December 23 - Festivus

So did anyone celebrate Festivus today? If so, how did you celebrate? I was going to take part in Festivus this year, but I'm afraid I'd get carried away with the Airing of Grievances. I have so many.

Please share your Festivus traditions!

(For those who don't know what I'm talking about, or would like more info, try the Wikipedia page on Festivus. Very informative.)

December 18 - Bake Cookies Day

I think made-up holidays are my favorite.

OK, not really (it's a toss-up between Thanksgiving and Christmas). But the silly, made-up holidays are what really inspire me. They set a theme for my day and put a unique spin on an otherwise fairly dull routine.

According to this source, today's made-up holiday is Bake Cookies Day. No big surprise behind the timing of this one; many people are already getting in the holiday spirit by baking sweets. In fact, I was already planning on baking some cookies this weekend...I decided today would be a great time to start!

Please don't ask me what my favorite Christmas cookie is. I have too many favorites to pick just one! Today I made Peanut Butter Blossoms (the ones with Hershey's Kisses) and prepared the dough to make gingerbread cut-outs for tomorrow.

What are your must-haves when it comes to Christmas cookies?

November 13 - Indian Pudding Day

According to one source, today is Indian Pudding Day.

Never heard of Indian Pudding? Me either. So I pulled up my trusty search engine and looked for an answer. It doesn't sound Indian (American or Eastern) but it does sound delicious!

Indian Pudding is a dessert that is baked and it's a warm, brown, gooey, delicious-sounding thing you serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I cannot wait to try this for Thanksgiving!

Recipe 1
Recipe 2

November 12 - Family Stories Month

November is Family Stories Month

I could not find an official site for this observance, nor could I find who had created it. Regardless, I still think it is a fantastic idea, and one that I can really get geeked about. Additionally, the holidays are the best time to try to collect family stories, as you often see them more this time of year.

I am a huge history buff and I love to hear stories about my family. My grandparents are all gone and most of their siblings as well. While I still have my parents, I want to know as much about my family as possible. Recently, I've been creating my family tree on Ancestry, but I don't really get any stories this way, mostly facts.

There are many ways to collect your family's stories, but you need to focus on the best way to get the stories from your family. Some people will find that story telling comes naturally, but others you will need to prompt. My mother always says that she doesn't have any stories, or that she can't think of any. All I need to do is simply ask her a question or two, then sit back and listen as she talks and talks. I tease her about it and say, "I thought you didn't have any stories!" She has them, she just needs a prompt or two.

Prompts can be as simple as, "What was your childhood like" or more specific, like "How old were you when you got your first job?" This site has some great questions to ask your relatives, or even to answer yourself! (November is also National Life Writing Month.)

One year, my family wrote down memories on little slips of paper. We put them in a jar, and pull them out at holidays, or when we are all at home. They don't have to be holiday specific, just funny or warm little things you don't want to forget!

Enjoy Family Stories Month, and let me know if you have any good ones! I love to hear family stories, even if they aren't about my family!

November 9 - Chaos Never Dies Day

Let's just face it: chaos never really does die. It's time to just accept that fact and go with it.

This morning, I think I broke a tooth. Half a block away, there was a haz-mat spill and the streets were blocked off. We have out-of-town guests arriving next weekend and we do not have a working vacuum. Oh, and there is scum living in my shower that will not die.

But it's cool. It'll all get taken care of.



I hope.

June 2 - Bubba Rocky Road Office Fudge Cobra Day

Wow, I have some great holidays to pick from today! This makes up for the lack of quality celebrations last week.

National Bubba Day
Everyone knows a Bubba. Be nice to Bubba today. The poor guy deserves a break.

Leave the Office Earlier Day
Well I can't personally condone this observation. Nor do I plan on participating. But if you go in for this kind of thing, today is the day to do it. Here's how. If you can't participate, send an e-card to someone who deserves to leave early.

Rocky Road Day
This is an easy one to celebrate. After leaving the office early, pick up some rocky road ice cream on the way home. Get an extra one for Bubba. If you're feeling fancy, make it yourself. Add mini-marshmallows, chopped nuts and chocolate chunks to your ice cream. Feeling extra-fancy? Make it from scratch.

Yell "Fudge" at the Cobras in North America Day
Another wacky holiday from the folks over at Wellcat.
Apparently North American cobras do not like fudge. At noon, go outside and yell, "FUDGE!" at them. Just do it. Don't ask why.