Old Rock Day

Old Rock Day is an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate old rocks and fossils. Perhaps you can start a rock collection. You can go out on a field trip in search of old fossils (the rock kind). Or, if you choose, you can just play with old rocks.

There are a lot of fun-filled, yet ill-defined, wild and wacky holidays. This is one of them. There is little information available on what this day was truly meant to mean. So, the interpretation and the means of celebration is left up to you.

By definition, fossils are old rocks. Jewelry stones are old rocks. And, coal is an old rock, too. You can celebrate any or all of these old rocks today.

Cuddle Up Day

Cuddle Up Day is an opportunity to snuggle up to someone on a cold winter’s day or night. Chances are it’s cold outside. So, cozy up to a special someone, and enjoy the warmth and love. This day is enjoyed by both young and old.

This day is a great opportunity to:

… cuddle with your cutie

… snuggle with your sweetie

… hug your honey

Of course, you do not have to cuddle up with someone……

Cuddling up in your easy chair is a great idea.
Cuddling up to a pet is rewarding.
Cuddling up to a stuffed animal is quite secure and comforting.
Cuddling up with a good book is enjoyable.
Cuddling up by the fireside is warm and cozy.
But, nothing will beat cuddling up with a special someone.

Enjoy!!!

National Bird Day

National Bird Day is celebrated on January 5th.

International Migratory Bird Day observed on the second Saturday in May.

People love birds. Bird watching is a favourite pastime of millions of people. It is the most popular of hobbies, and can be enjoyed by everyone regardless of age. With this popularity, it comes as no surprise that there is more than one day established to recognize, appreciate, and enjoy birds. We suggest you celebrate all of these days.

Now, lets’s help to take some of the confusion around a number of distinctly different “bird” days:

Bird Day is the oldest of the days set aside to recognize birds. According to the U.S. Library of Congress, Bird Day was first observed on May 4, 1894. It was started by Charles Almanzo Babcock, superintendent of schools in Oil City, Pennsylvania. By 1910, Bird Day was widely celebrated, often in conjunction with Arbor Day. Bird Day and Arbor Day events are focused upon conservation training and awareness.

National Bird Day was established by bird activists. It calls upon people to recognize the plight of captive birds. It also draws attention to exploitation of birds in the U.S. pet industry. On this day, organizers suggest we reflect upon the conditions of birds held in captivity.

International Migratory Bird Day celebrates the incredible journey that migratory birds take each year. They travel thousands of miles between breeding grounds in North America, and their winter homes in Central and South America. Organizers say this is a day to both support, and to increase awareness of conservation efforts in support of migratory birds. They also suggest a field trip into a woods to look for and enjoy migrating birds.

On each of these Bird Days, we encourage you to take a few minutes to watch and observe birds, as well as to feed them.

Happy National Bird Day!

National Trivia Day

Today is National Trivia Day! Trivia day is an American holiday, celebrated on January 4. There are many ways that trivia Day is celebrated. Some people get together and play quiz games with their friends, other people go to bars or pubs and compete in trivia competitions for money or other prizes. Other people stay home and play trivia games online or watch TV shows that provide lesser-known facts about history or movies or their favorite sport.

Trivia: Which King in a deck of cards has no moustache? …..The King of Hearts! Look at any deck!

A piece of paper, regardless of size, can never be folded more than 7 times…..huh, try for yourself!

Fruitcake Toss Day

Fruitcake Toss Day is your opportunity to finally throw away the old fruitcake. After the holidays are over, it’s time to bring in the new, and toss out the old. Today is the day that the fruit cake goes….hooray!

There is no one way to toss out the old fruitcake. Why not make a little fun out of it? Gather up a few friends who also are fortunate enough to have received a fruitcake for the holidays. Go out to a field and see who can toss it the farthest. Caution: do not toss the cake at anyone. This weighty steel-like mass of sugar, flour and fruits could injure someone, if they are hit by it.

Important Note: Fruitcake Tossing runs counter to the tradition of many people to pass the fruitcake around from one person to the next. In this tradition, the person who is holding the fruitcake on New Years, must store it away until the next Christmas season. So I guess we can’t all celebrate quite the same and we all have our strange traditions. Pick one and make it yours!

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!”.