The Tuesday Ten | Bizarre Holidays you may not know about!

Here's a super fun and random Tuesday Ten post! This idea was submitted by Rikell Hammer. I actually had a lot of fun looking up some bizarre holidays and was AMAZED at how many Holidays are there. Nearly every day of the year is a holiday of some sort, and many have multiple holidays for a single day. So here are 10 Bizarre Fall Holidays you might not know about. (Information on these is from HolidayInsights.com).

1.       September 16 – Step Family Day. I actually kind of love the idea of this day. Since I technically have a Step daughter it brings this close to home. This day began on September 16, 1997 with a picnic in the park. It was established as a way to “recognize and show appreciation for the importance and value of step-parents and extended families.” Though this day is not a National holiday as approved by an Act of Congress it is recognized by many.

2.       September 18 – National Cheeseburger Day. The cheeseburger is considered by many “America’s Favorite Sandwich” so it’s only fitting to celebrate it with a special day.

3.       September 19 – International Talk like a Pirate Day. It’s an international holiday even! John Baur and Mark Summers created this day in 1995 while playing racquetball and speaking like Pirates. It’s one of those “just for fun” days but is actually legit. Do you have it in you to talk like a Pirate on Sept 19? Ahoy, Matey!

4.       October 4 – National Golf Day. So I’m not a golfer myself but I know a lot of people who are so I thought I’d share this holiday with you. National Golf day is a major charitable event sponsored each year by the PGA (Professional Golf Association). There is some confusion on the date though. Some golf sites say this day is in May or June and calendar companies say it’s Oct 4. I say if you are an avid golfer, celebrate it on both or any day you want. Go out to the range and enjoy 9 holes or make it 18.

5.       October 11 – Take your teddy bear to work day. Seriously, there is a day for this? Well, I can actually say I know some people who might follow suite and take their teddy bear to work but most of us adults will not.

6.       November 15 – National Clean your Refrigerator Day. Interesting day right? From the information I could find it was most likely started as a way to prepare and make room for all the Thanksgiving/Holiday leftovers. Probably a good thought. I tend to clean out my fridge often but now I will keep November 15^th open just for that.

7.       November 12 – Chicken Soup for the Soul Day. Well since November 12^th is a special day for me being my birthday I thought I’d see what bizarre holiday I celebrate each year. Chicken Soup for the Soul days is a celebration about you. It was created by Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises for advertising or commercial reasons. They say “a Celebration of who you are, where you’ve been, where you’re going, and who you will be thankful to when you get there.”

8.       November 30 – Stay at home because you are well day. I actually laughed a little when I read this one. This day is actually copyrighted by Wellcat.com. Their reasoning is to call in “well” to work and just take a day off. The website I was looking at had this Caution: “We recommend you use extreme caution and good judgment. Following the concept of this day could get you reprimanded or cost you your job. Participating in this day might not be the right thing for you to do.” I hope we all actually know that for ourselves but sometimes it’s nice just to have a day off. So if you’d like to take this day off maybe plan ahead a little and use some vacation.

9.       December 12 – National Poinsettia Day. I love Poinsettia’s. When I taught dance we’d do a fundraiser nearly every year selling these beautiful flowers from a local greenhouse. Now I typically buy one from one of the neighbor kids who’s fundraising for school or their activity. I love the white/red/pink mixed. This holiday is actually declared a national holiday by an Act of Congress in 2002 in honor of Joel Roberts Poinsett who died on December 12, 1851. He was the first Ambassador to Mexico. He brought this beautiful and colorful flower back to his plantation in the US and then grew them and gave them out as gifts. There is actually a website dedicated to this day at Poinsettiaday.com  

10.   December 25 – National pumpkin pie day. Most of us think of Christmas as the holiday on the 25 of December but it’s also known as Pumpkin Pie day. Pumpkin is one of America’s favorite pies. I was surprised this day was not in conjunction with Thanksgiving. In researching this day I found that the peak consumption of Pumpkin Pie begins with the fall harvest and actually lasts all the way through Christmas. My grandma made some amazing pumpkin pies for the holidays so I’m happy to celebrate this long with Christmas.