What to Celebrate December 14 thru 20, 2020
Celebration Ideas for December 14 – 20, 2020
For our Christian friends, it’s only 2 weeks until Christmas! And only one extra day to wait for anyone celebrating Kwanzaa.
For our Jewish friends, we hope you’re having a good Hanukkah.
And for anyone who doesn’t celebrate any of the December holidays, well there’s plenty of other less official celebrations to keep you busy!
What are they? Well, you’ll just have to go ahead and take a peek to plan your week! And whatever you’re celebrating, do remember to …
Enjoy!
Celebrate All December Long
Celebrate your rights by counting birds, helping shelter pets, and eating buckwheat. Yes, we realize that’s not quite what universal human rights is about. But we see no reason the “spirit of brotherhood” mentioned in the Declaration can’t extend to all living beings. It’ll make us all better people.
If you haven’t already signed up for a counting circle for The Audubon Christmas Bird Count there might still be time! See if there are any circles near you & contact the count compiler to see if you can help. If not, maybe plan to be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count in February.
Buckwheat Month: For the whole month of December we find new ways to add the seed we use as a grain into our diet. That’s right, buckwheat is a seed! And a tasty & nutritious seed at that (naturally gluten-free too!). So use it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner wherever you can. It’s easier than you think.
Universal Human Rights Month: According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created by the United Nations in 1948, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” Spend this month remembering that despite our differences we are all equal. Read the Declaration here. And instead of condemning those who think differently from you, take the time to learn why they do. And always treat everyone with kindness and dignity.
Also, there’s still a few days left to help Operation Santa Paws help shelter pets have a brighter holiday.
Weekly Celebrations for 12/14 to 12/20
Enjoy peace and gluten-free baking all week.
Gluten-Free Baking Week (December 13 – 19, 2020): If you’re avoiding gluten in your diet enjoying baked treats can be challenging. The options have been getting better in recent years, but it’s still not easy. Luckily, baking your own treats has also gotten easier, with a variety of gluten-free ingredients now available. And homemade is (almost) always better anyway! So spend this week baking all your favorite gluten-free goodies. And if you’re not gluten-free yourself? You probably know people who are, so bake something sweet for them. Keep some for yourself, too though. Because you’ll discover just how good they are!
Halcyon Days (December 14 – 28, 2020): The 7 days before and 7 days after the winter solstice is a time of peace & happiness. As the story goes in Greek mythology, Halcyone, the goddess of the winds, had a mortal husband who drowned. So she threw herself into the sea too. The gods decided to turn them into birds and each year her father calmed the seas for 2 weeks so they could nest. Find ways to calm the seas in your own life, and enjoy a holiday season of halcyon days.
Celebration Days coming up for Dec. 14 thru Dec. 20
Doing some more last-minute shopping? There’s still deals, including free shipping, to be had!
There’s also cats to herd, ugly Christmas sweaters to wear, and regifting to do. Fuel your frantic pace with sangria, chooclate covered anything, and hard candies.
However you choose to spend your week, make sure it’s a fun-tastic one!
December 14:
Monkey Day: It’s a day to celebrate and help the non-human primates of the earth! Spend the day learning more about monkeys. And consider donating to a monkey sanctuary (or an animal sanctuary that includes monkeys) or a conservation fund that helps monkey populations.
Green Monday: If you didn’t get enough deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, get back online for Green Monday! In general the 2nd Monday in December is about the time you have to get your order placed to guarantee delivery in time for Christmas. For anyone without Prime or a similar membership, anyway. Which means a lot of people are doing a lot of shopping around this day. So many retailers oblige with more deals. If you missed out on some Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals, see if they make a return appearance for Green Monday!
Free Shipping Day: It’s also the day when lots of retailers waive their minimum orders to get free shipping. That’s right, no matter how much or how little you order from participating retailers, you don’t pay shipping! No membership required either.
Yoga Day: Celebrate the birthday of “the father of modern yoga”, BKS Iyengar. A sickly child in India, Iyengar learned yoga in his teens and soon began teaching it. Eventually he popularized the exercise in India and then around the world. Do some yoga in his honor. You’re probably going to need it after your Green Monday shopping spree. 😉 If you don’t already practice yoga, learn a couple of simple poses and breathing exercises. You might just be inspired to keep it up! Learn more about yoga & find links to beginner poses here.
National Bouillabaisse Day: Celebrate the flavorful, comforting fish stew with the fancy name. Of course “stew” doesn’t do this delightful concoction justice, so it deserves its fancy name. If you have time, make yourself a pot of bouillabaisse that approaches the real Provencal version. Or try this still delicious but slightly easier and slightly less time-consuming bouillabaisse recipe.
December 15:
Cat Herders’ Day: No, this day isn’t suggesting you actually try to herd cats! But if your job or your life is often like herding cats (impossible!), this is the day to celebrate your efforts. Because trying your best is all you can do in these situations. So give yourself a pat on the back, or some other enjoyable reward, and then get back to herding those cats.
Bill of Rights Day: Celebrate the rights you enjoy (if you’re in the US) thanks to the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. These amendments (actually 12 of them) were passed by Congress on September 25, 1789 and finally ratified (only 10 of them) on December 15, 1791. In 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Dec. 15 to be Bill of Rights Day. Remind yourself what’s in the Bill of Rights here.
