What to Celebrate April 15 to 21, 2019
Celebration Ideas for April 15 – 21, 2019
How’s your April going? Hopefully you’re making the best of each day, no matter what it brings.
We’re seeing some green popping up all over. And the crocuses are blooming. Spring’s really & truly here. Sadly, it’s looking like some of our less hardy plants didn’t make it through January’s deep freeze. We’re still hoping, but it’s not looking good.
Just the same we’re looking forward to the weekend (chilly & wet, but weekend!) and next week.
We hope you are too. So join us in taking a peek and planning next week.
And as always …
Enjoy!
Celebrate for the rest of April
Don’t let all your springtime yard work & summer vacation planning stress you out! Learn some coping techniques this month. If you find poetry soothing, this is the month for it.
And if that spring yard work includes digging, remember to do it safely. Speaking of safety, straw hats can shade your face from the sun (but you still need sunblock…).
Stress Awareness Month: Learn about the causes of stress & how to manage it for this month. The Stress Management Society created this month back in 1992, but the need for it seems to only grow every year. This organization is UK based, but stress knows no boundaries, so join the “celebration” & learn some new techniques for lessening some of your stress.
National Poetry Month: Can poetry reduce stress? Or does having to listen to poetry actually cause you stress? If it’s the former for you, then head out to join fellow poetry lovers at an event near you. Or sign up for Poem-a-Day and get a new poem each & every day. The Academy of American Poets offers lots of other ways to celebrate too.
National Safe Digging Month: As the weather warms up in April outdoor work, including digging, ramps up. But it’s important to know where you’re digging! So National Safe Digging Month reminds us to call 811 before starting to dig. That number connects you to your state’s appropriate agency/utilities so they can come out & mark all underground lines/pipes. And then you can dig safely.
National Straw Hat Month: And for a bit of fun, wear straw hats all April! These hats are not only fun, they’re stylish and useful. You may not need to keep your head warm any more, but you do still need to protect it from the sun. And the brim provides shade. It’s a win-win-win! So wear your favorite straw hat. Or buy a new one.
Weekly Celebrations for April’s 3rd Week
This week is all about animals! Celebrate wildlife, make sure your pets have ID, and honor the people who rescue your pets & try to get them back to you when they get lost (IDs help with that!).
We also celebrate the 911 operators who send help when you need it & try to keep you calm until it gets there.
National Animal Care and Control Appreciation Week (April 14 – 20, 2019): Show your support for your local Animal Care and Control workers for this week. Front-line workers often risk their own safety to rescue lost, injured, trapped, and abused animals.
International Wildlife Film Festival (April 13 – 19, 2019): This festival centers around films that promote understanding of wildlife & the world in general. But it’s more than just films. There’s a variety of fun & educational events throughout the week too. Some are free and open to everyone.
National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 14 – 20, 2019): You probably don’t think much about 911 operators unless you need them. Or when they make the news because something went wrong. But there’s a lot of hardworking people making sure you get the emergency services you need when you need them. And they deserve a great big “Thank You!”
National Pet ID Week (April 17 – 23, 2019): There actually seems to be some disagreement on the dates for this week. Many sources say it always starts on the 17th (including the American Veterinary Medical Association). Other sources seem to want it to start on a Sunday and claim it’s April 14 – 20. But either way it’s worth celebrating, because pets with id are more likely to be reunited with their humans. Learn more about pet ids & microchips here.
Celebration Days coming up for Apr. 15 thru Apr. 21
Here in the US we’re getting the worst day of the year out of the way on Monday! That would be Tax Day, of course. Hopefully your taxes are already done & submitted. Maybe you even already got a refund! But if you’re not done, get moving!
Once you no longer have taxes hanging over your head there’s lots of ways to celebrate!
You might enjoy some art, some orchids, and/or some haiku. Maybe you’d prefer to take a drive in your Mustang, give high-fives, and play some poker?
Of course you have to eat, so add lots of garlic to your meals, snack on cheeseballs & cheddar fries, and make a pineapple upside down cake for dessert. Then relax with a nice amaretto cocktail!
There’s plenty more celebrations to help you create your own fun-tastic week!
April 15:
National Rubber Eraser Day: Ah, the rubber eraser. Once so useful for correcting mistakes. Unfortunately it just can’t help you with that darn autocorrect! But if you have a chance, write something in pencil and then erase it to celebrate this day!
National Titanic Remembrance Day: On this day we commemorate the more than 1,500 people who died when the R.M.S. Titanic sank on April 15, 1912.
National Glazed Spiral Ham Day: Mmmm … ham. It’s delicious in so many ways. But for this day only one way will do: spiral cut and glazed! And ham is pretty simple to make. So throw one in the oven (spiral-cut only!) and use your favorite glaze for the last 20 minutes or so of cooking. Don’t have a favorite? Try this dijon & maple glaze recipe (it includes cooking instructions for the ham, too).
World Art Day: On Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday we celebrate art! Seems appropriate, no? The International Association of Art created the day in 2012 to “promote awareness of creative activity worldwide.”
April 16:
Save the Elephants Day: Learn how we can all work together to help protect the elephants’ habitats and their food sources. And hopefully save them for future generations to marvel at.
National Stress Awareness Day: On the day after our taxes are due we raise awareness of stress. Although hopefully you’ll feel your stress lessen at least a little on this day. But even so, take some time on this day to learn how to manage your stress. Because too much stress can lead to all kinds of health problems … and that’ll just lead to more stress! So stop the cycle now. Try these tips to relieve stress. (Yes, there’s a Stress Awareness Day in November, too. Apparently we really need to be reminded!).
