So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

December 26th


- Boxing Day, except when 26 December is a Sunday Boxing Day is transferred to 27 December by Royal Proclamation. (Commonwealth of Nations)
- Christian Feast Day
- Day of Good Will (South Africa)
- Independence and Unity Day (Slovenia)
- Mauro Hamza Day (Houston, Texas)
- Mummer's Day (Padstow, Cornwall)
- Proclamation Day, celebrates the founding of the state of South Australia on December 28, 1836; commemorated on the day after Christmas day (South Australia)
- Synaxis of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- St. Stephen's Day (a public holiday in Alsace, Austria, Catalonia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland and Slovakia)
- Thanksgiving (Solomon Islands)
- The first day of Kwanzaa
- The first day of Junkanoo street parade, the second day is on the New Year's Day (the Bahamas)
- The second of the twelve days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
- Wren Day (Ireland and the Isle of Man)

December 26th


- 2006 - The 2006 Hengchun earthquake with 7.1 magnitude hit Taiwan.
- 2005 - Boxing Day shooting on a busy shopping street in Toronto.
- 2004 - A 9.3 magnitude earthquake creates a tsunami causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Maldives and many other areas around the rim of the Indian Ocean, killing over 250,000 people including over 1700 on a moving train
- 2003 - A magnitude 6.6 earthquake devastates southeast Iranian city of Bam, killing tens of thousands and destroying the citadel of Arg-é Bam.
- 1998 - Iraq announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern no-fly zones.
- 1997 - The Soufriere Hills volcano on the island of Montserrat explodes, creating a small tsunami offshore.
- 1996 - Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado.
- 1996 - Start of the largest strike in South Korean history.
- 1991 - The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union meets and formally dissolves the USSR.
- 1986 - The first long-running American television soap opera, Search for Tomorrow, airs its final episode after thirty-five years on the air.
- 1982 - Time Magazine's Man of the Year is for the first time a non-human, the personal computer.
- 1980 - Aeroflot puts the Ilyushin Il-86 into service.
- 1976 - The Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) is founded.
- 1975 - The Tupolev Tu-144 goes into service in Soviet Union.
- 1966 - The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach.
- 1948 - Cardinal Mindszenty is arrested in Hungary and accused of treason and conspiracy.
- 1945 - CFP franc and CFA franc are created.
- 1944 - World War II: Patton's Third Army breaks the encirclement of surrounded U.S. forces at Bastogne, Belgium.
- 1943 - World War II: German warship Scharnhorst is sunk off of Norway's North Cape after a battle against major Royal Navy forces.
- 1941 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
- 1933 - FM radio is patented.
- 1931 - Phi Iota Alpha, the Oldest Latino Fraternity in Existence, was founded in Troy, NY.
- 1925 - Turkey adopts the Gregorian Calendar.
- 1919 - Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox is sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee.
- 1898 - Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of radium.
- 1883 - The Harbour Grace Affray between Irish Catholics and Protestant Orangemen causes five deaths in Newfoundland.
- 1871 - Gilbert and Sullivan collaborate for the first time, on their lost opera, Thespis. It does modestly well, but the two would not collaborate again for four years.
- 1870 - The 12.8-km long Fréjus Rail Tunnel through the Alps is completed.
- 1862 - American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou begins.
- 1862 - Four nuns serving as volunteer nurses on board USS Red Rover are the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship.
- 1862 - The largest mass-hanging in U.S. history took place in Mankato, Minnesota, 38 Native Americans die.
- 1861 - American Civil War: The Trent Affair: Confederate diplomatic envoys James M. Mason and John Slidell are freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and Britain.
- 1860 - The first ever inter-club football match takes place between Hallam F.C. and Sheffield F.C. at the Sandygate Road ground in Sheffield, England.
- 1848 - The Phi Delta Theta fraternity is founded at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
- 1825 - Several Imperial Russia army officers lead circa 3000 soldiers on the Senate Square in the failed Decembrist uprising.
- 1811 - A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia kills the Governor of Virginia George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B. Venable.
- 1806 - Battles of Pultusk and Golymin: Russian forces hold French forces under Napoleon.
- 1805 - Austria and France sign the Treaty of Pressburg.
- 1793 - Battle of Geisberg: French defeat Austrians.
- 1793 - The wedding of Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Prussia and Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz takes place.
- 1792 - The final trial of Louis XVI of France begins in Paris.
- 1790 - Louis XVI of France gives his public assent to Civil Constitution of the Clergy during the French Revolution.
- 1776 - American Revolutionary War: The British are defeated in the Battle of Trenton.
- 1620 - Pilgrim Fathers land at what becomes Plymouth in Massachusetts.
- 1613 - Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, marries Frances Howard.
- 1481 - Battle of Westbrook – Holland defeats troops of Utrecht.

