Tag: holidays

SPECIAL DAYS

“My family doesn’t celebrate Soufflé Day, choosing National Pancake Day instead.”

*a work in progress

New Year’s Day is now behind us with New Year’s resolutions quick to disappear as well. Studies show that only 9% of the people making them hold true to their promises. A total of 23% quit by the first week and 43% by the end of January. At this point in life, I don’t make resolutions finding it an added burden just to find a working pen.

January is filled with other special days that many have never heard of. National Popcorn Day is on January 19, only one day before Presidential Inauguration Day. Is that a coincidence? National Cheese Lovers Day is on January 20. After eating bowls of popcorn and plates of sliced cheese on crackers most seniors will be plugged up by National Hugging Day which falls on the 21st.

In February, Valentine’s Day always comes on the 14th two days before Darwin Day. For those unfamiliar with Darwin, his first name is Charles, and he’s credited with claiming that humans are related to apes. The movie “Planet of the Apes” starring Charleston Heston can also be attributed to him. I made that up. Close friends called both Darwin and Heston, “Chuck”.

Perhaps my favorite day in February is the 15th when Valentine’s candy can be found for 50% less. Time to stock up. The 19th is International Tug Of War Day with February ending on the 28th with National Chocolate Soufflé Day. Singer/songwriter Carly Simon made the burning of a soufflé famous with her song, “Coming Around Again.” My family doesn’t celebrate Soufflé Day, choosing National Pancake Day instead.

Day of Prayer is on March 1 with World Plumbing Day on March 11, the same day as my brother’s birthday. St. Patrick’s Day occurs on March 17, with wearing something green being a necessity unless you have a fetish for getting pinched. World Poetry Day is the 21st for whatever that’s worth. March 27 is my wife’s birthday and the date of the great Alaska earthquake. This quake registered 9.2 on the Richter scale.

April is full of significant dates such as April Fool’s Day, along with Be Kind To Lawyers Day on the 9th. That also happens to be my birthday. Blah Blah Blah Day is on the 17th. National Pigs in a Blanket Day is on the 18th with National Animal Crackers Day on the same. Easter Sunday is the 20th, with National Pretzel Day on the 26th and Honesty Day ending things on April 30.

May has a decent selection. The 6th is No Diet Day while Mother’s Day falls on May 12th which is also National Nurses Day. The 16th is Malcolm X Day (I read the book by Alex Haley in 1967). Sunscreen Day falls on the 27th (no need for Coppertone in Alaska). Learn About Composting Day is the 29th with May ending on National Smile Day (31st).

June 4 is National Cheese Day. Once again, seniors need to be careful celebrating this one for obvious reasons. Father’s Day is the 15th. National Take Your Cat To Work Day is on the 16th with National Selfie Day on June 21. Please Take My Children To Work Day closes out June on the 30th.

Canada Day is July 1st. Eh. The Fourth of July is the most important July day in this month, with little-known National Workaholics Day falling on July 5.  The 14th is National Mac and Cheese Day (my favorite) and jumping ahead to the 20th we have National Ice Cream Day. Ending things on July 31st is National Avocado Day.

August 1 is National Girlfriend Day for those single guys, with August 4th Barack Hussein Obama’s birthday. He’s 63. “Happy birthday, happy happy birthday!” The 16th is Tell A Joke Day. Speaking of jokes: What is the end of everything? Answer: The letter g. World Senior Citizen’s Day falls on August 21. The 31st is National Eat Outside Day, which is hard to celebrate in Arizona during summer without shade and a mister. Water mister that is!

Labor Day is September 1 while Emma M Nutt Day falls on the same. For those not up to speed here, Emma was the world’s first telephone operator. Patriot Day along with National Hot Cross Bun Day are on the 11th. My mom was born that day. National Double Cheeseburger Day comes on September 15.  National Couple’s Day is the 18th with National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day on the 20th. The 29th is National Coffee Day with the month ending on National Day For Truth And Reconciliation Day (30th).

