What to Celebrate May 24 thru 30, 2021
Celebration Ideas for May 3 – 9, 2021
Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner. Which means summer is unofficially about to start! Although the weather around here says summer has just roared in on a heatwave.
And there are plenty of options for you to eat, drink, dance, and play your way through the week ahead. Along with some reminders to stay safe.
So once again, do take a peek and plan your week. And as always …
Enjoy!
Celebrate for the rest of May
Eat your way through the end of May! The options are nearly endless.
National Barbeque Month: If you haven’t already been celebrating, now’s the perfect time to start. You’ll want to make sure that grill is good to go for your Memorial Day celebrations. And while the protein is the star of the show, the perfect sides can take your BBQ experience from just great to off the charts amazing. Looking for something new to make on the grill? Try some of these recipes.
National Egg Month: What’s better than deviled eggs for a picnic or BBQ? Not much! So make a practice batch of your favorite recipe before your Memorial Day party. And try a new recipe or two, too. But of course you’re not going to want to stop with deviled eggs. Make eggs all your favorite ways for the rest of the month. Including in cakes and cookies!
American Cheese Month: Plenty of people will argue that American cheese isn’t really cheese. And if they’re talking about those wrapped slices of cheese product they’re right (sort of). But this month is celebrating cheeses made in America. And they’re quite real. And delicious! So go discover some of America’s best cheeses. Like these.
National Salad Month: Salads don’t have to be boring! Get creative with salads to make summer meals quick & easy. And cool on those unbearably hot days. Start with this list of 31 recipes.
National Salsa Month: Salsas are just as versatile as salads! And they’re not just for tortilla chips, either. So try making some new salsas to close out May. Start with this list, ranging from traditional tomato-based salsas to watermelon, strawberry, and mango salsas.
Weekly Celebrations for May’s Final Week
This week is all about having fun in the backyard (or in California) and staying safe in & on the water.
Mule Days (May 25 – 30, 2021): Bishop, California is going to the mules! Well actually it’s been all about mules for more than 50 years now. And every year the week before Memorial Day showcases these hardworking animals. If you can make it you’ll find mule competitions & shows, a parade, live music & more.
National Backyard Games Week (May 23 – 29, 2021): Step away from the electronic devices (aren’t we all sooo ready for that?!) and head outside for some backyard games fun. Play old favorites (yours or your kids) or find something new. This page links to some sites with lots of ideas.
National Safe Boating Week (May 22 – 28, 2021): Make sure you & your family are ready to be out on the water. Remind everybody of safe boating rules and check all your equipment. And always wear a life jacket. Even if you can swim, if you’re injured your jacket may be your best bet to avoid drowning.
International Learn To Swim Week (May 24 – 30, 2021): No matter your age, it’s never too late to learn to swim! And even if you know how, it’s never a bad idea for a refresher, especially if you’re not a strong swimmer & didn’t get much if any swimming in last summer. So get your kids signed up for swim classes, and get yourself lessons too. That way everybody can be safe for this summer’s water fun.
Celebration Days coming up for May 24 thru May 30
Slip on your tiara, sip your wine, and prepare to battle slugs. No? Maybe you’d prefer to carry a towel, eat escargot, and do the Lindy Hop?
However you choose to celebrate this week, we’re sure it’ll be another fun-tastic one.
May 24:
International Tiara Day: Wear your tiara! (You do have a tiara?)
Aviation Maintenance Technician Day: We celebrate the people who first made flight possible (think the Wright brothers). But what about the people who continue to make flight possible? These are the behind-the-scenes people who inspect & repair airplanes of all kinds, ensuring each flight is as safe as it can be. So thank any aviation technicians you know. Because without them aviation really couldn’t exist.
Brother’s Day: Celebrate your brothers! Get together for a lunch, dinner, or drink to reconnect & reminisce. If you can’t meet up in person, call! And remember, brothers don’t necessarily have to be blood relatives. Close friends & brothers-in-law count too!
National Scavenger Hunt Day: Inject some fun & games into your Monday with a scavenger hunt! Have a scavenger hunt with coworkers. Or make it a family game night. You might also want to join the Shopkick Scavenger Hunt to win kicks & hunt for the ultimate prize, one of 10 Golden Tickets.
Victoria Day: This uniquely Canadian holiday celebrates Queen Victoria’s birthday. At least that’s how it started. Now it’s more of the unofficial kickoff to summer (much like Memorial Day in the US … although some do still try to maintain Memorial Day’s more somber reason for being, too). And it’s held on the 2nd to last Monday in May, which this year happens to be her actual birthday.
