What to Celebrate February 24 thru March 1, 2020
Celebration Ideas for February 24 – March 1, 2020
Hey! Where did February go?
We’re not sure. But there’s still a week left to make sure you’ve made the most of its 29 glorious—if sometimes a bit chilly—days. That’s right! This is a leap year, so we get an extra day. You remembered that, right? 🤔
So hop to it! Go take a peek and plan your week. And as always, remember to …
Enjoy!
Celebrate for the rest of February
February’s winding down, but there’s still time to get the wedding planning started. Unless you got married this month, in which case: Congratulations!
Regardless of your wedding plans (or non-plans), spend some time checking out your local library, learning new ways to enjoy grapefruit, and working on that self esteem. Because you’re worth it!
National Wedding Month: You might expect June to be wedding month, since “everyone” wants to be a June bride! But February is also a big month for weddings, with Valentine’s Day the most popular day of the month (and year!). And for those couples getting married later in the year, February is a popular time to get the wedding planning started. So if you’re getting married this year, kick your planning into high gear!
International Boost Self-Esteem Month: You are important and you matter. We can all use a little help remembering that some days. And that’s what this month is all about. Get some tips for boosting your self-esteem here. (But please don’t try to self-treat severely low self-esteem or depression. See your doctor if you’re feeling more than just a little down on yourself).
National Library Lover’s Month: A good library is a treasure to the community. It is, of course, a great place to hang out and discover new adventures. But it’s also a literal warehouse of information. Most of it more reliable than any blog you happen to stumble across. So it’s a great place to do any research you need. Plus, libraries hold educational and entertainment events throughout the year, with a little something for every age group. And many also offer meeting spaces residents can use. So if you haven’t been to your local library recently, head over to see what it offers.
National Grapefruit Month: It’s citrus season! Which is a perfect time to devote a whole month to the delicious grapefruit. It’s a popular fruit for breakfast, but it’s so much more. You can make a salad with grapefruit & avocado. Or a grapefruit cake with grapefruit icing. And while grapefruit juice is fantastic all on its own, it also makes amazing drinks, like this grapefruit salty dog. You can also broil them, turn them into marmalade, and more.
Weekly Celebrations for February’s 4th Week
This week is all about keeping domestic and native wild animals (and plants too!) healthy and safe. Learn how you can help.
National Justice For Animals Week (February 23, – 29, 2020): This week highlights the ongoing problem of animal abuse and how the Animal Legal Defense Fund acts as a voice for these voiceless animals. Learn how you can help ALDF help the animals for this week.
National Invasive Species Awareness Week (February 24 – 28, 2020): Find out how plants and animals can wreak havoc when they find their way out of the native habitats and into areas where they have no natural predators. Also, learn which species are invasive to your area and how you can help prevent their spread.
Bird Health Awareness Week (February 24 – 28, 2020): This week, from the USDA’s Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service, is all about keeping the nation’s poultry healthy. It’s for farmers and backyard poultry keepers alike. The USDA invites everyone with an interest in poultry to become a Flock Defender.
Celebration Days coming up for Feb. 24 thru March 1
Spend the last week in February enjoying lots of yummy food, getting nostalgic, and having some tongue-tying fun.
Yep, it’s shaping up to be another fun-tastic week!
February 24:
Play More Cards Day: Put down your electronic devices and pick up a deck of cards. Then gather friends & family and play your favorite card games! You may also play solitaire if you’d prefer. And yes, we know you can play cards on those electronic thingamajigies 😉, but it’s just not the same! Use real cards at least for this one day.
World Bartender Day: Celebrate the people who pour you the perfect drink whenever you need it, and then listen to your tales of woe. Or joy. Give your favorite bartender(s) a sincere “thank-you” and an extra tip to celebrate. And maybe listen to their tales of woe for once?
National Tortilla Chip Day: Enjoy tortilla chips your favorite way for this day. With salsa. With bean dip. As the base for your favorite nachos toppings. Or even just straight out of the bag as a crunchy snack. Maybe even make them yourself? It’s incredibly simple if you use store-bought tortillas. But sooo deliciously warm & fresh!
February 25:
World Spay Day: Kittens & puppies & all baby animals, oh my! They’re just adorable, aren’t they? Sadly, in the case of pets there’s just too many of them. And not enough homes for all of them. Don’t add to the problem; spay & neuter your pets.
Chocolate Covered Peanuts Day: Chocolate is good for you (science proves it!). And peanuts are good for you (again, science says so). So chocolate covered peanuts must be amazing! At any rate they taste amazing, so snack on them guilt-free for this day. And any other day for that matter.
National Clam Chowder Day: Enjoy a bowl or 2 of a rich, silky clam chowder as part of your Fat Tuesday. Have it at your favorite restaurant or make a New England clam chowder at home.
International Pancake Day: Yes, here’s one more food for you to eat before Lent begins. But the day is actually more about a race than the food. And not just any race! In this race women run down the street flipping pancakes! Yes, seriously. Even better, the women of Liberal, Kansas are competing against the women of Olney, England. So yes, this is truly an international day. And race.
Fastnacht Day: This is basically the German & Pennsylvania Dutch version of Paczki Day & Fat Tuesday. On this day you get ready for Lenten fasting by feasting & eating up all the rich foods in the house. Your feast includes the square, deep-fried donuts known as fastnacht. So buy or make fastnacht instead of pacskis this year. Or along with pacskis, because you can never have enough donuts!
