Tag: holidays

the special days of December

As has become our tradition, we are going to look at some of the special holidays in December.  Like most months, almost every day has something associated with it, but we’re going to cover only the ones we find interesting or stupid.  You can find the full listing at other sites, but only here will you find our exclusive commentary and analysis.  As always, these are actual holidays that we found listed.  Let’s get started with the month-long celebrations.

December is :

  • National Stress Free Family Holiday Month — This one is a great idea, and it is on the right month, because December tends to be one of the more stressful months of the year.  It shouldn’t be stressful, ideally, but all the commercialism makes it more so.  Anyway, try to relax this month.
  • Read A New Book Month — This is a good idea, too.  Reading is good for you — it exercises your brain and can teach you things.  If you can’t find some books you like, just print out this blog and staple the pages together, and that’ll give you plenty to read for a while.  Or try my other blog if you want more challenging reading instead of funny and humorous and random.
  • Safe Toy and Gift Month — As much as your friends and family might want that flamethrower, it’s probably not a good idea to give it to them.  Also, I’ve heard that a BB gun will cause you to shoot your eye out.  I’m not sure I believe that (in most cases, anyway), but I seem to hear that a lot this time of year…
  • Write to a Friend Month — You should do this.  Send them a Christmas card, or even a standard letter.  Or, really, you could just send them an e-mail (but not a forward).  If you don’t have any friends, that’s rather unfortunate, but I’ll be your friend.  You can use the “Contact Us” form on the homepage to send us a letter (free of charge).  We will read all of them (unless it’s spam).

Now let’s look at the individual special days in December :