Yucatan Shrimp Day: Make dinner a dish of buttery, garlicky Yucatan Shrimp. They’re amazingly simple to make, thanks to Doc Ford’s Yucatan Shrimp Sauce, which is where the name of the day—and the dish—comes from!
National Escargot Day: Another garlicky, buttery dish for you is land snails! They’re often served as an appetizer, so maybe start with these & then move on to your Yucatan Shrimp.
May 25:
Geek Pride Day: Celebrate this day by indulging in whatever geeky pleasures you may not have as much time for as you used to.
National Missing Children’s Day: For this day we remember the missing children. Children whose families haven’t given up hope, no matter how long they’ve been gone. And it honors those who have worked tirelessly to protect children and find the missing. If there are any remembrance ceremonies near you consider attending.
National Tap Dance Day: Do you tap? This is the day to do it! Or learn it. Do it in honor of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, a legend in the world of tap dancing, who was born on this date. Or do it just because it’s fun.
Towel Day: For this day we remember that “A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” And we carry a towel around everywhere in honor of the genius who wrote those words: Douglas Adams.
World Thyroid Day: For this day we learn about that little, butterfly-shaped gland that has such an outsized effect on our bodies. In fact, the hormones it makes affect every single part of our bodies! So when something goes wrong with it, it can cause some pretty big problems.
National Wine Day: Celebrate Tuesday (and Wine Day) with a glass of your favorite wine. Or try a new wine. Cook with wine, too.
National Brown-Bag It Day: This is the day to pack yourself a yummy, nutritious lunch to bring to work. If you already do this, then this celebration will be simple! If not, it could take a bit of planning. And if you’re still working from home why not try something new for lunch.
May 26:
National Blueberry Cheesecake Day: Who can resist a slice of blueberry cheesecake? Not us! If you can’t either, be sure to celebrate this day.
World Otter Day: Otters! Love & learn about these adorable & fascinating little critters. Like so many animals these days, otters face challenges to their survival. If you can, consider helping with some conservation efforts. Or at least learn about those efforts & help spread the word about the day.
National Senior Health & Fitness Day: Fitness is important for everyone of any age. But as we get older movement can become more challenging, making fitness harder too. If you’re a senior, see if there are any events near you & join in. Whether or not you’ve been finding fitness challenging lately, you’re bound to find some new ideas to make it easier & more interesting.
World Lindy Hop Day: Need more ideas for Health & Fitness Day? Do the Lindy Hop! No, seriously. Dance is great exercise. This dance was born in Harlem, in the 1920 & ’30s. And it’s fun! You might know it better as swing dancing. But whatever you call it, grab a partner & get dancing!
National Paper Airplane Day: Get through your hump day with a paper airplane challenge! Gather your co-workers or friends & family to see who can make the best airplane. And the most elaborate one. Of course you’ll need to see who can make one fly the farthest. Maybe a prize for best effort, too! Just have fun with it.
May 27:
Feral Cat Spay Day: A few years ago this day expanded into a whole season of neutering & spaying community cats. But it’s still a good day to remind vets & cat carers everywhere of the importance of preventing as many litters as possible.
National Cellophane Tape Day: Find some stuff that needs sticking together & use cellophane tape to get the job done! The uber-useful sticky rolls were invented in 1930. And once a few kinks got worked out they promptly became a fixture in homes, offices, & schools everywhere. How many rolls do you have?
Joe Cool Day: Celebrate Snoopy’s alter ego, Joe Cool. He first showed up on May 27, 1971. And he’s still the coolest Joe around. 😎
International Chardonnay Day: There’s a long weekend right around the corner! What better way to celebrate than with a glass of Chardonnay? This versatile white wine ranges in taste from sweet & fruity to bright & crisp. The Chardonnay grape also makes a fantastic sparkling wine. So open a bottle of your favorite Chardonnay and relax (especially if you’ll be starting that long weekend a day early!).
National Grape Popsicle Day: Has the heat hit your area yet? If so, cool off with a delightfully fruity frozen treat. But not just any fruity frozen treat! It must be a popsicle. And a grape one at that! If you plan ahead, make your own grape popsicles just by pureeing grapes & freezing them in molds (adjust consistency & sweetness if necessary). Or make adult grape popsicles.
Eat More Fruits & Vegetables Day: On the Thursday before Memorial Day, when we traditionally gorge on meats, we vow to eat more fruits & vegetables. Which gets easier this time of year as so many spectacular fruits & veggies come into season.
