What to Celebrate Dec. 30, 2019 thru Jan. 5, 2020
Celebration Ideas for December 30, 2019 – January 5, 2020
We hope all who celebrated had a wonderful Christmas. And that everyone is ready for the new year!
Because it’s less than a week away.
But don’t forget that’s not the only thing to celebrate in the upcoming days & weeks. Not at all!
There’s plenty of wintery & peaceful days coming up. And while the “dog days of summer” are still months away, we do have some other dog days (and months!) right around the corner.
Of course you’ll find plenty to eat & drink too. Plus some just plain fun & silly days.
So jump right in to take a peek and plan your week. And always remember to …
Enjoy!
Celebrate All January Long
January is all about being good to your dog! And we’re still counting birds for a few more days.
National Train Your Dog Month: When your dog is well trained both you and your pooch are happier. Because you can expect your pet to do as you ask, and your dog understands what you expect. So if you & your dog haven’t had training classes this is the month to change that. It doesn’t matter how old your dog is either. Yes, old dogs can learn new tricks!
Unchain a Dog Month: Chained dogs don’t make very good pets or watch dogs. So keeping a dog chained in your yard all day & night is pretty pointless. It’s also cruel. But getting your dog trained can help make it a well-behaved member of the family. So if you have a chained dog, consider doing that. Or if you know of chained dogs in your neighborhood, here are some steps you can take to help them. And possibly even save their lives.
Walk Your Pet Month: Once your dog is unchained and trained, you can safely celebrate this month with regular walks! The exercise will be good for both of you. Plus it’s good bonding time. If you’re new to dog parenthood, here are some tips for a safe & happy walk. And if your pet is a cat? Well, some of them will accept a harness & happily go for walks with you. It can’t hurt to try! But it’s probably easier to get a kitten or young cat to start walking than an older one.
The Audubon Christmas Bird Count also keeps rolling through the 5th. If you haven’t already, see if any of the circles in your area are scheduled to count in the coming days.
Weekly Celebrations for Dec. 30 to Jan. 5
For the 1st week of January we enjoy some well-deserved silence. And we laugh. Sounds like a delightful start to the year.
Silent Record Week (January 1 – 7, 2020): Ahhhh … silence. It really is golden. And it’s especially welcome after the decidedly unquiet holidays. So for this week we play records that make no sound. Yes, those apparently existed at one time. But in the absence of actual “recordings” of silence, we can spend some time each day during this week with all voluntary noise (music, phone ringers, television/streaming services, etc) turned off. Then just enjoy the silence.
Someday We’ll Laugh About This Week (January 2 – 8, 2020): We’ve all probably had at least one, and most likely more, excruciating experiences that we were sure we’d never get over or live down. But we did. And often we can now laugh at them. Recognizing that the “big things” are often really just humorous little things is what this week is about. So maybe try to laugh at any mishaps this week instead of waiting for them to become funny later?
The 12 Days of Christmas also runs through January 5. In case you didn’t realize, this is a real celebration, not just a song!
Celebration Days coming up for Dec. 30 thru Jan. 5
If you’ve had a live tree up since Thanksgiving, it might be time to think about taking it down. And whatever you do with your tree, it’s also time to make up your mind.
And eat bacon. And drink Champagne. Not necessarily with your bacon.
It’s also time to get some sleep and play outside. Just those 2 celebrations alone are enough to make it a fun-tastic week in our book! Of course there’s plenty more to choose from to create your own fun-tastic week.
December 30:
Falling Needles Family Fest Day: On this day everyone who set up a live Christmas tree gathers family & friends to gaze sadly at the needles dropping softly from the branches. Have one last party before bidding your poor tree farewell.
National Bicarbonate of Soda Day: This day celebrates the simple but oh-so-useful white powder that offers both health benefits (antacid!) and cleaning power (make those pots shine!). Of course it makes baked goods rise too. Yes, baking powder is a mini-miracle all around the house. So celebrate this day by baking something with it, using it as toothpaste or mouthwash, or scrubbing those pots, coffee cups, and tiles.
