What to Celebrate Dec. 20 thru 26, 2021
Celebration Ideas for December 20 – 26, 2021
Two weeks left in the year!
We hope it’s been a good one for you. Or at least not a bad one. It has still been challenging in many ways, but mostly better than 2020 anyway.
We also hope you’ve been getting in the spirit of the season and enjoying time with friends and family. And don’t forget, there’s still lots of unofficial holidaying to do!
So without further ado we invite you to take a peek and plan your week. And of course, remember to …
Enjoy!
Celebrate for the rest of December
In the spirit of the season we present you with 2 ways to give back, if you’re able and so inclined.
Car Donation Month: Help a favorite cause and get rid of your old car at the same time! Donate your car to one of the charities that accepts car donations. Or, even easier, donate through the Cause Network and the charity gets the proceeds without having to actually deal with your car! (Always check out any organization before donating)
Gift of Sight Month: Sight is a gift, and it’s one that we often take for granted. Don’t! Use this month to recognize that not everyone gets this gift, and not everyone can afford to take care of this gift. Get yourself and your family eye exams this month if you haven’t had them this year. And, if you can, help others maintain their eyesight too.
Weekly Celebrations for 12/20 to 12/26
Celebrate the Christmas story or the pagan season. Or both. It’s all up to you!
Posadas (December 16 – 24, 2021): This celebration of the Christmas story involves food and pinatas and “searching” for an inn. It ends in a big feast on the last day, Christmas Eve. It’s mostly celebrated in Latin America, but of course Hispanic communities in the US also celebrate.
Saturnalia (December 17 – 23, 2021): Celebrate the Roman god Saturn! Or just use it as another excuse for a party. Especially if you don’t celebrate Christmas or any of the other holidays during the winter season. Or even if you do celebrate Christmas, since a lot of the Christmas symbols and traditions are based in Saturnalia celebrations (including the time of year we celebrate).
Celebration Days coming up for Dec. 20 thru Dec. 26
Games and crossword puzzles. Whining and humbugging. Sipping sangria and eggnog. These are just a few of the ways to relax and enjoy the days leading up to Christmas.
And if you don’t celebrate Christmas, well there are other seasonal offerings for you too.
We see another fun-tastic week in your future (and ours too)!
December 20:
National Sangria Day: Whip up a batch of sangria and relax after a long Monday of working or holiday preparations (or both!). You deserve it.
Games Day: Play your favorite games! Technically this is a Games Workshop gaming convention in the UK. And sometimes in the US and Canada. But since you’re probably not going (if it’s even being held; we’re not sure), have your own games day & play games with family & friends.
International Human Solidarity Day: No matter who we are, where we live, or what we look like, humans all have shared interests that unite us. In other words, even in our diversity there is unity. And for this day we celebrate the unity that binds us both to our local community and to our international community. We recognize the solidarity that can help us create a better world for everyone.
Mudd Day: This day recognizes (but doesn’t necessarily celebrate!) the birth of one Dr. Samuel Mudd in 1833. Dr. Mudd helped John Wilkes Booth after Booth shot President Lincoln on April 14, 1865.
December 21:
Humbug Day: ‘Tis the season for holiday frustrations. And as such Tom & Ruth Roy have decreed this the day for humbugging. But no more than 12 times. 😁
Crossword Puzzle Day: It’s the anniversary of the crossword puzzle! The very first published crossword puzzle (as we know them today) appeared in the New York World Newspaper on December 21, 1913. Do a crossword puzzle or 2 to celebrate.
International Dalek Remembrance Day: The Daleks also celebrate an anniversary on Dec. 21! It was on this date in 1963 that viewers first saw them attempting to thwart The Doctor. Watch your favorite Dalek-containing Dr. Who episodes to celebrate.
Make Music Day in Winter: Make these short, cold, dark winter days a bit brighter with music! See if there’s an event happening in your city and join in.
National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day: On the longest night of the year (usually Dec. 21), communities remember those people who have died while homeless in the past year. But of course, just remembering or honoring them after they’d died is a rather empty gesture without action to help prevent more homeless deaths … preferably with programs to help homeless people find and keep stable housing.
National French Fried Shrimp Day: Shrimp is a simple, yummy meal for any weeknight, no matter how you prepare it. (Well, ok, some recipes are anything but simple. We’re not talking about those!) But to celebrate this day properly your shrimp must be fried.
