December 19, 2015

Today we celebrate my daughter's birthday and:

Look For An Evergreen Day – This is a day for those of us who choose to cut a real tree for Christmas. Many of you have your tree already but if you haven’t done that yet, this is the official day to go hunt down just the right one for your family.

National Hard Candy Day – Today you have permission to indulge in your favorite hard candy. Butterscotch is my favorite, my daughter loves Jolly Ranchers. What is your favorite?

Holly Day - This day was created by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway for the purpose of celebrating holly in all forms.  The holly bush is one of the most common Christmas decorations, but there are also people named Holly and even a village in Michigan with that name.

Oatmeal Muffin Day – This is a day to make oatmeal muffins for your family or yourself. It’s healthy, depending on how much sugar and fat you add, and filled with fiber for the perfect breakfast or snack food. This could be just the thing to start off your day.

Super Saturday or Panic Saturday - This is the last Saturday before Christmas and is for those last minute people who are now panicking that they don’t have their shopping done. It’s a major sales day for retailers and is what they consider to be the end of the shopping season.

Happy Birthday Andi!

December 18, 2015

Today we celebrate:

National Ham Salad Day - Are you throwing or attending a party today? It’s the perfect excuse to make a delicious Ham Salad to share with some crackers.  You can try this recipe if you like.

Flake Appreciation Day - This is a day that was probably created by the greeting card industry although I haven’t seen any snow flake greeting cards for sale in the stores.  But it is a day for appreciating the beauty of the snowflake.  Individually, they are a tiny work of art.  In a group, they are a pain in the tuckus.  

National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day - Celebrated on a Friday in December, this is a day to scour your closet for the ugliest Christmas sweater you own.  If you don’t own one, what is wrong with you?  Run to the store and get one before it’s too late.  Then wear that sweater all day today.  It doesn’t matter what else is going on.  Even if you are going to a wedding today, wear the sweater.  If you are the one getting married, well...you chose poorly but you have to live with it...in the sweater.

Bake Cookies Day - This is a day to bake some cookies.  If you celebrate Christmas, then it’s the perfect time to bake Christmas cookies. I find that one day is not enough time to bake all of my cookies, so I have to spread it out across what I consider the Christmas cookie season which begins the day after Thanksgiving and ends the day before Christmas. But then, I’ve been told that I take this to extremes.  

Wear a Plunger On Your Head Day - Yes, this is a real day.  I know, I was skeptical as well, but then I saw this. My only suggestion here is that you buy a brand new plunger for this celebration.  You can either keep it and reuse it for only that purpose every year or use it as it is meant to be used and buy a new one every year.

Free Shipping Day – This day was begun in 2007 by Luke and Maisie Knowles with the intention of extending the online shopping season. There was a time when Cyber Monday was generally the most popular day for online shopping. After that, most people were afraid they wouldn't get their items in time for Christmas so they didn't shop online again. Now, Free Shipping Day is another very popular day for online shopping. Some stores hold their own free shipping deals not related to this specific day.

UN Arabic Language Day - There are six official languages of the United Nations and this is one of them.  It is celebrated on this day every year because this is “the day in 1973 when the General Assembly approved Arabic as an official UN language”.  So get your Arabic/English, or whatever your native language is, dictionary out and start practicing so you can speak Arabic to your friends today.  Unless your friends are Arabic, they will have no idea what is going on and it is always fun to confuse your friends.

National Roast Suckling Pig Day – This day is more popular in other countries than in America, but I imagine there are a few people who have been waiting anxiously for this day to come around.  I hope you have some friends to share with, otherwise you are going to have quite a lot of leftovers to deal with.

Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day – Have you seen Will Ferrell's movie, Elf? If not, you will want to watch it today so that you are prepared when the phone rings to answer it with the proper amount of enthusiasm.....”Buddy the Elf...What's your favorite color?”

International Migrants Day – This day was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 in order to recognize the millions of migrants in the world. They are seeking to protect the rights of the migrants and to recognize their contributions to the economies of the countries they live and work in.  Migrants, of course, are the workers who travel from farm to farm throughout the growing season working to harvest the fruits and vegetables we depend on for food.

Underdog Day – Celebrated on the third Friday in December, this is a day to root for the Underdog. An underdog is someone who is not expected to win. There can be underdogs in just about any category of life but we hear the term most often in reference to sporting events.

December 17, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Pan American Aviation Day – This day celebrates the first successful flight by the Wright Brothers. See Wright Brothers Day below. The purpose of this day is to increase interest in aviation in all of the American countries in order to expand cultural development and increase communication between all of these countries and territories.

Wright Brothers Day – This day also celebrates the first successful flight by the Wright Brothers because it was on this day in 1903, that Wilbur and Orville Wright finally succeeded in their endeavor to invent a mechanically propelled aircraft that is capable of flight. History was made and aircraft have made one heck of a lot of progress in just 112 years.

National Maple Syrup Day – Well, if you're going to have maple syrup today, you have to have something delicious to go with it like pancakes or french toast or waffles.

International Talk With A Fake British Accent Day – This day was created by Louise Gale and Derek Nisbet, founders of the Big Apple Brits, in 2009. They have planned some events in NYC to celebrate this day and everyone is encouraged to talk with a British accent for these events.

National Re-gifting Day – Celebrated on the third Thursday in December, this is a day to break out the unwanted and unused gifts that you have received over the year and gift them to someone else. This day was chosen because it is the most common day for holiday office parties, and coworkers are the most common recipients of re-gifting.

December 16, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Stupid Toy Day - This is a day to appreciate the stupid toys that provide so much fun. While there are certainly stupid toys out there that are not worth the plastic they are made from, there are other toys that are stupid because they don’t require a lot of thought to operate but provide hours of enjoyment for young and old alike. Some examples could include (in my opinion) the Slinky, Paddle Ball, Ball in a Cup, and toy lawnmowers. I’m not sure where this day came from or who created it, it appears to just be one of those silly days that are fun. Can you name some toys that you consider to be stupid? Please feel free to share.

Boston Tea Party Day - On this day in 1773, the Sons of Liberty in Boston staged a political protest by disguising themselves as Native Americans and turning the entire Boston Harbor into a large, cold and salty, cup of tea. The British are very attached to their tea, so they were most upset at the incident. You might comment that the majority of the Colonists were also British, and also fond of tea, and you would be right. However, in this particular instance, the Colonists were more upset by the tax the King had put on the tea because the Colonists had no say in the matter. They were becoming independent and stubborn, exactly the qualities that made it possible for them to survive in this new country, and didn’t want the King telling them what to do.

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day – This is a day to cover whatever you want in chocolate and enjoy. Be creative and try nuts, strawberries, raisins, pretzels, candy of all kinds, hotdogs, french fries, lasagna....whatever you can think of. Oh!  I just found out that the Japanese have created soft, individually wrapped slices of chocolate. Just like Kraft American cheese slices, but chocolate. You can melt it on anything, mold it around fruit, and more. Can anyone say “Heaven!”