Look for an Evergreen Day

Look for an Evergreen Day is today. To many people, only a fresh cut real tree will do for Christmas. The scent of fresh pine helps to capture the feel of the holidays. Nothing looks more real than a real tree, each one with it’s own character and appearance.

There is no shortage of types of Christmas trees. Generally classified as firs, spruces, and pines, the most popular varieties have changed over the years.  Personal preference will determine whether you select a short needle, or long needled tree.

If you haven’t selected a tree yet, it is certainly getting late. As we researched this special day, we questioned the timing. By the 19th of December, most people have found and put up their Christmas tree. So if you are still treeless, this special day could be the day to do so. Good luck!

Bake Cookies Day

‘Ya gotta just love Bake Cookies Day………

….. Christmas is for Christians

….. Hanukkah is just for Jews

….  Ramadan is for those of Islamic descent

….. Kwanzaa is for those of African origin

….. Native American Day is for American Indians

But, Bake Cookies Day is for EVERYONE!

Bake Cookies Day comes at an opportune time. It arrives amidst the major December holidays. It serves as a reminder to bake holiday cookies, if you haven’t done so already.

People, young and old, celebrate this day by baking their favourite cookies. Make a party of it, and bake cookies in groups with family, friends, kids and grandkids. Don’t stop at baking just one kind of cookies. Plan to bake a number of cookies. Try a new recipe, or two, or three, or….

If you bake more than you can eat, good for you! Wrap up gift trays filled with cookies for friends and neighbours. Most cookies freeze well, too.

Important Note: we are very surprised that Bake Cookies Day is not immediately followed by “Eat Cookies Day”. We did not even find an Eat Cookies Day. So you can, and should, eat them every day!.

National Maple Syrup Day

National Maple Syrup Day provides us with the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate this delicious North American treat. This sweet and unique flavour originated in here. Native American Indians were the first to harvest and boil the sap of the maple tree into a thick syrup.

Watching or participating in a maple sap harvest, or demonstration, is a fun late winter event. They are held in February-March, when the sap is flowing. It is educational for the kids, too. During field demonstrations, some of the sap is boiled down into syrup. Best of all, free samples are often  poured over a pancake or vanilla ice cream.

Did you know? Sap of the maple tree, the same sap used to make maple syrup, makes a refreshing drink. Just put it in the refrigerator and pour a drink whenever you want. Or, have a drink as you harvest the sap from the tree!

How do you participate in National Maple Syrup Day? Pour real maple syrup onto your pancakes or waffles. Or, for an evening treat, pour warm maple syrup onto vanilla ice cream.

Please note, make sure you are using REAL maple syrup, not pancake syrup. Unless the ingredients state otherwise, pancake syrup no longer contains any maple syrup.(a surprise to many)

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

Chocolaholics rejoice! Today is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day.

It’s a great day to indulge, binge, “pig out”, and otherwise consume to excess, your favourite food….chocolate! We believe the timing of this day, during the holiday season, couldn’t be better.

Today, we get to enjoy our beloved chocolate by covering something…just about anything… in a generous amount of chocolate. Pour, spread, or drizzle chocolate over cakes, cupcakes, pies, pancakes or waffles, nuts, raisins, even ants (yes, some people actually eat chocolate covered ants!). We will let you decide what is too extreme, and how much is too much, if any.

As chocolaholics, we shouldn’t need any added incentive to enjoy our chocolate. In the giving spirit of the holiday season, make sure to give or share some of your favourite chocolate covered treats today.

Happy National Chocolate Covered Anything Day!!!!

National Bouillabaisse Day

We think that you will agree that this is a somewhat fishy day. It’s National Bouillabaisse Day, a day to celebrate a tasty Mediterranean fish stew or soup.

Bouillabaisse is believed to have originated in Marseilles, France. It is extremely popular all around the Mediterranean, and is a specialty in ports across the region.

