January 24, 2018

Today we celebrate:

National “Just Do It” Day - If there is something that you are thinking about doing, stop thinking and just do it. I’m not sure who created this day but it seems to be a day for action. Stop waffling about and make a decision and then….just do it.

National Lobster Thermidor Day - A complicated lobster dish that is apparently very tasty. It uses lobsters, grated cheese, eggs, cream, mushrooms, and sherry, among other things.

National Peanut Butter Day – This is a day to celebrate that which the Aztecs may have created several hundred years ago by crushing peanuts into a chunky, pasty substance. Peanut paste was then turned into more of a peanut buttery type substance similar to the peanut butter we know and love today in the 1890's with various patents by various enterprising people. One of which was Dr. John Harvey Kellogg who served it to his patients at his Battle Creek Sanitarium.

National Beer Can Appreciation Day – On this day in 1935, the first beers were served in cans and the rest is history. I wonder if this is the day when the first beer can was crushed as well.

National Eskimo Pie Patent Day – Christian Kent Nelson invented the I-Scream-Bar somewhere around 1920. His inspiration was supposedly seeing a child trying to decide between buying ice cream or candy because he didn't have enough money for both. So he created a bar that combined ice cream and candy. It was renamed the Eskimo Pie shortly after he received his patent on this day in 1920 or 1921.

Change A Pet's Life Day – This is a day to change a pet's life. Go to your local animal shelter and find a pet that would be perfect for your family. Change his/her life by rescuing them from the loneliness of a cage and sharing with them the love of a family.

Global Belly Laugh Day - Small chuckles and little teehee's will not do today. Today is a day for big, from your stomach, belly laughs. Join the belly laugh bouncing around the world today at 1:24pm local time.

National Compliment Day – This day is one of the easiest days you will ever celebrate. Simply compliment at least five people today. I don't know who created it but that is less important than the fact that if you celebrate today, you will lift the spirits of at least five people.

Talk Like A Grizzled Prospector Day – If you thought Talk Like A Pirate Day was fun, here's another one for you. First, ya gots ta figger out a name fer yersef. Sumthin grizzly like Cactus Pete. On this here day, back there in '48, James Marshall found himsef the first great big ol' nugget up there at Sutter's Mill. Ev'r'one went plumb crazy after that.

January 23, 2018

Today we celebrate:

National Pie Day – Also celebrated on December 1st, this is a day to have pie, pie and more pie. It doesn’t even matter what kind of pie you have. I prefer dessert pies, but my kids are big fans of chicken pot pie and hamburger pie both of which are pretty darn good.

National Rhubarb Pie Day – Well, if you're going to have to have pie today, you might as well have rhubarb pie and celebrate two days in one. Rhubarb is delicious in a pie especially if you mix it into a custard pie or with strawberries. I never really think of buying it in January, it's more of a June food here in the northeast.

National Handwriting Day – Celebrated on John Hancock's 277th birthday, this is a day to focus on your writing skills and how readable they are. Do you write sloppily so that no one can read it or do you write so tiny that people need a magnifying glass? Maybe you write with big loopy letters? What does your handwriting say about you? Today is the day to find out.

Measure Your Feet Day – Do any of us really know how big our feet are? I know that mine are larger than they were before I had children. I've heard that our feet continue to grow after the rest of us has stopped so I'd always assumed that old people have really big feet. They don’t, of course, but maybe their feet are bigger than they were when they were young.

Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day – This is a day for snowplow drivers to have some fun. Plowing roads is a lot of hard work with long hours during snowstorms and we depend upon them to keep our roads clear so that we can use them whenever we need to get to go out. We certainly complain if they don’t plow our roads fast enough. So for all the snowplow drivers out there, today is a day for you to see how many mailboxes you can whack today.

Speak Up and Succeed Day - Celebrated on the 4th Tuesday in January, this is a day to do just what the name implies. Public speaking is a skill that not everyone possesses...but it is one that everyone could possess if they practice it enough. I am one of those challenged in that area because I hate being the center of attention. Fortunately I am married to someone who has no difficulty with it whatsoever, because he has had to speak in public many times over the years. I have been able to easily avoid it, probably to my detriment.

January 22, 2018

Today we celebrate:

National Hot Sauce Day - Those of you who enjoy a little spice to your food...ok, maybe a LOT of spice to your food...this is a day for you. Get out the hot sauce and add it to whatever you want. Maybe there are a couple of you who even like your hot sauce straight up. I think you are blessed with a superpower….the ability to withstand temperatures that would kill a normal human.

National Blonde Brownie Day – If you're not a fan of chocolate, these are the perfect solution for you.

Dance of the Seven Veils Day - This is a dance that came from the Middle East. It is a belly dancing tradition where the dancer wears seven veils attached to her costume. During the course of the dance, the veils are pulled off and tossed aside. Traditionally the dance is performed by women for the enjoyment of men but in this modern age, there is no reason why that cannot be adjusted.

Come in from the Cold Day - This is a day that was probably created by the greeting card industry, but we don’t know for sure. But it’s a very inviting day as we usually tell people to come in from the cold when they are coming to visit us.