October opens up to several special days beginning with Yom Kippur. National Custodian Day is on the 2nd of October followed by National Get Funky Day on the 5th. National Plus Size Appreciation Day falls on the 6th of 2025, with National Pay Back A Friend Day on the 17th. October ends with Halloween on the 31st along with National Caramel Apple Day. Back in my “trick or treat’ years caramel apples were handed out as treats. Teeth pullers as I called them.

November starts out with, Day Of The Dead Day, with Marine Corps Birthday on the 10th.  Sadie Hawkins Day is the 13th (no relation) and National Macchiato Day the 19th. Thanksgiving of course is the 27th. November 30 is National Mason Jar Day in conjunction with National Personal Space Day.

December rounds out the 2025 calendar starting with National Eat A Red Apple Day on the 1st.  National Mutt Day falls on the 2nd with Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on the 7th. National Gravy Day is on the 21st with Christmas once again falling on December 25. National Make Up Your Mind Day is on the 31st.

In a nutshell, that pretty much comprises some of the more important special days in 2025. I listed only 72. A total of 365 calendar days are special including holidays. For trivia’s sake, the US Government allows approximately 40,000 privileged workers to stay home and celebrate all 365 while still collecting a paycheck. Lucky them. Something tells me this “gravy train” is about to end.

Happy New Year!

LADDER OF JOY

“I’ll try to reignite my holiday spirit by watching Hallmark Christmas movies with Joleen, yet I can only take so many repeated scripts and bad acting.”

I haven’t been totally filled with “Holiday Spirit” for some time now although the top is still within reach. I’m not talking about the free-flowing spirits with which many find necessary to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

Some folks look for these three holidays—along with Labor Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Donut Day—as a time to drink to their heart’s content. By the way, Donut Day falls on Friday, June 6, in 2025.

The holiday spirit or cheer I’m talking about is uncontained excitement such as what kids experience in elementary school right before Christmas, knowing that classes will soon be put on hold until after the first of January. Brightly wrapped presents underneath the tree go along with this.

I don’t need to be reminded of the real reason for the season: Christmas. It’s the birthday of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. That alone is reason enough to continue celebrating life and be filled with joy.

In my book, Thanksgiving began when the Pilgrims broke bread with Indigenous American Indians, while New Year’s means another year has passed. It’s also a time to look to the future.

Like so many older people, I tend to now look at holidays with a touch of sadness. I often think back to the time when parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and good friends were still here to celebrate.

I’m elated to still be around and take in activities with my own children, grandchildren, and pals, yet the elimination of debilitating back pain and other physical ailments in my body would make for a bit more elation. Only those going through such will understand.

My wife and I decorated for the first time in several years mainly because the grandchildren were coming for Thanksgiving. I had our Kansas-manufactured, metal Saguaro cactus wrapped in red, green, blue, and white LED lights which entailed working off a ladder in the back of our truck.

A few close calls were made going up and down it. The Made in China faux Christmas tree in our living room was safely put together and thankfully has built-in bulbs. I’m sure these decorations will be up through a portion of the new year.

Christmas cards are still a part of our holiday experience although only a few now get sent. We’ve got boxes and boxes of them, enough to last ’til the dinosaurs come home.

Sadly, finding cards in our mailbox is slowly dying much like people we know—five this year alone. A friend was just diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. His doctor recommended that the family be notified immediately. That news is never easy to take.

I’ll try to reignite my holiday spirit by watching Hallmark Christmas movies with Joleen, yet I can only take so many repeated scripts and bad acting. Last week, two movies in a row had basically the same plot. I can generally predict the outcome.

Not to totally change subjects, but Albertson’s recently had Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider on sale and I purchased eight bottles for the holidays alone—two at a time because this was the limit. Being nonalcoholic—there’s plenty of carbonation in this juice to bloat a whale.

Of course, gas is an unwanted byproduct of carbonation. On the positive side, apple juice supplies seniors with a sufficient amount of fiber.