Bacon Day: Bacon! If you love bacon you now have an excuse to eat it for every meal and snacks too. So go ahead, get creative with this mouthwatering meat.
December 31:
New Year’s Eve Banished Words List Announcement: Every year Lake Superior State University releases its list of words that have been mis-used & over-used, making them undeserving of ever being used again. Check in on New Year’s Eve afternoon to see if you agree with their choices (the page has a countdown timer so you know when to refresh the page!).
Make up Your Mind Day: On this day we make up our minds. About what? Anything you’ve been wavering on. And if you still haven’t made your New Year’s resolutions, start with making up your mind about those! And which one of those resolutions is most important.
No Interruptions Day: On this, the last work day of the year (in general, not necessarily for you personally!) we get ourselves set up for the new year. And the best way to do that is without interruptions to distract you. So turn off your phones & email notifications, close your door, and get it done!
Universal Hour of Peace: Ring in the New Year in love and harmony. The Universal Hour of Peace starts at 11:30 pm on Dec. 31 and lasts until 12:30 am on Jan. 1. So set aside your differences, and enjoy life and the changing of the year. And maybe keep the peace going all year?
National Champagne Day: If you’re ringing in the New Year with some bubbly you’re celebrating right. Now technically Champagne can only come from the Champagne region of France, so having a glass or 2 of the real stuff is the best way to celebrate. But most people use “Champagne” and “sparkling wine” interchangeably these days (and there’s lots of excellent sparkling wines from other parts of the world), so pick your favorite & enjoy responsibly!
January 1:
Z Day: On this day people whose names start with “Z” get top billing! No more being at the end of the alphabetical line. No, on Jan. 1 “alphabetical” starts with Z! And their friends should treat them to a meal, too. And heck, why not just celebrate the letter Z in all things. Like eating & drinking things that start with “Z”? (But not necessarily only those things … that might leave you pretty hungry).
St. Basil Day: It’s the feast day of Basil of Caesarea, patron saint of hospital administrators and education, among others. During his life he was a strong advocate for the poor and underprivileged. So have a feast in his honor, with an extra place set for him. Include traditional St. Basil’s Cake. And honor his desire to care for the poor by doing the same.
Public Domain Day: Every January 1 more original works lose copyright protection and enter the public domain. In the US the arrival of Jan. 1, 2020 means anything created in 1924 become fair game for anyone to use any way they wish. (Works from 1923 and earlier were already public domain). Learn more about copyright and public domain here. And maybe find a new public domain work you’d like to change or build on. Have fun!
National Hangover Day: This doesn’t really seem to be something to celebrate, exactly. More like something to endure. But if you did a bit too much celebrating for New Year’s Eve, you may be celebrating/enduring this day whether or not you wanted to.
National Bloody Mary Day: If you’re celebrating the above day you may want to celebrate this one too. At least you will if you believe Bloody Marys are good hangover cures. (FYI: More alcohol is never the solution to a hangover). And even if you don’t believe in their curative powers (good for you!), if you like them, have one to start your day. As long as you’re not driving anywhere for a while anyway. Here’s a Bloody Mary recipe, if you’re not sure how to make them.
January 2:
Happy Mew Year for Cats: On this day felines the world over get their very own New Year’s celebration! Because they’re cats, and having to share a celebration with humans, canines, and other lower beings just won’t do, you know. 😉 So make the day extra special & fun for your favorite cat(s).
National Science Fiction Day: Celebrate Isaac Asimov’s birthday with your favorite science fiction book(s) and/or movie(s).
Pet Travel and Safety Day: If you travel with your pet, do you know the best ways to keep your pet safe? And to minimize stress? This day asks you to think about it before your next trip. Find some tips for both car and plane travel here.
World Introvert Day: If you’re a introvert the holiday socializing has probably exhausted you. And you’re going to need some quiet alone time to recharge. And that’s what this day is all about! So go ahead & be a hermit for this day. And if you’re not an introvert but you know some (it’s pretty much guaranteed you do), encourage them to celebrate this unofficial day. And them leave them alone to do just that.