National Answer Your Cat's Question Day – For all those cat lovers out there, your job today is to pay extra attention to what your cat is doing so that you can ascertain when your cat has a question and what it might be. Do they rub your leg or twitch their whiskers just so, when they want to know something? Every cat is different so pay close attention. Then, do your best to answer the question. For example, your cat might want to ask you, “Why do I have to go to the vet?” or “Why do you freak out when I present you with a dead mouse present?”

Celebration Of Life Day – We have all been given the wondrous gift of life. Some of us have had life altering experiences which cause us to realize just what an incredible gift that is, but today all of us must live life to the fullest, like it is our last chance to do so. The sad but real truth is that for many of us on this planet, it is our last day. Hopefully that is not the case for you or anyone you know, but you can’t have this many people billions of people living on the Earth without some of them dying every day. Don’t take the gift that has been given to you for granted.

Roe vs. Wade Day – On this day in 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the right of women to have an abortion. Their vote was 7 – 2 in favor of Roe. It was a very controversial topic back then and nothing really has happened to change that. I work in a building that is located near a Planned Parenthood facility and there are frequently Anti-Abortion picketers hanging out with their signs outside the building. There are many others who are equally vocal on the other side of the issue.

National Polka Dot Day - I’m sure you have something somewhere that is polka dotted. An outfit, a pillow, a room in your house...something. If not, well...you know what you have to do.

Better Business Communication Day – Celebrated on the 4th Monday in January, this is a day to work on improving your business communication skills. Communication is vital to businesses so good decisions can be made and I bet all of us could use some work on improving our communication skills.

Community Manager Appreciation Day - Celebrated on the 4th Monday in January, this is a day to appreciate the hard work of community managers in their work of trying to improve customer experiences with social media like Twitter and Facebook.

January 21, 2018

Today we celebrate:

International Sweatpants Day - I like to wear comfortable clothes when I’m hanging out at home and there is really nothing that is more comfortable than sweatpants, particularly in the winter. So dig out your comfy old sweatpants and wear them proudly today because the whole world is going to join you. I have no idea who created this day, but I did find a Facebook page devoted to it. This day is celebrated on the weekday closest to January 21st.

National Granola Bar Day – Granola bars were developed in the 1970's when an inventor, possibly Stanley Mason, figured out that by compressing granola with something sticky, like honey, and baking it so it stays together, one can create a portable breakfast.

National Hugging Day – There are lots of different kinds of hugs: the Bear Hug, The Side to Side Hug, the Cheek Hug, the Back to Front Hug and the Heart Centered Hug. Pick the hug that suits the situation and the person and have at it today. Just don't get arrested for hugging the wrong person.

Squirrel Appreciation Day – Today is a day to appreciate those creatures that many of us consider to be pests. Instead of shooing them off your bird feeders, throw a few nuts out for them. Hey! I said out FOR them, not AT them! Come on, if you look at them the right way, they are kind of cute. Yes, they are! If you don't see it, try squinting. The black ones are the cutest, you don't see those too often unless you live in my portion of the neighborhood. We have a tribe of them.

National New England Clam Chowder Day – What a great lunch this would be. Isn't it great when I solve your dilemma about what to eat for lunch today! Now don’t be going for the Manhattan Clam Chowder. That is a whole different day, I’m sure.

Own Your Own Home Day - This day was created in 1920 by a group of businesses and civic groups. At the time, owning your own home was considered to be the best thing you could do. People wanted to reduce the number of drifters that didn’t stay in a community long enough to help to improve it and they wanted to encourage the growth of a community spirit. Things are different these days and owning your own home is not always the best thing for everyone financially. For example, if you own a home and lose your job, you could lose the home plus it is harder to accept a job in another location because selling a house can take a very long time. So you should look at your finances and goals and talk to a financial planner before you decide if owning a home would be beneficial for you.

One-Liners Day - This is a day to celebrate the greatest one-liners in movie history such as…”You had me at hello.” Who can tell me what movie that is from? I haven’t even seen it and I could answer that one because that line is so famous. Or what about…”You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Anyone? I know you know this one…”I’ll be back.” Feel free to comment with your favorite lines.

World Religion Day – Celebrated on the third Sunday in January, this is a day to acknowledge all of the many, many different religions in the world. Whatever you believe, I’m absolutely certain you can find a religious establishment of some sort, somewhere, that will help you grow in that belief.

World Snow Day - This is a day to “Bring Children to the Snow”, a campaign that the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) has been engaged in for several years. They want to motivate children between the ages of 4 and 14 to get out into the snow and discover how much fun it can be. They want children to “Explore, Enjoy and Experience” all that snow fun has to offer. While they desire to increase their profits, they also want to teach children about the importance of snow to the environment, promote the health benefits of snow sports, and make sure children know how to behave and be safe while on and off the snow. This day is celebrated on the third Sunday in January. http://world-snow-day.com/

World Day of Migrants and Refugees - The theme for this year’s celebration is “Welcoming, protecting, promoting, and integrating migrants and refugees.” It was chosen by Pope Francis in order to highlight importance of supporting actions by all levels of government that benefit migrants and refugees. They deserve the same consideration you would give your next door neighbor because they are everyone’s neighbors. This day is celebrated on the third Sunday of January.