Run it Up the Flagpole to See if Anyone Salutes Day
Run it Up the Flagpole to See if Anyone Salutes Day is today! A little long in name, “Run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes” is an expression. It means to float an idea to see what people think, or if they notice. The term is commonly used in advertising and print media.
Run it Up the Flagpole to See if Anyone Salutes Day is set aside to allow people to do just that. Be creative today. Use this day to try and test new ideas and concepts. Don’t limit the ideas to business applications. In your personal life, try out a new dress or clothing style, perhaps a different haircut. Or, maybe buy a new houseflag and run it up the flagpole to see if anyone salutes…or even notices.
New Year’s Eve
Not so obscure, as with many of the holidays these last few weeks of December, New Year’s Eve is today – when all the fun and festivities are. We see out the old year and ring in the new. While it is often thought of as a time to drink and be merry, many people take it as an opportunity to eat and be merry. Drinking is not as much a part of the event as it was decades ago, if only because of tougher drunk driving laws.
New Year’s Day on the other hand, is a time to relax and enjoy the start of a bright and promising new year….a new beginning. It is a time to be with family.
So, enjoy everything about New Year’s….it only comes once a year.
To many North Americans, the ball dropping at Times Square in New York City signals the start of the new year in this country. The ball was first dropped in 1908.
New Years Trivia: Did you know that a raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
Did you make a New Year’s resolution? Millions of people do. It’s easy to make resolutions, yet much harder to accomplish them.
As you get well into January, those unaccomplished New Year’s resolutions hang over your head. Lucky for you, there is a Ditch Your New Year’s Resolutions Day.
Have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve!
National Bicarbonate of Soda Day
National Bicarbonate of Soda Day, or Baking Soda Day, celebrates the many benefits and uses of Bicarbonate of Soda.
Just how does Baking Soda work and what, specifically, does it do? Few people seem to know. It’s quite simple. We will skip the chemistry lesson and how Baking Soda is made. Let’s just talk to what it is, and what it does. Bicarbonate of soda is a chemical compound – sodium carbonate or sodium bi-carbonate. When heated, it creates carbon dioxide, a gas. The gas aids a variety of bakery products to rise as they cook.
Many people just think of Bicarbonate of Soda as something you use for baking. But, it has so many more uses. Here are just a few of them:
- Baking- helps baked goods, like bread, to rise
- Relieve stomach indigestion and heartburn when mixed in water
- Removing odors in the refrigerator, vents, storage areas, and closets
- Removing odor in kitty litter
- It is used in fire extinguishers for grease and oil fires
- It is often used as a cleaning agent
- It can be used as a meat tenderizer
- Put it in water with beans to minimize flatulance from eating beans
- Polish Silverware
- Remove burned food from a pot or a pan
- And, the list goes on, and on, and……
Pepper Pot Day
Pepper Pot Day commemorates the creation of this thick spicy soup, which was served to the Continental Army during the cold, harsh winter of 1777-1778. Pepper Pot soup was first made on December 29, 1777.
According to the legend………..
During the Revolutionary war, the Continental army was camped at Valley Forge. The winter was cold and harsh. Conditions were deplorable. Food was often scarce. George Washington asked his army’s chef to prepare a meal for the army that would both warm them, and boost their moral. The chef found scraps of tripe, small bits of meat and some peppercorn. He mixed this in with some other ingredients, and created Pepper Pot Soup, also known as “Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup”. The hot, and somewhat spicy soup, was well received by the troops. It was called “the soup that won the war”.
Celebrate Pepper Pot Day by making some Pepper Pot Soup for the family. Note: while tripe was a main ingredient of this soup, you can substitute with chicken or beef.
Card Playing Day
Card Playing Day is the perfect time to spend an hour or so playing cards with family and friends. And, it arrives at just the perfect time of year…….. a few days after Christmas. The holiday hustle and bustle is over. The kids are getting bored of their new toys. It’s time to turn to card games for a calmer, relaxing, and more slow-paced form of fun and entertainment.
Enter the world of card games. Cards have survived for centuries as a form of “play” and entertainment. Sure, there are a few serious gambling types among us, who view cards a serious “business”. To most of us, card games are just ….games.
Spend the day playing cards with family and friends. If you have kids, make sure to play some age appropriate card games with them. You’ll find its quality time with the kids that will create many warm memories.
Happy Card Playing Day. Now “go fish”, “hit me”, “double”, and “I’ll raise you two!”.
