What to Celebrate August 31 thru September 6, 2020
Celebration Ideas for August 31 – September 6, 2020
September?!
We knew it was coming, but it still seems such a shock it’s actually here. 😲
Of course, a new month brings with it lots of new celebrations. And there’s nothing wrong with that! So we might as well get this party started.
Go ahead and take a peek & plan your week. And as always, remember to …
Enjoy!
Celebrate All September Long
September is all about the animals. Keeping them healthy and happy. And helping the populations of wild animals grow, so they can survive into the future.
Happy Cat Month: Do you have happy cats? We sure hope so! But this month we work extra hard at keeping our felines as happy as they can possibly be. What a purrrr-fect holiday!
Responsible Dog Ownership Month: Somehow we doubt this celebration will make the cats happy. Sharing their month with dogs?! But this is also an important month, because being a responsible dog owner means having a healthy, happy dog too.
Save the Koala Month: Did you know that Australia’s iconic koalas could disappear forever without our help? They’re not quite endangered yet, but they are considered vulnerable. And that’s bad enough. It’s also reason to help them now, to prevent them from becoming endangered. Because it’s easier (but not necessarily easy) to help populations recover before their numbers get too low.
Save a Tiger Month: The number of tigers in the wild has also been decreasing for many years. And the tiger has been listed as endangered since at least 2014. For the month of September we raise awareness of that fact and learn how we can try to help tiger populations recover and increase again.
Weekly Celebrations For September’s 1st Week
Whatever you do this week, do it with enthusiasm. Whether that’s watching the Tour, the Chuckwagon Races, or your healthy, happy cat snoring. 😉
The Tour de France is finally starting, after its 2-month COVID-19 delay. If you’re a cycling fan, make sure you remember to tune in starting August 29.
International Enthusiasm Week (September 1 – 7, 2020): Enthusiasm seems to be in shorter supply than usual this year. Which is completely understandable! But enthusiasm is also important. It helps us get things done! So find something you’re enthusiastic about and do it. Or find something about your must-do’s to be enthusiastic about, so you can hopefully feel better about doing them.
Chuckwagon Races (August 29 – September 6, 2020): It’s a week of rodeo & concert fun in Clinton, Arkansas. The races take place Labor Day weekend, with qualifying races on Thursday. Check out the events schedule & make your plans!
Celebration Days Coming Up For coming up for Aug. 31 thru Sept. 6
This week we write letters, go bowling, and read a book.
We also munch on trail mix (maybe with coconut included?), bacon, and macadamia nuts, among other goodies. On the more serious side we raise awareness of overdoses, give to charity, and mark the official end of WWII.
What will your fun-tastic week look like?
August 31:
National Trail Mix Day: Trail mix is a quick & simple but also satisfying snack. And if you make it yourself you can be sure it’s exactly how you like it. So do that for the day … eat some too of course! Try some new combinations, too. Because choices are good!
International Overdose Awareness Day: This day raises awareness of overdose, its causes, prevention, and the pain it causes those left behind. It also memorializes those lost to drugs and invites discussion of how to end overdose. Events are held around the world on and near this day. See if there’s an event near you (or a virtual event) that interests you.
National Diatomaceous Earth Day: Learn about the amazing rock that was once single-cell plants and is useful for everything from filtering your pool water to killing garden pests and exfoliating your face.
National Matchmaker Day: Matchmakers usually get eyerolls more often than thank-yous as they work tirelessly to match up perfect couples. But August 31 is the day to give a warm shout-out to the matchmakers you know. Especially if your own relationship is the result of one of these hopeless romantics.
September 1:
Emma M. Nutt Day: The very first female telephone operator started her job on this date in 1878. Before that the telephone companies thought boys would make good operators.
World Letter Writing Day: Start September by writing someone a letter. You know the kind (or do you?). Written in pen on a sheet (or more!) of paper, folded, put in an envelope, addressed & stamped, and finally placed in a mailbox. Whew! That’s a lot of work. No wonder we prefer texts. Just the same, all that extra work makes letters something special. So write one to someone special.
National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day: Celebrate those words that stand alone. Those few special words with no rhyming partner. How many can you think of? Incidentally, “purple” is not one … although the word that rhymes with it is a bit obscure! Are there words that almost rhyme with, say, orange or spirit? Would those words be close enough to work in a rhyming poem? Try it. Have fun with it!
September 2:
National V-J Day: On this date in 1945 Japan signed the documents officially ending World War II. Although technically the War ended on August 14 (the 15th in Europe) when Japan signaled its surrender, and we also celebrate unofficially on that date.
Bison-Ten Yell Day: This supremely silly sounding day asks you to celebrate what bison-ten yell sounds like if you say it fast. But the bison-ten yell of what? Or who? Well that’s a bit up in the air. Possibly the 200th birthday of a person you make up. Or, more likely, it honors the person who came up with ten signals soldiers could yell at each other to communicate on the battlefield (the “ten-yell” part of the day).