  • 1 National Pie Day — This one’s easy — eat lots of pie.  Mmm…
  • 3 National Roof over Your Head Day — I guess you’re supposed to sleep in a house with a roof over your head on this day.  I happen to do this every day anyway, so I don’t know why it’s a holiday.
  • 4 Wear Brown Shoes Day — This sounds simple, but for some guys, it might not work.  See, guys usually don’t have very many pairs of shoes.  Some guys have one pair of dress shoes (usually black so they’ll match everything) and one pair of tennis shoes.  But don’t feel obligated to buy brown shoes for this day.  Besides, there’s a much better holiday on this day to celebrate (see next).
  • 4 National Cookie Day — This is awesome!  There should be one of these every month!
  • 6 St. Nicholas Day — I expected this to be on the 25th, but I suppose it makes sense, so he won’t be overshadowed by Jesus.
  • 6 Put on your own Shoes Day — Uhh… I already put my own shoes on.  If you don’t, then you should start doing so.  Don’t make other people handle your smelly feet.
  • 8 National Brownie Day — Brownies are scrumptious, especially when you add vanilla ice cream and some Hershey’s syrup on top.  Mmm…
  • 9 International Children’s Day — I’ve never heard of this before.  I wonder why…  [author closes eyes and constipates real hard]  Ah, I think I’ve figured out why.  See, on Mother’s Day, you give gifts to your Mom.  On Father’s Day, you give your dad a tie.  If children knew they had a special day, they’d want presents, but it’s already so close to Christmas.  So obviously there’s a big conspiracy by parents everywhere to keep this from children.
  • 9 National Pastry Day — Does December seem like the month to eat a lot?  Another food-related holiday.
  • 12 National Ding-a-Ling Day — Uhh… my research (* I did no research) shows this is for people to act crazy and wacky.  Most people don’t need a holiday for that…
  • 13 Ice Cream Day — What a delectable treat!  If you have any brownies left from the 8th, you could use them here.  (Wait, if you have leftover brownies that are 5 days old, you don’t understand about eating brownies.)  I could go on and on about ice cream.  I’m glad someone invented it.
  • 16 National Chocolate Covered Anything Day — This is awesome.  I’m glad someone thought of this one.  Almost all desserts can be made even better by adding chocolate.  If you want to make something, I suggest chocolate balls — they’ve got Oreos and cream cheese mixed together in a ball, then covered in molten milk chocolate, then after it hardens, drizzle melted white chocolate on top.  There is hardly anything better!
  • 18 Bake Cookies Day — There is nothing like freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies.  And if you have enough to share, invite some friends over, but don’t tell them about the cookies at first; let them smell the cookies baking, and then their faces will light up.  (FYI, if you take it this far, it would be cruel and unusual to not offer them some cookies and milk.)
  • 20 Go Caroling Day — This is a good time for caroling, which can be a lot of fun.
  • 21 Humbug Day — Watch out for scrooges…
  • 21 Look on the Bright Side Day — You should do this all the time.  Maybe this is scheduled here for those people who don’t have any presents under the tree yet…
  • 24 National Chocolate Day — Yes!  (Didn’t I tell you December is for eating!)  Eat lots of chocolate.  Chocolate also makes a great last-minute gift.
  • 24 National Egg Nog Day — I like egg nog.  It’s got a very unique taste.  If you’re buying it, I recommend the Hiland variety (other others are good, too).
  • 25 Christmas Day — Here’s where we meet with family, exchange gifts, and eat a lot.  But let us not forget the reason for the season — the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who was born this day to pay the price for our sins, bringing salvation to all who will believe.
  • 26 Boxing Day — This is a day to be thankful and to give a box of goodies to the poor.  This is also a day when personal servants get a day off, since some of them have to work on Christmas.  I don’t know why it’s called Boxing Day, though.
  • 27 National Fruitcake Day — Since some people give fruitcakes as gifts, perhaps this is the day to give them to other people.  Nobody is really sure what the fruitcake is made of, because it is too hard for scientists to drill into.  I also think they should be renamed, because it’s not cake.
  • 30 National Bicarbonate of Soda Day — This is about Baking Soda.  You may think Baking Soda isn’t very special, but it has a lot of uses.  When heated, it creates gas.  (So if you put it in food…)  Yet supposedly it will reduce flatulence if you put it in the water you cook your beans in.  Yet, it relieves stomach indigestion and heartburn when mixed in water, so perhaps that’s from it creating gas inside you that relieves the pressure.
  • 31 New Year’s Eve — Here’s where you make New Year’s resolutions.  I’ve decided to make one I can actually keep — I’m resolving to gain 15 pounds.  🙂

There you have it.  We’ve completed this month’s calendar of holidays.  There were actually more food holidays that we didn’t list, because this is getting long.  But you can find them elsewhere online.  Besides, there’s quite a bit to celebrate just among what we mentioned.

the special days of November, pt 2

Here’s part 2 of our analysis of the special holidays in November.  Now on to the individual days that are holidays in November :