After downing my share of the delicious fruit elixir, watching Christmas movies with anyone on New Year’s Day wouldn’t be a wise idea. A solo walk in the desert will work best to start 2025 off on the right foot.

It’ll also be a good opportunity to thank God for all his blessings, reflect on the past, pray for friends and family, and pray for this country’s future. If 2025 starts as well as 2024 ends, my holiday spirit should move up another rung on the ladder of joy!

SNAPSHOT

“My wife loves for us to drive through Havasu neighborhoods at night during the holidays and take in the colorful lights.”

The other morning in a restaurant I heard a customer remark, “That’s a Kodak moment for sure.” The short and often repeated statement simply means that some special life event has just occurred.

In this case, a male server dropped and broke a dish or cup. I suppose that happens quite often, so why this person designated it a Kodak moment still baffles me.

I’ve been one to take pictures going back to elementary school, and I’m glad I did. Those photos still exist for my kids and grandchildren to enjoy and hopefully preserve. I now keep them in a safe for safekeeping, no pun intended.

In high school, I took a graphic arts class, with part of the semester devoted to taking pictures and then developing the 35mm film. Our large classroom had a darkroom where we created negatives and printed them off.

A classmate, David Church, and I decided to use the school high-definition camera to take a snapshot of a one-dollar bill. It started out as a joke of sorts, with neither of us having viewed a movie where criminals counterfeited lowly George Washington bills.

We left the completed image in a copier before departing class on Friday afternoon, ready for it to be duplicated.  With no intentions of going through with the ruse, we hoped that someone would find it and create a fuss. The following week, graphic arts had a special guest speaker—a special agent of the FBI.

This man emphasized to our class and to other classes throughout the day the serious implications of counterfeiting currency. Undoubtedly, he knew this was a cleverly planned joke, yet wanted to nip things in the bud before someone went further.

Dave and I were smart enough to keep our mouths shut, thus we suffered no serious consequences. We were light years ahead of other students throughout the whole semester, where legal creativity was concerned, and received A’s for our handiwork.

Just the other day my wife mentioned that a snapshot had been taken of me as I drove through a red light. She then mentioned all of the cameras placed at various intersections for drivers like myself. I told her a police camera would’ve vindicated me of the act as I knew that light was still yellow. Our debate ended in a draw.

Cameras throughout town capture our every move and for the most part, are a good thing. I do my best to obey the traffic laws but at times fail. Those cameras aren’t the only ones capturing me making mistakes. I have a tiny one on the vehicle dash that records such acts as well.

A couple of years ago, Joleen was searching for cheaper auto insurance and came across a company offering lower rates if we agreed to something called “Snapshot.” At first, I thought it was an onboard camera and wanted no part of the device.

After reading a pamphlet, Snapshot turned out to be a gadget that plugged into our vehicle computer, and after 90 days, the data would be analyzed for sudden stops, jackrabbit starts, excess speed, and erratic driving.

It seemed like a no-brainer to go through with things, not taking into consideration it was close to Christmas. My wife loves for us to drive through Havasu neighborhoods at night during the holidays and take in the colorful lights.

For those living in town, they’ll know what I mean. The street signs are mostly faded and hard to see in the dark. Following a newspaper map with all of the Christmas light locations made for a trying experience.

Our snapshot device went off numerous times, making a loud beep as I suddenly slowed down and made quick turns. I wanted to toss it out the window. All in all, Snapshot painted a picture of me as a bad driver after the results were tabulated.

With the holidays here, thankfully, Snapshot is a thing of the past. I now use a preprogrammed GPS to find those decorated homes. There’s a good chance I’ll still execute sudden stops and turns, yet the only indication of such will be a honk coming from behind.

I’ll return the gesture out of courtesy and wave to them while cheerfully saying out loud, “Merry Christmas, Jack. Next time, stay a little further back!”

Photo courtesy of “Today’s News-Herald”