National Blueberry Popsicle Day: Didn’t we just celebrate popsicles? Why yes we did! But those were cherry popsicles. Now we’re celebrate the blueberry variety. So, on what is most likely another hot summer day, enjoy an ice-cold popsicle. Just make sure it’s blueberry. Did you know the whole month of September is also dedicated to blueberry popsicles?
World Coconut Day: Coconuts are delicious and nutritious. They’re full of Vitamin B, manganese, phosphorus, and other minerals. Coconut makes everything from pies & cakes to curries & soups taste better. So cook or bake with coconut, drink coconut water, and even moisturize your skin and/or hair with the oil. And of course, once your realize how amazing every part of the coconut is you’ll want to celebrate it every day of the year!
September 3:
Skyscraper Day: Celebrate the towering buildings we call skyscrapers. Even if we’re not sure exactly how to define “skyscraper.”
U.S. Bowling League Day: If you’re in a bowling league you absolutely must play on this day! If you’re not and you love to bowl consider joining one. Or even forming one! Yes, we know forming one will take more than one day. 🤨 But you can get the ball rolling! At least get a group of friends together & go bowling. Because we’re pretty sure there’s no law that says you have to be in a league to bowl on this day.
National Welsh Rarebit Day: What the heck’s a rarebit? A Welsh rabbit! Well, rarebit is a Welsh word for rabbit anyway. Sort of. But there’s no rabbit in this dish. Just cheese. And toast. But it’s not a grilled cheese! It’s a creamy cheese sauce poured over the toast. You can add seasonings too. And even other toppings … but then the name changes. But don’t worry about all that. Make yourself a Welsh rarebit—with or without other toppings—and enjoy.
September 4:
National Wildlife Day: Celebrate our wildlife by learning how to protect it. All of it, not just the cute animals we all love. Because healthy wildlife populations are critical to a healthy ecosystem. And that’s critical to all our lives.
National Newspaper Carrier Day: As long as there are people who want newspapers delivered to their homes there will be newspaper carriers. We don’t know for how long that’ll be, of course. But we do know when the job began. It was September 4, 1833 in New York and Benjamin Day, publisher of The Sun, hired a young boy to be a paperboy. Now, he wasn’t delivering to his customers. Rather he called them to him. But that’s how it all began!
National College Colors Day: Show your school spirit! Celebrating this one is simple. Just wear your school’s colors. It can be your own school’s colors (obviously) or those of your child’s school, another family member’s’ school, or even just your favorite college sports team’s colors. It’s all up to you!
National Lazy Mom’s Day: On the first Friday in September Mom gets to be lazy. All the “Mom jobs” around the house (and anywhere else!) get assigned to other family members. Then Mom gets to do whatever she wants, with no interruptions. And especially no requests for help with those chores.
National Macadamia Nut Day: Mmmm … macadamia nut cookies. Make a big batch to celebrate! Or choose your own nutty celebration. As long as your day includes macadamias you’ll be doing it right.
September 5:
International Bacon Day: Bacon! Eat some. Then eat some more. You’re welcome.
World Beard Day: On the first Saturday in September we celebrate beards by allowing anyone with a beard to take the day off. No chores, honey-do lists, or anything resembling work (unless your favorite hobbies happen to resemble work). The bearded may choose to have their families cater to their every desire. Or they may choose to get together with their equally bearded friends for a day of fun and relaxation.
International Day of Charity: Poverty has always been a stubborn problem, seemingly resistant to efforts to erase it. And this year’s worldwide pandemic has made the situation worse again. If you’ve been luckier than many, consider donating to your favorite charity (or more). This day honors Mother Teresa, one of the most recognizable advocates for the poor, on the anniversary of her death.
National Cheese Pizza Day: For this day there’s no fighting about the toppings for your pizza. Because there’s only cheese! Now, if you make it yourself you can choose your cheeses (and the amount) so there could be fights about that! But if you’re making it, then you get the final say on the cheese choice. Yummy!
September 6:
Fight Procrastination Day: What have you been putting off? This is the day to stop procrastinating and just get it done. It’ll give you a feeling of mighty accomplishment! It might even get the ball rolling so you’ll tackle other tasks to keep that feeling alive.
National Read a Book Day: Whether or not you love reading in general, most people have at least one book they love. So there’s no excuse to not celebrate this day. Take your book to a quiet spot and read. Such a simple but soothing celebration.
National Coffee Ice Cream Day: Ice cream and coffee together in one cool, creamy treat? Yes, please! So buy your favorite coffee ice cream and indulge. Or make it yourself! But don’t get bogged down with making custard and digging out the ice cream maker. No! Nigella’s no-churn coffee ice cream is the simplest way to create your own frozen delight.
