What to Celebrate November 18 thru 24, 2019
Celebration Ideas for November 18 – 24, 2019
The “official” holiday season is in full swing. But the unofficial “season” never ends!
And as usual we offer a selection of deliciousness (apple cider & gingerbread cookies), seriousness (healthy skin & toilets), and fun (Rocky and Bullwinkle & Monopoly). Plus much more of course.
We know you’re busy with your holiday prep, so let’s not waste any time. Dive right in to take a peek and plan your week. And do remember to breathe … and …
Enjoy!
Celebrate for the rest of November
The month may be 1/2 over, but there’s still plenty of time for protecting our environment from plastic and protecting our skin from winter weather.
Then reward yourself for being good with some yummy banana pudding. And learn about sponges.
No Straw November: Skip the single-use straws for this month. Most of us really don’t need them. And you might just discover you don’t miss them. But if you do need or want straws for your drinks, invest in a pack of reusable ones. They’re not hard to clean and won’t add to our plastic pollution problems. Then you can skip the single-use straws every day of the year!
National Healthy Skin Month: Don’t stop caring for your skin just because you’re covering it up for the cold winter weather. Instead change your care routine to protect it from the cold & dry air that can cause rough, cracked skin.
Banana Pudding Lovers: Mmmm … banana pudding. Whether you eat the plain pudding filling as pudding or you create an elaborate trifle with layers of banana slices, vanilla wafers, & filling, enjoy as much banana pudding as you can stand for this month!
World Sponge Month (Or not …): As far as we can tell this isn’t a real month, but sponges (the living kind, not the kitchen scrubbing kind) are fascinating. So we’d suggest celebrating them anyway.
Weekly Celebrations for Nov. 18 – 24, 2019
The upcoming weekly celebrations inject some seriousness to the week. But they’re all worthwhile. So pick a cause (or 2 or even all 3!) and help spread the word.
International Fraud Awareness Week (November 17 – 23, 2019): Learn about identity theft and other forms of fraud so you can protect yourself. And then help spread the word so others can do the same.
Global Entrepreneurship Week (November 18 – 24, 2019): Celebrate the innovators and job creators. And maybe get inspired to be one of them. Events will be happening all over the world all week. Why not see what’s happening near you?
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (November 16 – 24, 2019): Hunger and homelessness are more common than you may realize. Possibly even right in your neighborhood. But wherever it occurs, we can all work together to shine a light on the problem & work toward solutions.
Celebration Days coming up for Nov. 18 thru Nov. 24
Hopefully you’ve been slowly preparing for Thanksgiving so you’ll have some time to celebrate push button phones, Dr. Who, and absurdity.
A couple of the days can even help you prepare for that big feast day: Cranberry Relish Day and Stuffing Day! Of course there’s plenty of other deliciousness coming up too, from peanut butter fudge to espresso. Come to think of it, espresso may also help you prepare …
With all those days & more you’ll find plenty of ways to make it a fun-tastic pre-Thanksgiving week!
November 18:
Mickey Mouse Birthday: Celebrate the anniversary of Mickey’s public debut, on November 18, 1928 in the short film Steamboat Willie. The now-famous mouse was actually in 2 earlier films, but Walt Disney couldn’t find distributors for those, so the world didn’t meet Mickey until Steamboat Willie.
Push Button Phone Day: On this date in 1963 Bell Telephone introduced the world to the push button phone. Before that people had to rotate a dial to make a call (which was probably still better than having to get an operator to connect you to either the person you were calling or to yet another operator if you were making a long-distance call).
National Vichyssoise Day: We’re not sure why we’re celebrating a soup traditionally served cold just as the weather is also turning colder. But just the same, this is the day to make and eat Vichyssoise, a deliciously creamy leek and potato soup that’s welcome any day of the year. Celebrate the day with your favorite recipe, or try this one.
National Apple Cider Day: This day is definitely more in keeping with the season. So pour yourself a glass of apple cider to celebrate this day. Or a mug if you’d prefer hot cider. We’re pretty sure even hard cider counts.
November 19:
National Play Monopoly Day: Hopefully we don’t have to tell you how to celebrate this day! But we will anyway: Pull out your favorite Monopoly version, gather friends and family, and play Monopoly!
Have a Bad Day Day: For this day Tom & Ruth Roy invite us to turn the usual farewell greeting (”Have a nice day!”) on its head & wish everybody a bad day. Why? Because the cheerier refrain get old. After all, we can’t all have a nice day every day! Some days just aren’t. This day recognizes that.
World Toilet Day: This day brings attention to the importance of good sanitation. Because believe it or not, billions of people around the world don’t have access to clean, safe toilets.
Rocky and Bullwinkle Day: On November 19, 1959 a moose and flying squirrel began their animated (and hilarious!) adventures together. Throughout the show’s 5-year history they were joined by other unforgettable characters, including Boris & Natasha, Dudley Do-Right and more. Watch some episodes to celebrate.
