December – The Bittersweet Month, an adieu to 2023 and a welcome to 2024
Sunday, December 24, 2023
A month of joy and happiness, a time of holidays and enjoyment, a moment of remembrance and recollection – December. Starting its span as the tenth month of the Year, December has a lot of odd but wonderful specialties. A month filled with many memorable occasions and rich heritage, the infamous pearl harbor attacks, the birth of Disney and Beethoven, the end of a year, the arrival of Christmas are just some of the many specialties of December.
The month of December was originally the tenth month in the Calendar of Romulus, which began with March. But after the addition of January and February, December became the twelfth month of the year. The month when winter envelopes the northern hemisphere, and the summer scorches the southern Hemisphere. Christmas is one the most awaited event of December. Celebrating the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ, it is the time when children gather around to unwrap their presents. It is a very common belief that Santa Claus comes on the eve of Christmas and hides presents for good children.
Another fun-filled event in December is the ‘New Year’s Eve’, the moment when the earth completes a whole year and the beginning of a new year. What’s more exciting than starring at a clock at midnight waiting for it to strike twelve, and then hear huge firecrackers burst and people celebrating the arrival of a new year. The time when people fill pages with resolutions and ambitions, the fresh moments when ideas and determination gusts through ones heart, it is the time when we hear the echoes from the past, look back at the olden days and look forward to the time ahead. It is also the month when I grow a year older!
2023 was a year filled with lots of unexpected twists and turns. India got to host the 2023 Cricket World Cup. The Indian cricket team’s wonderful campaign ended in sorrow, suffering a crushing defeat in the hands of Australia. But still India celebrated another huge victory, the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, and the launch of Aditya L1, which has certainly cemented India’s prowess in the world of space. The G20 Summit was also a grand success for India, managing its presidency for a year, hosting it was a great opportunity for India to showcase its power and capability to handle international affairs.
2023 was not only a big year for India, but also for the world too, as advancements in artificial intelligence and developments in infrastructure took place. The advent of Chat GPT, Bard and other AI models have led to the development of human based software programs. But 2023 also had many other unfortunate events, such as the ongoing Israel-Gaza war and many other natural calamities. Cyclones and earthquakes have swept through countries, taking the lives of thousands of people. But still 2023 was a great year of innovation, development and a period of recovery from the pandemic.
December is like a short transition from a year to another, a period of recalling the wonderful moments of the past and rejoicing the dawn of a new future. The biting cold winds, the refreshing and merry holidays, the time when families gather in the warmth of their homes, these are some of the trademarks of December - The bittersweet month.
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