National Buffet Day: You don’t really feel like cooking on Jan. 2, do you? Head out to a buffet & try a little bit of everything. It’s like snacking (yum!), but you end up eating a whole meal. Perfect!
National Cream Puff Day: Don’t overstuff yourself at the buffet though. Make sure you leave room to celebrate this day with a cream puff for dessert. Make them yourself or stop at your favorite bakery on your way home from the buffet.
January 3:
National Chocolate Covered Cherries Day: Indulge in (what else) chocolate covered cherries to celebrate making it through the 1st couple of days back at work (and Friday!). Go ahead, you deserve it!
Drinking Straw Day: This day celebrates the day Marvin C. Stone got his patent for a paper drinking straw in 1888. Now, his wasn’t the first straw. It’s likely ancient Sumerians were using straws to drink their beer! But his paper straw was innovative. And now that we know how bad single-use plastics are, we’re ditching the plastic straws and going back to paper straws (with some improvements to make them stronger). So use a paper drinking straw to celebrate this day!
Festival of Sleep Day: On this day we celebrate something we get far too little of, especially during the winter holidays: Sleep! If you can, spend as much time relaxing and recharging your body as possible. And do your best to get a full night’s sleep (but don’t stress about it, because that makes is harder to sleep!). Your health with thank you for it.
J.R.R. Tolkien Day: Celebrate Tolkien’s birthday (in 1892!) by reading one of his books. Yes, he wrote more than the Lord of the Rings trilogy! Or watching movies based on his books. This is a different celebration from Tolkien Reading Day in March. But it is another excuse to enjoy some Tolkien (not that you need an excuse …).
January 4:
National Trivia Day: Drive everyone you know crazy with random bits of trivia all day. Then enjoy a game of Trivial Pursuit with your trivia-loving friends (hopefully you have some of those …).
World Braille Day: The Braille written language has made it infinitely easier for blind and vision-impaired people to learn and navigate the world. So on January 4 we celebrate the birth of the man who created this life-changing language, Louis Braille.
National Fruitcake Toss Day: If you’re one of those weird people who hates fruitcake (or you got a bad fruitcake as a gift), this is the day you’ve been waiting for. No, it’s not the day to throw it in the garbage. It’s a day to see how far you can throw it! Gather all the fruitcake-haters you know & make it a contest. Include a prize (but probably not fruitcake …).
Pop Music Chart Day: Billboard introduced us to the Pop Music Chart on this date in 1936. And while “pop music” changes regularly, the chart appears here to stay. Love it or hate it, pop music shapes the world. If you don’t already know, why not see what was topping the charts on the day you were born?
National Play Outside Day: This day actually happens every month (on the 1st Saturday). But the 1st one of the new year seems special. So whatever the weather, get outside and play!
National Spaghetti Day: After you’ve worked up an appetite playing outside, enjoy a big dish of spaghetti with your favorite sauce. What better way to celebrate this delicious day?
January 5:
National Bird Day: As the Audubon Christmas Bird Count ends we take the opportunity to celebrate birds of all kinds. Too many of our beautiful feathered friends are in danger of extinction. So whether or not you helped count birds this season, do something birdy for this day. Like bird watching, learning about local birds or your favorite birds, or spreading the word about birds. Maybe even consider adopting a bird (after learning how to care for it!).
Monopoly Game Day: Although Play Monopoly Day is in November, this day also seems like an appropriate one to play a game of Monopoly. It was on January 5, 1904 when Elizabeth Magie got her first patent for a game called The Landlord’s Game. Over time people (mostly college students) modified her board & the rules and eventually this “new” game came to be called Monopoly.
Whipped Cream Day: Top everything with whipped cream for the day. Ok, maybe not everything. But if you have pancakes or waffles for breakfast, add a dollop of whipped cream to your usual toppings. And pick a dessert you like to have topped with whipped cream. And since we’re celebrating whipped cream on the birthday of Reddi-whip founder Aaron Lapin, make your celebration more authentic by using Reddi-whip.