February 26:
For Pete’s Sake Day: We’ve never figured out exactly who this Pete is who deserves a special day just for his sake. So to be safe, celebrate any Petes you know.
Inconvenience Yourself Day: Most days the last thing we want is to be inconvenienced. But often our convenience comes at someone else’s inconvenience. So for this day we think about how to help make other’s lives less inconvenient, even if that means some extra inconvenience for us.
Pink Shirt Day: This day raises awareness of bullying , wherever it happens. It also raises money to support anti-bullying programs. The day started in Nova Scotia after a boy was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. Some classmates got other boys in the school to wear pink shirts as a stand against the bullies, and a movement was born. It has since spread around the world.
National Tell a Fairy Tale Day: This is your chance to make up your very own fairy tale. Make it sweet & light or dark & grim (like a lot of the original Grimm brothers’ tales). Then give your tale an audience by gathering friends & family to hear your fairy tale. Get them to do the same.
World Pistachio Day: Eat, cook with, and bake with pistachios all day long! And with this list of recipes, you can indeed have pistachios with every meal. From granola or scones for breakfast to salad for lunch and pistachio-crusted chicken for dinner, you’re sure to find something to enjoy. And don’t forget dessert! Like the pistachio cake. Or ice cream, of course.
February 27:
International Polar Bear Day: Polar bear populations face challenges to their survival. They’re not in as much danger as some animals, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need protecting! After all, it’s easier to protect healthy populations than to try to revive declining ones. Learn more about these beautiful animals and how we can all help protect them for this day.
National Retro Day: On this day we ask “Remember when … ?” and get nostalgic for days long gone. Preferably we look back to a time before the internet took over the world. Because remembering bell-bottoms, gravity-defying hairstyles, and muscle cars is more fun than remembering that cat meme from 2008. (Not that we don’t love cat memes! But it’s just not the same).
National Chili Day: Make and eat your favorite chili! What a simple, and simply delicious, celebration. Make enough to have leftovers so you can enjoy chili for the rest of the week. Make chili dogs, chili mac, chili fries, and whatever other chili-topped creations your taste buds desire.
National Toast Day: Celebrate the lightly browned, perfectly crispy slices of bread we call toast. And to celebrate, according to the official Toast Day website, we must turn those slices into edible art. Then share our creations tagged with #NationalToastDay. UK mainland residents will be entered into a prize drawing. There’s also a more official contest for bread bakers with multiple bread categories and prizes.
National Kahlua Day: Kahlua lovers, this day is obviously all about you. So enjoy a shot. Add it to your coffee. Make a cocktail. Or make a Kahlua chocolate cheesecake. Heavenly! Do remember to always drink responsibly.
February 28:
Skip the Straw Day: For this day refuse the single-use plastic straw at restaurants. At home too, if you normally use them there. Either drink straight from the cup (yes, it is possible for most of us!), or use a more eco-friendly straw. If you need something disposable, paper straws have come a long way (and they’re biodegradable). But reusable straws are even better. They come in several different materials, including bamboo and stainless steel.
National Tooth Fairy Day: Celebrate the magical being who rewards kids with money for every lost tooth. And encourages them to “hurry up” any slightly loose teeth to get that cash faster! If your kids don’t have any loose teeth, get in the spirit with movies about the tooth fairy (yes, they exist!), tooth fairy coloring pages, or tooth fairy crafts.
National Tartar Sauce Day: With Lent here it’s time to each lots of fish! And for some people fish means tartar sauce. Whether or not you usually use this versatile sauce, on this 1st Friday after Lent begins, break it out & add some zing to your fish. And to your potato salad, veggies, and more. Don’t follow the “fish on Fridays” tradition (or don’t celebrate Lent)? Use tartar sauce on the protein of your choice!
National Chocolate Souffle Day: A souffle can be hard to get right. But it’s worth it! And even a fallen souffle tastes amazing, so don’t worry about perfection. Whip up a chocolate souffle for dessert & enjoy.
February 29:
Rare Disease Day: Rare diseases are those that few people have, even fewer have heard of, and for which research dollars are hard to come by. This day raises awareness of these diseases and the challenges sufferers face. And hopefully encourage research into these diseases too.
International Tongue Twister Day: Spend the day tripping over your tongue! But since practice makes perfect (they claim!) by the end of the day you may be able to “buy blue blueberry biscuits before bedtime” with no trouble at all! Find more tongue twisters to enjoy here.
National Time Refund Day: Every 4 years we get an extra day! So don’t waste it. Reclaim that time to do something gloriously fun.
March 1:
National Horse Protection Day: Yes, horses need our protection just like cats, dogs, and other animals. Because sadly these magnificent animals also can find themselves neglected or abused. Sometimes it’s deliberate; other times people just didn’t realize how much it costs to keep a horse & get in over their heads. Either way the horses pay the price and need caring humans to help.
National Pig Day: And another animal that deserves some recognition and protection is the domesticated pig. While many people just consider them food, others recognize just how intelligent pigs are. Bringing awareness of that intelligence to a wider audience is what this day is all about.
National Peanut Butter Lovers Day: Enjoy peanut butter all day. From peanut butter pancakes for breakfast to PB & J’s for lunch and a peanut sauce to top your dinner with, this nut butter can do it all. And don’t forget dessert! Maybe some peanut butter fudge?
National Fruit Compote Day: Another dessert option for you this day is a dish of fruit compote. Or have this sweet mix of cooked fruits as a snack. Try this fruit compote recipe.