  • 2 Look for Circles Day — Uhh… who thought of this?  But I reckon some people care about this sort of thing, so I’ll help you get started.  oOoOoOoOoO  🙂  Actually, when you look for something specific that we tend to overlook like a certain shape or color, it helps you see things differently.  So it might not be such a bad idea after all.
  • 4 National Candy Day — It seems odd to have this a few days after Halloween, when everyone eats all kinds of candy, but so it goes.  Obviously, you should eat lots of candy this day.  Have fun!
  • 5 National Donut Day — Since this is an important holiday and stuff, you should go all out.  I recommend visiting a Krispy Kreme store that makes the doughnuts (donuts) there, and get one that just came off the conveyor belt.  Trust me on this — it’s awesome.  It’s so soft and sweet, and it almost melts in your mouth.  Also suggested is to get some chocolate-filled donuts.  Mmm…
  • 6 Marooned without a Compass Day — I’d recommend you not attempt this — it may turn into more than just one day.  Who thinks up these things?  Perhaps it was some bitter sailor who was stranded on an island for a long time, living with monkeys and eating coconuts, and he wants others to relate to his plight.
  • 7 Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day — This one is self-explanatory : EAT IT.
  • 7 Hug-a-Bear Day — They didn’t specify whether this is about teddy bears or real bears.  But for your own safety, you should limit this to your teddy bear.  And also for your own safety, you should do this only when you’re at home… by yourself… and then only if you must.
  • 13 Sadie Hawkins Day — I don’t know if anyone still celebrates this or not, but I found out some interesting trivia about it.  It started in a cartoon by Al Capp in the 1930s.  In the cartoon, the mayor of Dogpatch was desperate to marry off his ugly daughter.  So he created this day, where single women chase single men.  The men are given a short head start, and if the woman catches her man, he has to marry her.  I don’t recommend participating in this one, for obvious reasons.
  • 13 Mom’s and Dad’s Day — What?  They’ve already got major holidays, each.  So what’s the point of this?
  • 15 Great American Smokeout — This is a day to quit smoking.  You don’t have to wait until this holiday, though. Smokers should stop TODAY.  I realize it’s difficult, but the grace of God can empower you to overcome it.  (Sorry for the momentary seriousness.  Consider it a public service announcement courtesy of Buffet o’ Blog.  Besides, if smokers quit, it will make the world a better place.)
    teddy bear in grass
  • 16 Have a Party With Your Bear Day — Didn’t we just have something like this on the 7th?  I glanced online to see what was said about this day, and it’s kinda shocking : “What a swell day it is going to be!  You get to have a party.  And, you get to spend time with your Teddy Bear.  I bet you can’t think of anything that is more fun!!  Get out the party banners and balloons.  Make a cake.  Send out the invitations.  Invite all of your teddy bears, and your human friends, too.  Let them bring their teddys along.  Today is going to be a fun day.”  Uhh… are they serious?  I bet I could find quite a few things more fun than serving cake to a teddy bear.  But to each their own…
  • 17 Homemade Bread Day — Now here’s something good!  If you haven’t ever had freshly baked homemade bread, you are missing out!  While it’s baking, it creates a great aroma that fills your house, making everyone hungry.  Some of you may be thinking, “It’s just bread”, but don’t dis’ it until you’ve tried it.  And here’s the day to try it.
  • 17 Take A Hike Day — Sounds reasonable.  But wait until you’ve finished reading this and left a comment.  🙂
  • 17 World Peace Day — I think some countries didn’t get the memo.  It’s a noble idea, but it needs more promotion.
  • 19 Have a Bad Day Day — Who thought of this?  I refuse to participate in such tomfoolery!
  • 20 Absurdity Day — Maybe this is the proper day for farting into the phone during a conference call at work.  It would certainly be absurd and illogical.  And then you could tell your boss why you did it, that it’s for a holiday and it makes the workplace more festive and stuff.
  • 21 False Confession Day — I’m building a life-size replica of the Death Star.  And when I get bored, I build suspension bridges in my backyard.  Oh, and the laws of physics don’t apply to me.
  • 22 Thanksgiving Day — You know about this one already.  Give thanks for all the blessings God has given us, including the great freedoms we enjoy in America.  Oh, and of course we should be thankful for turkey and dressing, ham, mashed taters, macaroni & cheese, sweet tea, pecan pie, chocolate chip cookies, etc.  🙂
  • 23 Buy Nothing Day — This holiday is always the day after Thanksgiving, but retailers seem to have not gotten the memo.  Maybe it used to be the case, and that’s why there’s all these huge sales.  This day is also known as Black Friday.
  • 25 National Parfait Day — A parfait is a dessert made of several layers of different flavors of ice cream, among other things.  I’m not sure of the best place to get one, but if you don’t know where to buy one, just eat some ice cream, and you can layer in some Oreos with it.  Improvise if you have to.
  • 26 National Cake Day — Eat cake… lots of cake.
  • 30 Stay At Home Because You Are Well Day — Ahh, an excuse to not work.  That’s all you’ve got to say for me!  This is a good idea, I think.  Sometimes we need a day off of work just to relax and do fun stuff.