May 28:
Slugs Return from Capistrano Day: Shen the swallows returned to Capistrano back in March the slugs took off! They sure didn’t want to get eaten. And they’ve been slowly trekking back to gardens across the country. And here they are, ready to wreak their havoc on your new garden plants.
Don’t Fry Day: Here’s your annual reminder to be smart about the sun. Wear sunscreen & sunglasses & avoid getting overheated. Because fun in the sun is much more fun without sunburns or heat exhaustion.
National Road Trip Day: Are you hitting the road for the long weekend? You won’t be alone! Lots of people are looking forward to something resembling a normal holiday after more than a year of pandemic life. But even if you’re not ready for the road-tripping life, spend some time dreaming and/or planning what it’ll look like when you are ready to go.
National Cooler Day: Coolers are useful for road trips! So it’s quite appropriate we celebrate both on the same day. And of course they’re a staple of the backyard bbq and/or party, keeping drinks cold & allowing guests to serve themselves. So pull out your cooler so it’s ready for anything this weekend and beyond. And if your cooler is a bit worse for the wear, get yourself a new one!
Menstrual Hygiene Day: Did you know there are still places in the world where girls & women are held back just because they bleed once a month? Sometimes it’s because of old superstitions & taboos. Other times its due to poverty & lack of access to sanitary products. Or both. The only way to end this is to raise awareness to end the taboos while increasing access to supplies. And we can all help.
National Brisket Day: Throw a brisket in the oven, slow cooker, or the grill (over indirect heat). Then go about your day & in a few hours it’ll transform into a tender, melt-in-your mouth delight. It’s quite possibly the easiest thing you’ll ever make!
National Hamburger Day: Don’t mess up the burgers for your Memorial Day cookout. Practice on National Hamburger Day! After all, for many of us it’s been a while since we’ve had the grill going (yes, we know you diehards grill in the snow 🙄). So this day is the perfect excuse for getting it cleaned up & fired up a few days before the big event. And heck, you might as well just grill all weekend, too.
May 29:
Learn About Composting Day: Never feel bad about forgetting veggies at the back of the fridge again. Because when you have a compost pile those sad, moldy veggies get a second life as fertilizer for growing more veggies! Or herbs, flowers, whatever you want to plant. Spend this day learning how simple it is and how to get started.
Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day: Once upon a time people would put a piece of cloth (usually from something in the bedroom) in their larders (a cool area for storing food) in hopes it would bring them good fortune. Now we have refrigerators instead of larders. So we put pillows on top of them for luck? Well, if you have a cat it’ll probably consider itself quite lucky that you’ve provided a nice new bed! 😻
National Paperclip Day: Unless your office has gone truly paperless you no doubt have papers to keep together on a regular basis. And what better way to do that than with a paper clip? Especially if you don’t need them permanently stuck together (like with a staple). So find some papers that need fastening, fish out a paper clip, and get that done!
National Coq Au Vin Day: Braise chicken parts in red wine with some onions & mushrooms & bacon to create a luscious stew perfect for a Saturday evening meal. With friends, even! It’s easier than it seems, but plan ahead for marinating & prep time. Try this Coq Au Vin recipe from Anthony Bourdain.
May 30:
Mint Julep Day: The Kentucky Derby may be over, but mint juleps are delicious any day. And your mint should be growing nicely by now (you do have fresh mint to use, yes?), so spend your Sunday relaxing and enjoying a refreshing mint julep.
National Creativity Day: Let your imagination run wild & see what you can create! Draw, paint, or sculpt. Write a story or compose music. Grab a camera & head out to find unique perspectives on everyday things. Think of new uses for everyday things. Invent an entirely new tool. Or a better version of an existing tool. Just go wherever your creativity takes you. You don’t have to be good at any of these things. Using your creativity is the point. The final product is beside the point.
National Water a Flower Day: Make sure you’re keeping your garden watered so you can enjoy it all summer long. So if Mother Nature isn’t providing enough moisture to keep your flowers (and other plants) happy, get out there with your watering can or hose & give them a nice deep drink.
Loomis Day: Celebrate Mahlon Loomis & his then-revolutionary idea. Wireless communication seemed impossible, but Loomis didn’t believe that. And of course these days we know he was right. His experiment to prove wireless electrical currents didn’t actually do what he thought they did. Just the same, we celebrate him for his vision of what could be.
World Multiple Sclerosis Day: Help raise awareness of this central nervous system disease and the resources available to patients & their families. See if there are any fundraisers or awareness events near you & consider being a part of one.
