December

A December boar hunt at the Château de Vincennes, in the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry (ca. 1416)

December was the tenth month

in the old Roman calendar of

Romulus, which started with March

—hence its name, from Latin decem,

ten. It's also National Fruitcake

Month and National Eggnog Month.

December 22's Global Orgasm Day.

Come in Peace! (Or at least fancy

doing so.) The Holidays, ditto.

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

The hours of the ducs de Berry haven't all been rich.

One such lost his head to Louisette in 1793.

The latest would be Louis XX if he succeeded

—an outcome unlikely to be needed.

What can one say? History's a bitch!

Note: The inventor of the fatal device later wrongly attributed to Joseph-Ignace Guillotin was, in fact, Antoine Louis, a contributor to the Encyclopédie. It was originally called the Louison, or Louisette.

Cartoon by Rico in the Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)

December 22, 2025