There you have it.  November has lots of special days, something for everyone.  Now I’ll end my rambling.  Any of you reading this are encouraged to share your thoughts, opinions, or analysis in the comments section.  Surely you’ve got some thoughts on all this…

the special days of November, pt 1

It’s now November (albeit halfway over), and like we did last month, we’re going to look at some of the special holidays this month.  I’m going to cover only maybe half of them, because there’s a bunch (and some are just stupid).   You can find the full listing at other sites, but you can find our original commentary and analysis on these special holidays only at this site.  Let’s begin with the month-long celebrations.

November is :

  • National Model Railroad Month — I’d like to have one of those huge model railroad sets, because I like trains, and I’d do some interesting things with it.  The background scenery would be really cool and random, and I’d be tempted to make multiple trains race toward each other and crash on a bridge, like Gomez Addams did for one of his hobbies on The Addams Family TV series.  He also made the bridge explode at just the right time.  (That really was a great show.)
  • Peanut Butter Lovers Month — This one requires no explanation.  But I will make a suggestion or two — you can mix it with jelly, of course, or you can mix it with chocolate.  Mmm…
  • Good Nutrition Month — This must be some type of mistake.  Why would someone schedule this the same month as Thanksgiving?  That just makes no sense.  Because during the Thanksgiving holiday (which can stretch over a few days, as far as the eating is concerned), all diets are declared null and void.  In addition to eating lots of the main dishes like turkey, ham, dressing, etc., desserts will also be consumed in large quantities.  Pecan pie is a regular at my get-togethers.  I propose we move Good Nutrition Month to January, when everyone wants to start diets.
  • National Blog Posting Month — This is obviously a new one, and thus isn’t on some of the lists I’ve seen.  The idea is for bloggers to try to publish at least thirty posts in thirty days.  That’s a noble idea, for sure, but it’s just not gonna happen here.  This is another holiday that could be scheduled better, like during the middle of winter when there’s no major holidays and when it’s too cold to be outside much.  Besides, I’ve got too much stuff to do for writing every day.  🙂

Now let’s look at some of the week-long celebrations :

  • Week 1 — Chemistry Week — Some school students may think chemistry is boring, and with certain teachers it is, but it can be a really cool subject.  Certain combinations of ingredients create explosions, which is cool.  And if you study how the basic elements form compounds that are essential to life, it reveals the magnificence of creation, which points to God, our Creator.
  • Week 3 — Game and Puzzle Week — It’s a good excuse to bring out some board games, which tend to get neglected with all the modern technology we have.  So bring out Monopoly and/or dominoes, to suggest a few.  (BTW, did you know you can get Monopoly in all kinds of “flavors” now?  I’ve seen one for Transformers, Family Guy, The Simpsons, etc.  You can even create your own version on their website and they’ll send it to you.)

I’ll continue this in the next post, or it’s going to get really long…

the special days of October, pt. 2

Here’s part 2 of our analysis of the special holidays in October.  These are all valid holidays (as far as I can tell — at least I can say that I didn’t make them up).

First, let’s look at the week-long celebrations.  Week 1 is Get Organized Week.  Oh, whoops, I missed that one already!  (I reckon I wasn’t organized enough to get this posted in time.)  Week 2 is Pet Peeve Week.  One of my pet peeves is stupid people, so I’m going to fast from stupid people this week.  🙂

Now we’ll look at the single-day holidays in October, with some custom narration and analysis that you won’t find anywhere else :