National Carbonated Beverage With Caffeine Day: Enjoy your favorite carbonated, caffeinated beverage to celebrate this day. Although we’re a bit confused why it exists. People who drink caffeinated pop (or soda!) don’t need the reminder. And people who don’t probably won’t have one for this day. But if you’d like to celebrate, go for it!
November 20:
Globally Organized Hug a Runner Day (G.O.H.A.R.D.): We all know at least one runner, right? Sure we do! So give your favorite runner a hug to celebrate (or hug ‘em all!). And if you’re a runner, consider participating in Run The Edge’s Hug a Runner Challenge. It started on the 11th, so if you’d rather not jump into the middle of it, maybe think about signing up for Run the Year 2020.
Name Your PC Day: Since these days computers are our constant companions, shouldn’t we be calling them by something other than “my PC” or “the computer”? Yes! Yes, we should. So on Nov. 20 give your PC a name. And make it a good one!
National Absurdity Day: For this day we can reminisce about absurd things that have happened in the past (to us or just in history). And make some new absurd memories too. So get out there and do something that makes absolutely no sense. 😊 (Some of you may feel naming your PC falls into the category of absurd. If so, you get to celebrate 2 days with one simple act).
National Peanut Butter Fudge Day: Ahhh, fudge. It’s often chocolate (with or without nuts), but it doesn’t have to be! And this day celebrates one of the other flavors: peanut butter fudge. So enjoy a piece of this sweet concoction to celebrate. We’re pretty sure it can be smooth or crunchy. And it’s probably even ok to have chocolate peanut butter fudge. Here’s a quick & simple recipe for you to try.
November 21:
Great American Smokeout: If you’ve been thinking about quitting smoking, this is the day to take the 1st step. Do your best to avoid lighting up for 24 hours. Technically your “celebration” is finished after that, but why not extend it another 24 hours? And then another? You just might surprise yourself!
World Pancreatic Cancer Day: Help raise awareness of this especially deadly cancer. The 5-year survival rate is shockingly low, and we need more research and better treatments.
Beaujolais Nouveau Day: Celebrate the release of this season’s Beaujolais Nouveau wine. If you happen to be in France, you’ll find festivals in the Beaujolais region. If not, celebrate in spirit by opening a bottle of this young red wine … if you have any that is. Most years it’s best enjoyed within about 6 months of its release.
National Stuffing Day: Make and eat stuffing (you might call it dressing) for this day. Maybe test out that new stuffing recipe you want to make for Thanksgiving. Or make small batches of a few different ones & pick your favorite for Thanksgiving. However you choose to celebrate the day, just make sure you do it with stuffing.
National Gingerbread Cookie Day: Don’t stuff yourself with the stuffing! Leave room for some gingerbread cookies so you can celebrate this delicious day. Buy them if you must, but make them yourself if you can.
November 22:
Substitute Educators Day: Substitute educators offer a critical service, ensuring the school day can go on when the regular teachers can’t be there. And they deserve a day of recognition. This day is part of American Education Week.
National Cranberry Relish Day: You don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to have your favorite cranberry relish. Make a batch to celebrate this day. If you don’t normally make relish, and you don’t have a recipe, consider this unusual recipe with horseradish. Or, if you prefer something a bit less unusual, try this simple, 3-ingredient raw cranberry-orange relish. Or this cooked nutty cranberry relish.
November 23:
Doctor Who Day (TARDIS Day): Celebrate the Time Lord who has a special place in his hearts for the humans he always vows to protect. We celebrate him and his travels through time and space on the anniversary of the first episode, which aired in 1963.
Fibonacci Day: This day celebrates the mathematician Leonardo Bonacci and his Fibonacci Sequence. Celebrate by learning what this sequence is and how it’s used.
National Espresso Day: Celebrate this bold, concentrated coffee brew with, what else, an espresso to start your day.
National Cashew Day: Snack on cashews to celebrate this deliciously nutty day.
National Eat a Cranberry Day: We’re not sure why anyone would want to eat just one cranberry, but if that’s how you’d like to celebrate this day just pop one into your mouth & chew! For the rest of us, make something with cranberries, like relish (if you didn’t make it on the 22nd) or cranberry nut bread (cashews probably won’t work here, so you’ll have to celebrate Cashew Day separately).
November 24:
Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day: Do you have a unique talent? Of course you do! So celebrate it—however big or small it may be—for this day. If possible use it for the day. If not, just be proud of it.
D. B. Cooper Day: The infamous skyjacker disappeared over Washington state on this date in 1971. The case has never been solved, the money ($200,000) he disappeared with has never been found, and we don’t know his real name. Celebrate the day by coming up with your own hypotheses.
Mother Goose Day: This celebration is different from the Mother Goose Day in May. It’s a holiday kick-off parade in El Cajon, CA (near San Diego). So if you’re in the area, consider checking it out.
National Sardines Day: Snack on your favorite sardines to celebrate this day. So what’ll it be? Packed in mustard, tomato, oil, or water? Something else entirely? Or are you a sardine hater? If so, maybe just give a sardine loving friend or two a tin to help them celebrate properly.