National Orchid Day: For this day we celebrate the beautiful orchid. The day is in remembrance of a baby girl named Orchid Faith, lost before she had a chance to live on April 16, 2014.
Eggs Benedict Day: Start your day off right with an English muffin or two topped with Canadian bacon, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce. Get it at your favorite breakfast spot or make it at home. It’s not as hard (nor as stressful) as you think!
April 17:
Bat Appreciation Day: Bats really do deserve our appreciation! They eat tons of nasty mosquitoes, pollinate lots of the food we eat, and are just generally good to have around. Learn more about them for this day, and you won’t be able to help yourself. You’ll be appreciating them in no time!
Blah Blah Blah Day: Are people constantly blathering at you to do things while all you hear is blah, blah, blah? Well apparently Tom & Ruth Roy of Wellcat have designated this day as the day to actually do those things. Have fun! (Or not ;) ).
International Haiku Poetry Day: Celebrate the haiku on this day. Read some or write some. Or even see if you can find a gathering of haiku lovers to attend.
National (Ford) Mustang Day: This day is all about the car, not the horse! It’s a relatively new day for Mustang enthusiasts to hit the road to celebrate this iconic car. This year the date is doubling as the grand opening of the Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, NC. You can buy National Mustang Day decals to show off your pride and help support the museum.
National Cheeseball Day: Have a party & serve cheese and crackers! But not sliced cheese. Make a few different kinds of cheeseballs to spread on those crackers. Or cheat & serve the puffed cheesy snacks also called cheeseballs. Or serve both! Not sure how to make cheeseballs? Try one or more of these 10 cheeseball recipes.
April 18:
National Lineman Appreciation Day: Do you have power today? Well on April 18, thank a lineman! Actually, thank a lineman any day, because they’re out in all kinds of weather making sure your electricity stays on. That includes those record-breaking cold temperatures many parts of the US experienced back in January.
Pet Owner’s Independence Day: On this day your pets go to work in your place! Yeah, we don’t think they’ll go for it either …
National Columnists’ Day: On this day we honor the columnists who work tirelessly to demand truth, offer critiques, and sometimes just inject some humor into the absurdity of life. We celebrate on the date Ernie Pyle, an award-winning war correspondent, died on assignment.
National Animal Crackers Day: Who doesn’t love animal crackers?! On this day we get nostalgic for those childhood days spent munching on lions & tigers & bears. Oh my!
National High Five Day: On this day we high-five everyone we meet! No handshakes. No hugs, kisses, or fist bumps. Just high-fives all around.
April 19:
National Garlic Day: Garlic makes everything better! (Ok, almost everything). So get creative and try some new garlicky creations to celebrate this smelly but delicious day.
National Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day: Take a moment to remember the people killed & injured, and their families, in the domestic terror attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. It happened on April 19, 1995. There’s a ceremony every year at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
National Poker Day: This is the first annual National Poker Day! Get in on the ground floor & join the celebration. You will forevermore be able to say you’ve been a part of it from the start. How to celebrate? Simple: Play poker! (Apparently the “official” event location is Texas … but there’s nothing stopping you from celebrating anywhere).
National Amaretto Day: Enjoy the “slightly bitter,” almondy liquer called amaretto for this day. Drink it neat or on the rocks. Or use it in a cocktail. You might also like to try one of these recipes. You’ll find main dishes, desserts, and even breakfast!
April 20:
Husband Appreciation Day: If you have a husband, this is the day to show him how much you appreciate him! Let him pick the movie/restaurant/date-night activity. Get him that thing he’s been wanting forever (that you just don’t understand). Whatever you choose to do, make the day all about him.
Comcast Cares Day: So it might come as quite the surprise to many people that Comcast (or any telecom company for that matter) cares. But apparently the company is committed to strengthening communities. And each year it celebrates its and its employees’ commitment to volunteerism & making a difference.
National Cheddar Fries Day: Enjoy hot, crispy, cheesy fries for this day. Snuffer’s Restaurant created this day & is having a contest to win free cheddar fries for a year.
National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day: For this day you must, of course, enjoy a piece or two of the scrumptious spring-time dessert, pineapple upside down cake! Of course this cake is awesome any time of year, but somehow it just says spring to us. You can certainly buy one, but it’s pretty easy to make yourself, if you have the time.
National Pot Smokers Day: Yes, it’s here again. That mystical, magical day 4/20. The day when everybody must get high. Or something like that! It’s been around forever. Or so it seems. And even with legalization in many states we suspect it’ll stick around for many more years. So enjoy. Or not. ‘Cause it’s really more about the freedom to choose to use marijuana than anything else.
April 21:
Bulldogs are Beautiful Day: If you have a bulldog or know a bulldog, give that slobbery, jowly, and beautiful pooch lots of extra love for this day.
International Hemp Day: Yes, on the day after celebrating pot we celebrate its close relative hemp. They’re both cannabis, but they’re also very different. And that has finally been recognized, as growing hemp in the US finally became legal again in late 2018. This day started while it was still illegal, but that’s no reason to stop celebrating it. Now we can celebrate the return of sanity & industrial hemp production. That includes CBD oil, which is popping up in more & more stores!
National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day: Mmmm … chocolate covered anything is always a good snack! (Ok, almost anything). But for this day it’s chocolate covered cashews only. Buy them if you must, but coating cashews in chocolate is pretty simple. And fun!
