December Hospitality – Social Media Marketing Dates
With the ever-increasing demand for creative marketing strategies, social media holidays and awareness days can help hospitality businesses stand out, engage with, and reach new audiences.
And in December 2023, there are plenty of opportunities to do just that.
December Hospitality – Social Media Holidays
Here is a comprehensive list of social media holidays, events, and celebrations in December 2023:
December Monthly Celebrations
- Seasonal Affective Disorder Awareness Month
- HIV/AIDS Awareness Month
- Universal Human Rights Month
- Learn a Foreign Language Month
- Decembeard
December Social Media Holidays & Awareness Days
- December 1: World AIDS Day
- December 2: National Fritters Day
- December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
- December 4: National Cookie Day
- December 4: National Santa’s List Day
- December 5: World Soil Day
- December 5: International Ninja Day
- December 5: Volunteer Day
- December 6: St Nicholas Day
- December 6: National Gazpacho Day
- December 7: Hanukkah Begins
- December 7: National Cotton Candy Day
- December 8: Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day
- December 7: Christmas Jumper Day
- December 8: National Chocolate Brownie Day
- December 9: Christmas Card Day
- December 8: National Salesperson Day
- December 9: National Pastry Day
- December 10: International Human Rights Day
- December 10: International Animal Rights Day
- December 10: Nobel Prize Day
- December 10: National Lager Day
- December 12: Poinsettia Day
- December 13: National Cocoa Day
- December 13: Ice Cream and Violins Day
- December 14: National Bouillabaisse Day
- December 15: National Cupcake Day
- December 15: Ugly Sweater Day
- December 16: National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
- December 17: National Maple Syrup Day
- December 14: Free Shipping Day
- December 18: National Roast Suckling Pig Day
- December 19: National Hard Candy Day
- December 21: National Fried Shrimp Day
- December 22: First Day of Winter
- December 21: Crossword Puzzle Day
- December 21: Bah Humbug Day
- December 22: Winter Solstice
- December 22: National Date Nut Bread Day
- December 23: Festivus
- December 23: National Pfeffernuesse Day
- December 24: Christmas Eve
- December 24: National Eggnog Day
- December 25: Christmas Day
- December 25: National Pumpkin Pie Day
- December 26: Boxing Day
- December 26: National Candy Cane Day
- December 26: Kwanzaa Day 1
- December 27: National Fruit Cake Day
- December 28: Call a Friend Day
- December 29: Pepper Pot Day
- December 30: National Bicarbonate of Soda Day
- December 31: New Year’s Eve
- December 31: National Champagne Day
Content & Campaign Ideas for December Hospitality
Here are some marketing campaign suggestions for December’s monthly celebrations, social media holidays, and awareness days to get you started:
December 2: National Fritters Day – Offer a special fritter dish for the day, paired with a complimentary drink. Try a mixed berry fritter with raspberry lemonade or delicious peach 🍑 is one of the trends to watch in 2024.
🌍 December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities – Offer a special discount to disabled customers and highlight your hotel’s accessibility features. There can be a lot of sensory overload during the festive season for people with hidden disabilities, so consider offering special hours to support customers who need quieter times.
🍪 December 4: National Cookie Day – Give away a free cookie with every meal or hotel booking. Some seasonal flavours to consider for December include gingerbread, peppermint, cinnamon, nutmeg, cranberry, and pumpkin spice.
🎅 December 4: National Santa’s List Day – Organise a “Santa’s List” contest where customers can win discounts or freebies. Try turning this into a TikTok or Snapchat challenge to engage a younger audience.
🌱 December 5: World Soil Day – Hotels and restaurants can promote their sustainable practices such as organic farming, composting, water conservation, and use of renewable energy. Take this opportunity to showcase your eco-friendly initiatives, like using recyclable materials for packaging, providing electric vehicle charging stations, and offering plant-based menu items.
👏 December 5: Volunteer Day – Offer discounts to volunteers showing proof of their recent volunteer work. This could be a great way to engage your local community.
🍅 December 6: National Gazpacho Day – Feature a variety of gazpacho flavours, perhaps even a gazpacho-tasting menu.
🕎 December 7: Hanukkah Begins – Offer a special Hanukkah menu featuring traditional Jewish dishes.
⏱️ December 8: Pretend to Be a Time Traveller Day – Have a themed event with a vintage or futuristic menu and decor. As Doctor Who is celebrating its 60th anniversary with specials that run into December, this could be a great time to get ahead of a future trend. Allonsy!
🎄 December 7: Christmas Jumper Day – Offer discounts to customers wearing Christmas jumpers. Make sure you’ve got a selfie area set up with props, and your Instagram handle to encourage user-generated content. Offer a prize at random to one of the customers tagging you on social media.
🍫 December 8: National Chocolate Brownie Day – Give every customer a free brownie with their meal or room booking. This taps into the powerful law of reciprocity – and also chocolate!
🥐 December 9: National Pastry Day – Feature a special pastry menu. One of the big food trends we’ll see in 2024 is the rise of premium snacking and grab-and-go eating – use this date as a launchpad for a premium range product.
🍁 December 17: National Maple Syrup Day – Feature a special breakfast menu with maple syrup-infused dishes. One of my favourite cocktails is called The Perfect Canadian; mix a double shot of Canadian Whisky, a shot of Maple Syrup, a shake of Angostura Orange Bitters, top up with Ginger Ale, and a twist of Orange that’s been shown to a flame.
🎉 December 26: Kwanzaa Day 1 – Kwanzaa is a week-long African-American culture and heritage celebration. People come together and share meals, stories, and music during this time. Traditional Kwanzaa meals include jollof rice, okra stew, and plantain dishes. Celebrations include lighting the Kinara, exchanging gifts, and reflecting on the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