December 26th


- 2000 - Samuel Sevian, American chess player
- 1995 - Zach Mills, American actor
- 1990 - Sergio Pérez, Mexican racing driver
- 1990 - Aaron Ramsey, Welsh footballer
- 1989 - Jennica Garcia, Filipina actress
- 1987 - Adam Walker, British flautist
- 1986 - Hugo Lloris, French goalkeeper
- 1985 - Yuu Shirota, Japanese Idol
- 1984 - Leonardo Ghiraldini, Italian rugby player
- 1984 - Alex Schwazer, Italian race walker
- 1982 - Kenneth Darby, American football player
- 1982 - Oguri Shun, Japanese actor/model
- 1982 - Aksel Lund Svindal, Norwegian skier
- 1981 - Pablo Canavosio, Argentine-born Italian rugby player
- 1980 - Todd Dunivant, American soccer player
- 1979 - Fabián Carini, Uruguayan footballer
- 1979 - Chris Daughtry, American singer
- 1979 - Mzbel, Ghanaian singer
- 1979 - Dimitry Vassiliev, Russian ski jumper
- 1979 - Craig Wing, Australian Rugby League Player
- 1978 - Kaoru Sugayama, Japanese volleyball player
- 1976 - Simon Goodwin, Australian rules footballer
- 1976 - Lea De Mae, Czech actress (d. 2004)
- 1976 - Nadia Litz, Canadian actress
- 1975 - Marcelo Ríos, Chilean tennis player
- 1974 - Josie Ho, Hong Kong singer and actor
- 1974 - Joshua John Miller, American actor
- 1974 - Tiffany Brissette, American TV actress
- 1973 - Gianluca Faliva, Italian rugby player
- 1973 - Reichen Lehmkuhl, American television personality
- 1972 - Esteban Fuertes, Argentine footballer
- 1972 - Robert Muchamore, English children's author
- 1971 - Jared Leto, American actor and singer (30 Seconds to Mars)
- 1971 - Mika Nurmela, Finnish footballer
- 1971 - Jonathan M. Parisen, American film director
- 1970 - James Mercer, American musician (The Shins)
- 1970 - Krissada Terrence, Thai singer and actor
- 1968 - Dennis Knight, American professional wrestler
- 1966 - Tim Legler, American basketball player
- 1966 - Sandra Taylor, American model and actress
- 1964 - Elizabeth Kostova, American author
- 1963 - Lars Ulrich, Danish-born drummer (Metallica)
- 1963 - Bill Wennington, Canadian basketball player
- 1961 - Andrew Lock, Australian mountaineer
- 1961 - John Lynch, Irish actor
- 1960 - Temuera Morrison, New Zealand actor
- 1960 - Jim Toomey, American syndicated cartoonist
- 1960 - Tina Wesson, Winner of Survivor: The Australian Outback
- 1959 - Koji Morimoto, Japanese animated film director
- 1958 - Adrian Newey, British engineer
- 1957 - Dermot Murnaghan, British broadcaster
- 1956 - David Sedaris, American essayist
- 1955 - Evan Bayh, American politician
- 1954 - Peter Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer
- 1954 - Ozzie Smith, American baseball player
- 1954 - Steve Steen, English actor
- 1954 - Tony Rosato, Italian-Canadian actor
- 1953 - Leonel Fernández, Dominican politician and current President of the Dominican Republic
- 1953 - Henning Schmitz, German musician (Kraftwerk)
- 1953 - Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia
- 1951 - Richard Skinner, British radio presenter
- 1951 - John Scofield, American jazz guitarist
- 1949 - José Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor, Nobel laureate
- 1948 - Candy Crowley, American journalist
- 1947 - James T. Conway, 34th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps
- 1947 - Carlton Fisk, American baseball player
- 1947 - Richard L. McCormick, President of Rutgers University
- 1945 - John Walsh, American talk show host
- 1944 - Jane Lapotaire, British actress
- 1942 - Gray Davis, former Governor of California
- 1942 - Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo, Guatemalan president