National Fruitcake Day
National Fruitcake Day celebrates the rock hard, fruit filled holiday cake. While fruitcake was popular in the 40’s and 50’s, we are not sure if anyone has ever eaten this weighty, gooey, sugar laden cake.
Scientists have been unable to penetrate deeply into a fruitcake, and therefore, have failed to uncover its exact composition. Its density has also hampered their ability to use carbon dating to identify the age of a fruitcake. Unconfirmed rumors suggest that some fruitcake are hundreds of years old.
It is very appropriate for National Fruitcake Day to be celebrated shortly after Christmas. Once the holidays are over, it’s time to get rid of your fruitcake. Giving a fruitcake is a Christmas tradition for many. It is also believed that recipients will re-wrap the fruitcake and give it to someone else. Who knows how many years, or decades, a fruitcake has been passed along? Ultimately, the trick is to make sure you give away the fruitcake before the holiday season is through. Otherwise, you get the joy of storing it, until the next fruitcake-giving season.
On National Fruitcake Day, those with a sweet tooth can celebrate by eating a slice or two. Otherwise, we suggest you use this day to give your fruitcake to someone….anyone.
Note: Our research failed to find any information that suggests this is an official “National” day, which requires an act of congress. Sure, you may argue that there are a few fruitcakes in congress. But to date, none of them has sponsored a bill to create or declare a national Fruitcake Day.
Boxing Day
When: December 26th. However, some people will celebrate it on the first weekday after Christmas. If Christmas falls on a Friday or a Saturday, Boxing Day is the following Monday.
Boxing Day is celebrated in England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other former British commonwealth countries. It is a legal holiday in these countries. This is also St. Stephans Day, where Boxing Day gets some of its roots. On St. Stephans’ Day, churches opened their collection boxes to the poor.
Boxing Day was an expression of appreciation and thanks, much like Christmas tips are today.
The roots of the holiday goes back to the Middle Ages. On this day, members of the merchant class would take boxes, fill them with food and fruits, and give them to servants, tradespeople and the less fortunate. In the case of servants, they would work on Christmas Day, so it was only fitting that immediately after Christmas, they would be given a day off to celebrate.
Usually celebrated the day after Christmas, some would celebrate the following Monday when Christmas fell on a Friday or Saturday.
Today, the giving of boxes includes filling boxes with food and clothing for the needy and performing volunteer work. Monetary gifts to charity are also common.
Christmas Day
Ah! Christmas, the biggest holiday of the year. Christmas has both a strong religious and traditional meaning. It has a certain feel, all to itself, that you usually do not feel at any other time of the year. It creates within us, a sense of kindness and concern for our fellow man. At no other time are we more generous and giving. It creates a sense of family and belonging.
Everyone comes home for the Christmas holiday. It is a time of family and giving. It is truely a time that comes but once a year. Christmas is celebrated in most countries around the world!
And so, we invite you to ride along. Join us in celebration of the magic, the wonder and the spirit of this holiday season.
From all of us at Grimsby Yoga, we wish you a peaceful and joyous Christmas holiday season, and a prosperous New Year!
We’ve been good this year and we know you have been too! So, we hope Santa’s bag is stuffed full of goodies for all of us.
Let there be peace and good will this Christmas.
Did you Know? Charles Dickens published “A Christmas Carol” on December 19, 1843.
Merry Christmas!!
National Egg Nog Day
National Egg Nog Day comes but once a year. It celebrates a special, traditional holiday drink. It is consumed with or without Rum. The timing couldn’t be any better– the day before Christmas— Christmas Eve!
Egg Nog is a seasonal holiday drink. It appears just before Thanksgiving, and is enjoyed by many at the Thanksgiving meal. Consumption then takes a break until the December holidays are in full swing. Consumption of egg nog peaks on Christmas Eve. By the New Year, it is no longer available in stores. If you want eggnog after New Year’s you will likely have to make it yourself.
No one seems to know who created National Egg Nog Day. But, egg nog lovers are ecstatic that this day exists. It’s loaded with stuff that tastes really good. It’s loaded with stuff that’s not good for you. Egg Nog afficienados will tell you that its mmmmm delicious!
The Correct Spelling: This holiday drink is spelled “Egg Nog” and “Eggnog”, about equally. The carton in the store spells it “Egg Nog”. Which is correct? It depends upon how much rum is in your Egg Nog! … bottoms up!