Wear Your Pearls Day: This is a day to remind ourselves that we have value, no matter how much garbage may come our way. Why pearls? Because they literally form from an irritant. When a parasite or other irritant gets into an oyster or clam, the animal coats it with layer after layer of a fluid called nacre. Eventually a beautiful pearl forms. In much the same way we can form layer after layer of strength from our own experiences. So if you have pearls, wear them to remind yourself of your own beauty and strength.
National Cupcake Day: Who can resist moist, luscious little single-serve cakes? Not us! Cupcakes are the perfect treat, and this is the day you absolutely must have some. So make and enjoy a batch of your favorite cupcakes to end your Tuesday right. Don’t have a favorite? Find everything from your standard vanilla and chocolate cupcakes to German chocolate, key lime, and filled cupcakes here. If you can’t find a recipe you like, you’re just not trying!
December 16:
Barbie and Barney Backlash Day: Parents everywhere get a day free from Barbie and/or Barney! And your kids can’t do anything about it. Or something like that. Of course realistically these days most kids have completely different annoying favorite characters. So we believe parents should have permission to substitute whichever character(s) most irritate them and ban those from the day.
National Chocolate-covered Anything Day: We all know chocolate makes everything better, right? So for this day feel free to dip anything and everything in chocolate. Who knows what delightful taste sensation you could discover?
December 17:
Wright Brothers Day: Celebrate the anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first successful flight on December 17, 1903. Orville was at the controls that day, but both brothers deserve the honor for their genius and persistence.
National Re-Gifting Day: On the Thursday before Christmas it’s time to decide who would enjoy some of your previous gifts more than you. Then re-wrap ’em & send ’em off to their new homes. Just make sure you don’t send one back to the person who gave it to you! 😲
National Maple Syrup Day: Enjoy real maple syrup as much as possible for this day. Breakfast is easy, of course. Pancakes, waffles, & crepes all work well as a base for syrup. Lunch & dinner could be trickier. But try this burger recipe that mixes maple syrup into the beef before cooking!
December 18:
National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day: This is the day to wear the ugliest Christmas sweater you can find. Either in your closet or in the store; either is just fine. But if you’re looking to buy, consider Tipsy Elves, official sponsors of the day. They’ve got some truly horrendous sweaters you’re sure to love to hate! Along with plenty of ugly but not too over-the-top sweaters you can still have fun with.
National Underdog Day: Root for the underdog! Some of us do this regularly, for example with sports teams we love but know are unlikely to win. But the underdog can be anyone who isn’t expected to win for some reason, often either lack of lack of skill or circumstances favoring someone else. But for this day at least all the underdogs are winners, even if only because their friends are rooting for their win.
National Twin Day: Twins are not the underdogs on this day! They are the stars. So if you are a twin or you know any twins, make sure to celebrate the unique bond twins share. (This day is different from the Twins Days festival in August).
Give a Wine Club Day: Every year there’s always at least one person you have no clue what gift to give, isn’t there? Well, if your giftee likes wine your answer is simple! No, not a measly little bottle of wine. A wine club membership! Don’t worry, you don’t have to spend a fortune. And you don’t have to get a whole year’s membership. These gifts are quite flexible!
National Roast Suckling Pig Day: If you’re feeling ambitious, consider roasting a suckling pig to celebrate this delicious day. And yes, you can get suckling pigs small enough to fit in your oven … many are smaller than a Thanksgiving turkey! Although to be fair, they’re not cheap and your butcher may need a week or two to get you one. So if you’d rather not, consider just making a roast pork instead.
December 19:
National Wreaths Across America Day: This day is about honoring all our veterans who have passed away. Volunteers place wreaths on all their graves at Arlington National Cemetery and other veterans’ cemeteries across the US and in other countries. You can take part by volunteering to be part of a ceremony at a cemetery near you, sponsoring a wreath, or making a donation.
National Hard Candy Day: Do you have a favorite hard candy? This is the day to indulge!
National Oatmeal Muffin Day: Do you like to start your day with oatmeal? Or maybe a muffin? Well for this day you get to have both! In the form of a yummy oatmeal muffin of course. Make a batch yourself to get them just the way you like them. We’re thinking adding blueberries & walnuts would make them absolutely perfect.
December 20:
National Sangria Day: Mix your favorite wine & fruits together for a refreshing sangria to end your weekend with style. Although spices are optional, consider using cinnamon & cloves to make a winter sangria.
Mudd Day: Why on earth would we celebrate wet dirt in mid-December? Isn’t it kind of frozen by now? Oh … wait. Sorry, we’re celebrating Dr. Samuel Mudd’s birthday. Who was he? He was the doctor who set John Wilkes Booth’s leg after President Lincoln’s assassination. Dr. Mudd probably didn’t know about the assassination when Booth first showed up, but he most likely learned of it well before he finally reported Booth’s visit. So why do we celebrate his birth? No clue!
Go Caroling Day: Caroling is a Christmas tradition for many (although maybe fewer than in the past?). But it may be a harder sell this year, since singing seems to help spread that nasty virus we shall not name. But even if you can’t go caroling through your neighborhood, there’s nothing stopping you from singing with your family at home. So pretend you’re out caroling and make some festive music together.