- 1941 - Daniel Schmid, Swiss film director (d. 2006)
- 1940 - Edward C. Prescott, American economist, Nobel laureate
- 1940 - Ray Sadecki, American Major league baseball pitcher
- 1939 - Fred Schepisi, Australian film director
- 1939 - Phil Spector, American music producer
- 1938 - Bahram Beizai, Iranian playwright and film director
- 1938 - Alamgir Kabir, Bangladeshi film director (d. 1989)
- 1937 - John Horton Conway, British mathematician
- 1937 - Jay Heimowitz, American poker player
- 1935 - Abdul "Duke" Fakir, American singer (The Four Tops)
- 1935 - Norm Ullman, Canadian hockey player
- 1933 - Ugly Dave Gray, Australian television personality
- 1933 - Caroll Spinney, American puppeteer
- 1930 - Donald Moffat, English-born actor
- 1930 - Jean Ferrat, French singer and songwriter
- 1929 - Régine, French singer and nightclub owner
- 1927 - Alan King, American comedian (d. 2004)
- 1927 - Stu Miller, American baseball player
- 1927 - Denis Quilley, British actor (d. 2003)
- 1926 - Gina Pellón, Cuban painter
- 1924 - Frank Broyles, American athlete, long time athletic director of the University of Arkansas.
- 1922 - Richard Mayes, English actor (d. 2006)
- 1921 - Steve Allen, American comedian (d. 2000)
- 1918 - George Rallis, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2006)
- 1914 - Annemarie Wendl, German actress (d. 2006)
- 1914 - Richard Widmark, American actor (d. 2008)
- 1913 - Frank Swift, English footballer and journalist (d. 1958)
- 1911 - Arsenio Lacson, Filipino politician and sportswriter (d. 1962)
- 1907 - Albert Gore Sr., American Politician (d. 1998)
- 1906 - Imperio Argentina, Argentine actress and singer (d. 2003)
- 1905 - William Loeb, American newspaper publisher, (d. 1981)
- 1904 - Alejo Carpentier, Cuban writer (d. 1980)
- 1903 - Elisha Cook Jr., American actor (d. 1995)
- 1902 - Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan, Russian painter (d. 1980)
- 1894 - Jean Toomer, American writer (d. 1967)
- 1893 - Mao Zedong, Chinese military leader and politician (d. 1976)
- 1891 - Henry Miller, American writer (d. 1980)
- 1890 - Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (d. 1992)
- 1887 - Arthur Ernest Percival, British Army officer (d. 1966)
- 1883 - Maurice Utrillo, French artist (d. 1955)
- 1873 - Thomas Wass, English cricketer (d. 1953)
- 1872 - Norman Angell, British politician, Nobel laureate (d. 1967)
- 1859 - William Stephens, U.S. political figure (d. 1944)
- 1853 - René Bazin, French novelist (d. 1932)
- 1837 - George Dewey, U. S. admiral (d. 1917)
- 1837 - Morgan Bulkeley, American politician and baseball commissioner (d. 1922)
- 1822 - Dion Boucicault, Irish actor and playwright (d. 1890)
- 1819 - E. D. E. N. Southworth, American novelist (d. 1899)
- 1791 - Charles Babbage, English mathematician and inventor (d. 1871)
- 1782 - Filaret Drozdov, Metropolitan of Moscow (d. 1867)
- 1780 - Mary Fairfax Somerville, British mathematician (d. 1872)
- 1771 - Julie Clary, queen consort of Naples (d. 1845)
- 1751 - Clement Hofbauer, Austrian missionary and saint (d. 1820)
- 1737 - Prince Josias of Coburg, Austrian general (d. 1815)
- 1723 - Friedrich Melchior, baron von Grimm, German writer (d. 1807)
- 1716 - Thomas Gray, English writer (d. 1771)
- 1716 - Jean François de Saint-Lambert, French poet (d. 1803)
- 1687 - Johann Georg Pisendel, German musician (d. 1755)
- 1646 - Robert Bolling, English settler in Virginia (d. 1709)
- 1536 - Yi I, Korean Confucian scholar (d. 1584)
- 1532 - Guilielmus Xylander, German classical scholar (d. 1576)
- 1194 - Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1250)