What to Celebrate October 11 thru 17, 2021
Celebration Ideas for October 11 – 17, 2021
Are the trees turning where you are yet? Or is the weather still oddly warm, like it is here?
Either way the days are getting shorter everywhere. And the snow she is a-comin’. Luckily, darkness & cold don’t have to stop you from celebrating things like pizza, online banks, local wine, and grouches. Or any of the other celebrations coming this week.
So take a peek and plan your week. And as always …
Enjoy!
Celebrate All October Long
Pets, pizza, and a positive attitude make for a perfect month. And making sure you’re toilet’s in good shape doesn’t hurt either.
Wishbones for Pets Month (October 15 – November 30, 2021): It’s time once again for pet sitters across the country to raise money & collect supplies for their favorite pet-related charities. If you use or know any pet sitters, help them help homeless animals. You can donate, volunteer to help, offer your business as a drop-off location, or whatever else your pet sitter needs.
National Pizza Month: Make sure you have enough energy to give pet sitters & homeless animals all the help they need & deserve. Take meal breaks for pizza!
National Toilet Repair Month: We sure hope your toilet doesn’t fail from November thru September, because apparently October is the only month for repairing it! Ok, not exactly. October is the month for checking to make sure it’s flushing properly & not wasting water. And if you do find a problem, fix it now. Before it gets bigger.
Positive Attitude Month: Celebrate pet sitters, pizza, toilet repair, and all the upcoming weekly & daily holidays with a positive attitude. Bring that positive attitude to work, too. It’ll make the days go more smoothly (not necessarily completely smooth, but better just the same).
Weekly (and Weekend) Celebrations for October’s 2nd Full Week
Understanding Earth science is vital to ensuring our children will have things like potable water in the future. And school lunches are vital to ensuring they can focus and learn now.
Oysters are just delicious. And a festival featuring them is worth checking out.
Earth Science Week (October 10 – 16, 2021): Spend some time this week learning about the Earth and how to protect it for the future. This year’s theme is “Water Today and for the Future.” and will, obviously, focus on conserving our water resources, which are vital to our survival.
National School Lunch Week (October 11 – 15, 2021): This week is all about the importance of having healthy school lunches for kids all across the country. Because too many kids live with food insecurity, but at least for lunch they can get a delicious, nutritious meal. See how your kids’ schools are celebrating. And volunteer to help!
US Oyster Festival (October 16 – 17, 2021): St. Mary’s County, Maryland is having its annual Oyster Fest! If you can make it out, consider doing so. There’s food (of course!), oyster tasting, a shucking contest, live music, an oyster cook-off, and more.
Celebration Days coming up for Oct. 11 thru Oct. 17
Start your week out right by bringing your teddy to work! Then head outside to scream in frustration. Local wine & gumbo should help soothe any remaining frustration.
If you’re still grouchy, well your day will be coming up later in the week. Community cats, sloths, and American frogs also get their day (the same day!).
All this & more is just waiting for you to create another fun-tastic week!
October 11:
Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day: For anyone still working from home this day just got a whole lot easier! But no matter where you’re working from, a little stuffed bear can make any day brighter. And we definitely need anything we can find to make days brighter these days.
Native American Day: Celebrate the people who called North America home long before Europeans even knew the “New World” existed. If your community has events to celebrate this day (many more are doing so each year), consider attending. Or learn more about Native American history. The real history, not the sanitized history so many of us learned in school.
National Coming Out Day: This day supports LGBTQ+ equality and encourages everyone to be who they are.
National Online Bank Day: This day is about making banking work for you, on your schedule. Which is what online-only banks are all about. And because they don’t have branches they can offer lower fee structures, letting you keep more of your money! So if you already do your banking online with a traditional bank, consider switching to a non-traditional bank. Like Ally Bank, founder of the day.
Southern Food Heritage Day: Get out your favorite Southern Foods cookbook and make at least one meal real Southern food.
National Sausage Pizza Day: Enjoy your favorite sausage pizza. No, it’s not Southern food … although if you make it with a biscuit crust and add white gravy … (kidding! Mostly 😁).