December 22:
Be a Lover of Silence Day: The world is filled with entirely too much noise. And while we fully support making noise about causes you believe in, it’s not necessary (or healthy) to surround yourself with noise 24/7. Literal silence is soothing and can help us focus better when we emerge from it. So learn to love taking a break to revel in the silence. Turn off all sources of noise (that includes your phone!) and just be.
Forefathers Day: On December 21, 1620 the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts. And in 1769 members of The Old Colony Club of Plymouth began celebrating this date. The Club and the celebration still exist. Celebrants have a whole ritual to honor their forefathers and their values. For many years the day was also celebrated outside of New England. But after the Civil War and the introduction of the official Thanksgiving celebration most people gave up the Forefathers Day celebration.
National Date Nut Bread Day: Make an old-fashioned date nut bread loaf to enjoy for your Wednesday evening.
December 23:
Festivus: Need a low-key holiday in place of whatever stressful one you celebrate? Festivus to the rescue! Because what’s simpler than “erecting” a metal pole and serving meatloaf on lettuce (who the heck thought that up)? Or spaghetti, if you’d prefer?
Human Light Celebration: Or maybe you’d prefer a Christmas alternative with a little more meaning than Festivus? Consider the Human Light Celebration. It is simply a celebration of tolerance, compassion, rationality, and other positive humanist values.
Metric Conversion Day: On December 23, 1975 President Gerald Ford signed into law the Metric Conversion Act of 1975. The Act declared “the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce” to be the metric system. But since it still allowed use of US customary units most people carried on as before. And we continue to resist using the metric system to this day. If you still don’t understand it, why not learn just a little bit about the metric system for the day?
National Pfeffernusse Day: Enjoy a handful of the most delightful German spice cookies as a reward for learning the metric system! Or as part of your Festivus or Human Light celebrations. Or just because they’re delicious. If you plan ahead, consider making a batch of pfeffernusse (it takes 2 days to really do it right, although you could reduce the resting stage to just a few hours).
December 24:
National Eggnog Day: Sip eggnog as you finalize all those holiday plans. You can, of course, drink it as it comes from the store. But why not spruce it up a bit? Try some of these ideas (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic ideas!). Or even make your own eggnog.
December 25:
A’Phabet Day (No “L” Day): Celebrate a little silliness for your Christmas Day. Avoid using the letter ‘L’ all day, both in writing and speaking, because it’s No “L” (Noel) Day!
National Pumpkin Pie Day: Apparently at least one of your desserts (you are having multiple, right? 🙃) for your Christmas feast must be pumpkin pie. But you don’t have to make it a regular ol’ boring pumpkin pie. Why not try this Butterscotch Pumpkin Pie recipe instead?
Christmas Pudding Day: You must also eat Christmas pudding (which is just Plum Pudding eaten on Christmas!). Now, if you missed Stir-up Sunday (Nov. 21 this year) you might think you’re not going to be able to eat your own, homemade Christmas pudding this year. (The claim is that the pudding has to mature) But never fear! You can indeed make your Christmas pudding right up until Christmas Day and still have it taste fantastic.
December 26:
National Whiner’s Day: We all need a chance to whine about something now and then. And here’s your one “official” day of permission to do just that! But the day does come with a rule: No whining about what you don’t have. Instead be thankful for what you do have. (Which, we feel the need to point out, means no whining about the things you wanted but didn’t get for Christmas)
National Thank-you Note Day: Thank-you notes seem quaint these days. And many people question the need for them in today’s world of texting and other nearly-instantaneous communication methods. But thank-you notes are more personal, and they show a level of thoughtfulness no text can match. So while we can see the point of not sending one if you’ve already thanked the giver in person (but it’s still a nice gesture), at least send off notes to people who took the time to send you a gift when they couldn’t be there in person. Or for any other kindness given to you.
Boxing Day: Today we don the boxing gloves & go at it! Wait, no. We box up all our stuff & give it away! No? Ok, we supply our cats with all the boxes their little hearts desire? The cats like this idea, but still no (although there’s no reason you can’t do this anyway). No, this holiday began as a day for giving to the poor. But these days it’s basically another shopping holiday. We’d suggest going back to its original meaning …
National Candy Cane Day: Christmas is over and you no longer need those candy canes for decorating (assuming you used them that way to being with!). So now it is time to eat them!