Bouillabaisse is a fish stew or soup. All agree the fish should be white fillets. Recipes call for variety of fish, including cod, snapper, flounder, halibut, sea bass, monk fish, and more.

Celebrate National Bouillabaisse Day with a cup or bowl or this tasty stew.

Violin Day

Violin Day is today. Pick up your stratovarius, and let’s play some sweet music together. The violin is a classy musical instrument.

The violin is sometimes informally called a fiddle, regardless of the type of music played on it. The word violin comes from the Medieval Latin word vitula, meaning stringed instrument; this word is also believed to be the source of the Germanic “fiddle”.The violin, while it has ancient origins, acquired most of its modern characteristics in 16th-century Italy, with some further modifications occurring in the 18th and 19th centuries. Violinists and collectors particularly prize the instruments made by the Gasparo da Salò, Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati families from the 16th to the 18th century in Brescia and Cremona and by Jacob Stainer in Austria. Great numbers of instruments have come from the hands of “lesser” makers, as well as still greater numbers of mass-produced commercial “trade violins” coming from cottage industries in places such as Saxony, Bohemia, and Mirecourt. Many of these trade instruments were formerly sold by Sears, Roebuck and Co. and other mass merchandisers.

A person who makes or repairs violins is called a luthier. The parts of a violin are usually made from different types of wood (although electric violins may not be made of wood at all, since their sound may not be dependent on specific acoustic characteristics of the instrument’s construction), and it is usually strung with gut, Perlon or other synthetic, or steel strings.

Those who play this instrument, can create some awesome music. If you are a violinist, we salute you.

On this special day, you should:

• Pick up the violin and play a few songs
• Take steps to start playing the violin
• Attend a symphonic orchestra event, or a violin concerto

Poinsettia Day

Today is Poinsettia Day! These beautiful flowers are a well-recognized symbol of Christmas. Poinsettia Day was officially declared by an Act of Congress. It is in honour of  Joel Roberts Poinsett, who died on December 12, 1851. Poinsett was the first Ambassador to Mexico . Poinsett brought this colorful plant back to his plantation in the U.S.  He grew the plants in his Greenville, S.C plantation and gave them out as gifts to friends.

According to Mexican folklore, there is a story of a little poor girl who had nothing to bring to church for Christmas. On her way to church, she picked some plants by the side of the road. As she entered the church, the leaves at the tips of the branches turned into bright, brilliant red flowers. You guessed it… Poinsettias.

National Noodle Ring Day

National Noodle Ring Day is a December day that kids young and old have been impatiently awaiting……yeah, right!

What would cooking be like without the noodle ring? We shudder to think about it. We are certainly relieved that the Noodle Ring exists, so we can cook them in one recipe after another. And, doesn’t it make sense that we honor the Noodle Ring with its own very special day!?

BTW: Is the proper term “Noodle Ring” or “Ring Noodle”? We will let you make the call on this important question.

Get your fill of noodle rings today. After all, that’s what this day is for.

Human Rights Day

Human Rights Day, created by the United Nations, promotes awareness of the importance of Human Rights issues around the world. On this day in 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each year, the United Nations, establishes a new theme for the year.

Human rights is something we easily take for granted here. Elsewhere, freedom and basic human rights are not a given.

Participate in this day by learning more about human rights issues around the globe. Offer your time and money in support of a human rights issue that is important to you.

Christmas Card Day

Christmas Card Day, honours Sir Henry Cole (1818 – 1874) of England. Cole created the first commercial Christmas Card in 1843.

Just a few decades ago, sending Christmas cards through the mail was a holiday “must”. Sending cards through the mail continues to be very popular. The cost and time for writing and sending cards has caused many people to stop sending them. Free Ecards have surged in popularity. Animated Christmas and seasonal Ecards have made sending and receiving them a lot of fun.

Today is  a good day to send out your Christmas cards and holiday greetings.  If you have yet to do so, use today to get a start!