October 12:
International Moment of Frustration Scream Day: We’re pretty sure we need more than one of these days in a year! To celebrate everyone, all around the world, goes outside at noon Greenwich time (not your local time!) and screams. Then we all go back to our scream-inducing lives, feeling better for a little while.
World Arthritis Day: Arthritis is more than just stiff, achy joints. It’s actually part of a larger group of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases that affect the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people around the world. Learn more for this day.
National Savings Day: This is your annual reminder to have a plan to save for the future. And actually do it! Yes, it can be easier said than done, but small steps can add up to big savings.
National Farmer’s Day: Celebrate the hardworking farmers, without whom our lives would be a lot less tasty. And bright. Why not learn more about all the ways farmers contribute to our economy for the day? And support local farmers. There are lots of ways to do this, like joining a farming co-op, buying from farmer’s markets, or vising pick-your-own farms for example.
Drink Local Wine Day: Do like the name says and open a bottle of wine produced near you. Which is easier than you might think, because every US state has at least one vineyard.
National Gumbo Day: Hopefully your local wine pairs well with gumbo, because … well, you’ll want to eat gumbo if you’re going to celebrate this one! Of course, there’s more than one way to make gumbo, so hopefully you can find a great pairing. Maybe one of these two, from 2 New Orleans restaurants? You know they know gumbo!
October 13:
National Pet Obesity Awareness Day: Is your pet overweight? Are you sure? Because a lot of pets are. And just like in humans, excess weight puts them at increased risk of health problems. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention has lots of tools on its website. Check it out to see how you can help your pet be as healthy as possible.
Silly Sayings Day: This day is all about the sayings and catch-phrases that we often use without thinking. But maybe we should think about them! Bats in the belfry? Really?! Knee-high to a grasshopper? The bee’s knees?! And who the heck ever decided bugs in rugs are snug? How many silly sayings do you use without thinking?
National Train Your Brain Day: Can silly sayings help train your brain? Probably not, but there’s no harm in trying! And learning new things can definitely help train your brain. So learning new silly sayings and their meanings and/or origins might actually work! 😮 Or pick something else you’ve always wanted to learn. Mix up your daily routine, too: take a different route to work, rearrange your desk or kitchen so you have to work differently, come up with different ways to do your routine tasks … So many options!
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: This day is about helping developing countries reduce their risk for disasters and associated “losses in lives, livelihood, and health.”
National Yorkshire Pudding Day: For this day we eat Yorkshire pudding! Of course. What else would we do? Now, we should note that Britain celebrates its iconic dish in February. But as we all know, the US must go its own way. So we celebrate in October. You will want to make Yorkshire puddings to celebrate. And make some roast beef to go with them. One final note: Do not skip the part about pre-heating your pans!
October 14:
National Dessert Day: Mmmm … dessert. Have your favorites to celebrate the day. Yes, all of them. Make one entire meal dessert if you’d like. You can go back to being good tomorrow.
Be Bald and Be Free Day: Stop obsessing over your lack of hair and embrace it! Wigs & toupees? Who needs ’em? Not you! So free yourself from them and show off that bare head.
World Standards Day: This day is about raising awareness of the need for a global set of standards to help businesses, governments, and everyday people thrive in our interconnected world. It also acknowledges the people who volunteer to help make those standards a reality. And it shows we can work together to meet a common goal.
World Sight Day: This day is about the importance of eye health and access to eye care services. So if you haven’t had an eye exam in the past year, consider doing that (or at least scheduling that) to celebrate. And learn about the different eye conditions that can cause vision loss.
October 15:
National Grouch Day: Do you know a grouch? Of course you do! Probably more than one, in fact. So celebrate them all! And make sure they know about it, so they can be grouchy about all the fuss you’re making.