  • 1 Homemade Cookies Day — It’s already past this one now, but it should still be observed.  Better late than never.  Besides, it’s Cookie Month, so you should be celebrating cookies all month anyway.
  • 2 Name Your Car Day — I could name my truck Budro, but it already has a name : Rolling Thunder.  What would you name your vehicle?
  • 5 Do Something Nice Day — That’s a good idea.  It’s too bad I didn’t get this posted in time to observe this one.  Maybe next year…
  • 6 Come and Take it Day — This is interesting-sounding, but you won’t be able to take any of my stuff, so don’t even try!
  • 6 Mad Hatter Day — This is a day to be silly and celebrate silliness.  It’s based on a character in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  The date 10/6 was chosen because the inside of The Mad Hatter’s top hat it says “10/6”.  So be silly this day.  (And this blog is a great place for that!)
  • 8 American Touch Tag Day — Tag, you’re it!
  • 8 Indigenous People’s Day — Hey, that’s me!  I’m an indigenous people!  (Really, my family has lived in this area of the country for generations.)  So we get to celebrate me today!
  • 9 Moldy Cheese Day — This is an actual holiday, but I don’t know why.  I’m not eating moldy cheese!  Although, if you think about it, mold is part of some cheeses, like blue cheese — the blue parts are mold.  I prefer non-moldy types, like American, Cheddar, Mozzarella, etc.  Mmm… cheese…
  • 10 National Angel Food Cake Day — This is more like it.  Someone should bake an angel food cake and bring it by the Buffet o’ Blog office.
  • 11 It’s My Party Day — If you need an excuse to host a party, here ya go.  The baseball playoffs are underway now, which is also a great occasion to host a party.  And it’s a good idea to provide food, like pizza and/or cheese dip.
  • 11 Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day — I read about this on a website that was giving advice on these holidays, and it said, “We think you know how to celebrate this day.  Dress him up for the big event.  Plan for a big day.  Take your Teddy Bear on a tour of the workplace.  Bring Teddy to lunch in the work cafeteria.  If your boss allows it, let Teddy do a work-related project.”  Hmm…  That’s not what I was thinking about, but whatever floats your boat.  Just know that some people might not think it’s all cute for you to be carrying your teddy bear around work with you.  Some people just wouldn’t understand.  I think a better use of this holiday would be to work from home, then you could show your teddy bear what kind of work you do, from the privacy of your own home.
  • 14 National Dessert Day — What you should do on this day is obvious.  As one website put it, “take an extra helping, or two”.  Sounds good to me!
  • 16 Dictionary Day — This is in honor of Noah Webster, who was born on this day in 1758.  He started writing his dictionary at age 43, and it took him 27 years to finish it.  (If he had just put less words in it, it wouldn’t have taken so long.)  I’m not recommending you read a dictionary this day, because that’s just nonsense.  But I do advocate learning a new “big word” that you can add to your vocabulary.  I’ll recommend a few for you : duplicitous, logorrhea, erudition, chicanery, purveyor, debacle (this one comes in handy a lot), fatuous, elucidate, inscrutable, bloviate, juxtapose.
  • 27 National Tell a Story Day — This can be from a book or from memory, or you can just make it up as you go.  Perhaps on that day we should put special emphasis on our original stories (that everyone is invited to participate in), in the free-for-all-stories category.
  • 30 National Candy Corn Day — Ah, what a wonderful treat!  Little pieces of candy, made mostly of honey and sugar.  One word of warning, though — I’ve seen with my own eyes what can happen if you eat excessive amounts of these just before bedtime.  One of my college roommates did this (and drank cream soda with it), and he went to bed while the rest of us were watching TV in the other room.  We kept hearing noises that sounded like Cornholio, and it was because that guy couldn’t sleep (and couldn’t relax at all!).  It was funny, for us anyway.
  • 31 Carve a Pumpkin Day — No surprise here, as it’s also Halloween.

There’s the (partial) list.  There’s some more obscure holidays we didn’t list, but hopefully among these you found some you could celebrate and have fun with.  We should all make time for having fun, or better yet, have fun with about everything you do (when appropriate).  I heard that laughing adds 8 years to your life, so be sure to laugh every day (and then we’ll all live for a long time).