DECEMBER

Christmas gets most of the press this time of year, but December is a month full of religious and secular festivals and holidays, along with some wild and wacky days as well.

Here's a reminder of the major holidays this month, along with a collection of the most bizarre holidays gleaned from the corners of the Internet. We can't vouch for the authenticity of some of these lesser known observances, but if you need a moment to forget the stress that sometimes comes with the major holidays, there's got to be a few here to make you smile. 

Forget the 12 Days of Christmas. Here's a whole month of ways to celebrate:

• Saturday, Dec. 1: AIDS Awareness Day; Eat a Red Apple Day
• Sunday, Dec. 2: First Sunday of Advent; National Fritters Day
• Monday, Dec. 3: National Roof Over Your Head Day
• Tuesday, Dec. 4: Santa's List Day; Wear Brown Shoes Day
• Wednesday, Dec. 5: Bathtub Party Day; Repeal Day—the 21st Amendment ends Prohibition; Ninja Day
• Thursday, Dec. 6: St. Nicholas Day; Mitten Tree Day; Put On Your Own Shoes Day; Miners' Day
• Friday, Dec. 7: Pearl Harbor Remembrance; International Civil Aviation Day; Letter Writing Day; National Cotton Candy Day
• Saturday, Dec. 8: Feast of the Immaculate Conception; Hanukkah begins at sundown; National Brownie Day; Take It In the Ear Day
• Sunday, Dec. 9: First full day of Hanukkah. This Jewish festival of lights lasts for eight days; Second Sunday of Advent; Christmas Card Day; International Children's Day; National Pastry Day; Salesperson's Day; Choral Day
• Monday, Dec. 10: Human Rights Day
• Tuesday, Dec. 11: National Noodle Ring Day; Mountain Day
• Wednesday, Dec. 12: Poinsettia Day
• Thursday, Dec. 13: Ice Cream Day; Violin Day
• Friday, Dec. 14: National Bouillabaisse Day; Monkey Day
• Saturday, Dec. 15: Bill of Rights Day; National Lemon Cupcake Day; Cat Herders Day
• Sunday, Dec. 16: Last day of Hanukkah; Third Sunday of Advent; National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
• Monday, Dec. 17: Pan American Aviation Day; Wright Brothers Day; National Maple Syrup Day; Underdog Day
• Tuesday, Dec. 18: Bake Cookies Day; National Roast Suckling Pig Day
• Wednesday, Dec. 19: Look for an Evergreen Day; Oatmeal Muffin Day
• Thursday, Dec. 20: Go Caroling Day; Games Day
• Friday, Dec. 21: Winter Solstice, First Day of Winter; Forefather's Day—celebrating the day Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock; Humbug Day; National Flashlight Day; Look on the Bright Side Day; Hamburger Day
• Saturday, Dec. 22: National Date Nut Bread Day; Haiku Poetry Day
• Sunday, Dec. 23: Fourth Sunday of Advent; Festivus "For the Rest of Us"; Roots Day
• Monday, Dec. 24: Christmas Eve; George Washington's Birthday; National Chocolate Day; National Egg Nog Day
• Tuesday, Dec. 25: Christmas—Christian observance of Jesus' birth; National Pumpkin Pie Day
• Wednesday, Dec. 26: Kwanzaa, which lasts through Jan. 1; Boxing Day; Thank You Note Day; National Whiners Day
• Thursday, Dec. 27: Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day; National Fruitcake Day
• Friday, Dec. 28: Card Playing Day
• Saturday, Dec. 29: Pepper Pot Day; Tick Tock Day
• Sunday, Dec. 30: National Bicarbonate of Soda Day; Bacon Day
• Monday, Dec. 31: New Year's Eve; Unlucky Day; No Interruptions Day

THANKSGIVING

Every year Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. This day was historically a religious observation to give thanks to the almighty God. The occasion traditionally celebrates the arrival of the first pilgrims to America.

Thanksgiving Day is a time to feel gratitude for the good things in life. This is a day of festivity, family reunions and lavish feasts. In the USA this day is considered as one of the major family celebration generally celebrated at home with family and friends. The traditional dishes like Roasted turkeys, Cranberry sauce, Corns. Potatoes and Pumpkin pie are included in the Thanksgiving meal.

People celebrate this day with a great enthusiasm with their family and friends and sometimes give gifts like flowers, jewellery, baked cookies, chocolates etc to their near and dear.

DEPRESSANTS

But the drugs called depressants aren't called that because they're depressing in the emotional sense. Depressants slow down (or “depress”) the normal activity that goes on in the brain. Alcohol is a depressant. Doctors often prescribe central nervous system (CNS) depressants to patients who are anxious or can't sleep.

What is Tobacco?

Tobacco is a green, leafy plant that is grown in warm climates. After it is picked, it is dried, ground up, and used in different ways. It can be smoked in a cigarette, pipe, or cigar. It can be chewed (called smokeless tobacco or chewing tobacco) or sniffed through the nose (called snuff).

Nicotine is one of the more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes and its smoke. It is the chemical that makes tobacco addictive or habit forming. Once we smoke, chew, or sniff tobacco, nicotine goes into our bloodstream, and our body wants more. The nicotine in tobacco makes it a drug. This means that when we use tobacco, it changes our body in some way. Because nicotine is a stimulant, it speeds up the nervous system, so we feel like we have more energy. It also makes the heart beat faster and raises blood pressure.

THE GUIDE FOR FINAL EXAM 1ST AND 2ND ROUND ARE THE BIMESTRAL EXAMS.

What is a parasitic infection?

Parasites are organisms that live off other organisms, or hosts, to survive. Some parasites don’t noticeably affect their hosts. Others grow, reproduce, or invade organ systems that make their hosts sick, resulting in a parasitic infection.

Parasitic infections are a big problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Malaria is one of the deadliest parasitic diseases. Parasitic infections can also occur in the United States. Common parasitic infections found in the United States include:

• trichomoniasis
• giardiasis
• cryptosporidiosis
• toxoplasmosis