National I Love Lucy Day: Now Lucy was no grouch! But she sure could make Ricky grouchy. This groundbreaking comedy (it was the first filmed in front of a live audience, among other firsts) debuted on this date in 1951. And audiences loved it, making it the most-watched show for 4 of its 6 seasons. If you too love Lucy, watch some episodes to celebrate. If you’ve never seen the show, give it a whirl!
National White Cane Safety Day: This day reminds us that the white cane means something. It means independence for the person using it. And it means giving the right of way to that person for the rest of us. The day also celebrates the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired, many of which are made easier (but not necessarily easy!) by the independence the white cane provides.
Global Handwashing Day: Wash your hands. Not just on this day but everyday. Multiple times a day. Hopefully you’ve always been doing this, but if not, hopefully you started this past year. Make sure you’re doing it right, too. And advocate for universal access to simple tools for hand hygiene, like soap and water.
National Shawarma Day: This is the day for eating Middle Eastern rotisserie-cooked meats. These meats are marinated in Mediterranean spices and slow-cooked on vertical rotisserie spits. Thin slices are shaved off as needed. Head out to your favorite Middle Eastern restaurant to enjoy some shawarma. Now technically this is a Canadian day, since it was founded by Osmow’s, a Canadian chain specializing in a fusion of Egyptian and North American foods. But we see no reason anyone who loves shawarma (or just wants to try it) can’t celebrate too.
National Cheese Curd Day: Do cheese curds go with shawarma? Probably not. But then again, why not? As far as we’re concerned cheese of all kinds, including curds, makes almost anything better. See if your local Culver’s—founder of the day—is having any specials to celebrate.
October 16:
Global Cat Day: Are there community cats where you live? Do what you can to help them. Or at least don’t hurt them. And don’t make it harder for the people who do try to help them.
International Sloth Day: Learn about sloths and help protect them. Because these goofy-looking animals with the perpetual smile are fascinating and vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss (2 species are already on the endangered list).
American Frog Day: Learn about keeping frogs and conservation of frogs for this day. The live show and fundraiser is in Tarrytown, NY this year. But even if you can’t get the NY, there’s no reason frog lovers can’t find other ways to celebrate these adorable amphibians. And maybe see about hosting a future frog day event in your home city?
National Dictionary Day: Celebrate Noah Webster’s birthday by using his famous book liberally (but maybe a slightly more current version …). Did you know Mr. Webster is a big part of the reason US & British spellings are often different? His dictionary dropped some of those extra letters that confuse us so much in British spellings, like that “u” in color (colour).
World Spine Day: For this day we recognize that around one billion people suffer spinal pain, and many end up with significant disability due to spinal damage. And we learn how to keep our spine & backs healthy while recognizing many people don’t have access to quality spine care.
World Food Day: Celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. The FAO’s mission is a sustainable agri-food system that allows everyone to be able to afford a healthy diet. Take some time for this day to learn how anyone can be a food hero.
October 17:
National Pasta Day: Make it a pasta kind of day. Pasta is incredibly versatile, so we’re sure you can find ways to have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
National Edge Day: This day is about teens & young adults pledging to live a clean lifestyle. That is, they abstain from recreational drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Some go further, abstaining from caffeine, recreational sex, meat, etc. But unlike campaigns by adults to convince kids to abstain, this day began with young people. They’re part of the Straight Edge Movement which began this day in 1999 with “Edge Fest” in Boston. The movement’s name comes from 1980s hardcore punk band Minor Threat’s song “Straight Edge”. The band and others were part of the movement.
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: This day is, as its name suggests, about ending persistent poverty everywhere. And it’s needed more than ever, as the current pandemic has pushed more people into (or back into) poverty and many more are dangerously close. As we work toward rebuilding the world’s economy, we need to focus on making it work for everybody.
National Vehophobia Awareness Day: When something bad happens we are often reluctant to go back to the place or activity where it happened. Like driving after being in a bad accident. This day raises awareness of the need to drive safely and the fear that can result after someone has been in an accident caused by an unsafe driver.
Wear Something Gaudy Day: Do as the name says and wear something gaudy (showy, loud, flashy, …) to make your Sunday brighter.
