mourning a pet. But for decades, its author remained a mystery.
Not looking a gift horse in the mouth means being thankful for a gift, even if you secretly wished for something better—and it originated long before the invention of cars.
Some of these animals are rugged mountaineers, some have spots instead of stripes, and some of them bark like dogs. And if you want to tell the zebra species apart, look at their rumps.
When people talk about a dog and pony show today, they usually mean a flashy presentation or event that's all about appearances, with little real substance. But where does this phrase come from, and what's its history?
Animals have always been important to the lives and livelihoods of humans, so it’s no wonder they've left a mark on language.
The idiom has little to do with playing with our food and more to do with equine diets.
These unique gifts for cat lovers, dog lovers, and horse lovers will add some animal-themed joy to your loved one’s life this holiday season.
If you thought the answer was "one," we were right there with you. But we'd both be wrong.
Horses own the winner’s circle in English idioms. But where did these popular phrases originate?
You can still find reminders of the days when horse-drawn transportation reigned.
Icelandic horses have a reputation for being extra intelligent and independent—qualities that make for great office assistants.