Celebrate Every Day

How Many Centenarian's Do You Know? And Do Any Of Them Have Hairy Feet?

Welcome to September 22, 2020 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate living history and small heroes with hairy feet.

If you have made it to 100 years old, congratulations!  Today we celebrate you on National Centenarian's Day.  In the United States alone, there are estimated to be nearly 72,000 centenarians. The youngest of those were born after the end of World War I and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. They represent a living history full of tales not found in books and their stories animate and compliment what we already know. I have always had friends that were decades older than me and maybe it's because I appreciate just that.  One of my dearest friends lived to be 104 and her stories about living through WWII still stick with me today.  On National Centenarian's Day, count yourself lucky if someone you love can share stories that bring history to life from their very own past.

In the early 1930s, J.R.R. Tolkien created the greatest fantasy epic of all time. There were dragons, goblins, and wizards but at the heart of his stories were Hobbits. Bilbo and Frodo Baggins each helped save Middle Earth, but neither was anything special. They were ordinary folk like you and me, who got caught up in something far bigger than themselves. These small creatures are meant to be stand-ins for the regular guy, and to be examples of how people can grow beyond their comfortable lives when they take risks. On Hobbit Day, you may not slay a dragon, but you can step outside your comfort zone to make a difference. And there's still time in the day for “second breakfast.” 

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How Do You Do Si Do?

Welcome to September 21st, 2020 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate being square and being spicy.

Square dancing evolved from traditional European social dances, with most of the terms it uses coming from French. Why French? Because after the Revolutionary War, Americans embraced anything that wasn’t British and  the British really disliked the French. Social dances in Europe followed memorized steps, but American dances were less formal. Because no one wanted to learn a whole dance, one of square dancing’s most distinctive features was born. A caller leads everyone through the dance steps so that dancers only need to be good listeners in order to have a good time. During National Square Dance Month it’s a great time to Do-Si-Do and Promenade into a whole new hobby. 

If you're a fan of chai tea, then you may have been drinking it all year long, but for those who celebrate the change in seasons, chai is the perfect spicy pick me up for cooler weather. The word ‘chai’ means ‘tea’ in Hindi, but the original drink didn’t contain tea at all.  In fact the milk and sweetener in today’s recipe, were added by the British during their occupation of Indian. Legend has it that chai was created 5000 years ago for an Indian king for medicinal purposes. Spicy ginger and black pepper stimulate digestion, cloves relieve pain, cardamom elevates your mood and cinnamon supports the lungs and heart.  Sounds like a cure all to me!  On National Chai Day enjoy this delicious drink with added benefits worth celebrating! 

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Does Food Taste Better When You Play With It?

Welcome to September 20th, 2020 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate playing with your food and glorified leftovers.

In the 1950s, the popularity of pizza in the US skyrocketed and so did the demand for mozzarella cheese. Baker Cheese Company in St. Cloud, Wisconsin shifted from making cheddar to mozzarella in order to cash in on the craze.   The gamble paid off big when this family owned business became a major supplier of mozzarella for many pizzerias. The cheese was shipped out in large blocks or loaves, which was perfect for a business, but Baker wanted to try something different: individual servings. What we now know as string cheese was marketed to bars as a quick bite to enjoy while having a drink. But when kids got their hands on it the word was out: string cheese is fun! On National String Cheese Day, celebrate the snack that’s all about playing with your food.

Rice is a staple in many cuisines, but fried rice is one of the world’s most popular dishes for a reason.  It's easy to elevate this side dish to a main event by adding chicken, steak or prawns.   The recipe calls for leftover rice, and clearly this is a bonus for restaurants, who might have plenty of that on hand.  But for home cooks the recipe is pretty simple. Start with long grained rice, peas, carrots and onions, and add a little egg to bring it all together. The best part of making it at home is that you can spice it up according to your tastes.  Add any protein cooked on the grill, and you just earned your Iron Chef status.  On National Fried Rice Day, don't be afraid to mix things up in your own kitchen. 

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How Might Ye Be Celebrating Today, Matey?

Welcome to September 19th, 2020 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate scurvy sea dogs and cutting a rug.

Ahoy, me hearties! Batten down the hatches for one of the best days of the year. It’s Talk Like a Pirate Day, when you can unleash your inner buccaneer and pretend you're a wiley old sea dog. Why say: “okay” when you can say “Arrrg” instead? And why let Johnny Depp have all the fun?  Some places offer discounts when you dress like a pirate and order like one too.  But steer clear of landlubbers who cant take a joke, because clearly you've been waiting for this day all year. 

Anna: Do you have any pirate jokes, Marlo?

Marlo: What’s a pirate’s favorite letter?

Anna: Uh, 'R'?

Marlo: No it’s the ‘C.’

Though you may have two left feet on the dance floor, no one can resist cutting loose to their favorite tune.  And while you may not admit it, great dance scenes in movies can make you bust a move in your living room. Think twist contest in Pulp Fiction or “We Go Together” from Grease. Hey, Marlo has that ever happened to you?  What’s your favorite dance scene from a movie?  Uh, John...you got anything? For me it’s gotta be the final scene from “Footloose.”  I mean the whole movie builds to that point in a town that’s banned music and dance. So every time I replay that movie I have to get up and dance.   And I’m totally outing Chris right now but his favorite is the tap dance scene in “La La Land.”  On National Dance Day bust out your own moves, even if it's in your living room with the cast of your favorite movie.

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Who Made The Very First Cheeseburger?

Welcome to September 18th, 2020 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate Legends in the sky and on the ground.

When he enlisted into the United States Army, Chuck Yeager knew nothing about airplanes, and had little interest in finding out. He learned that the Army Air Forces were looking for pilots, a position that paid far better than what he had. Yeager applied and got the job, then went on to become a highly decorated fighter pilot, earning the rank of Brigadier General. Most famously, he was the first person to break the speed of sound. But that event almost didn’t include Yeager. Two days before the test flight, he broke his ribs, and rather than tell his superiors, he taped up his ribs and rigged a device to help him close the hatch on the plane. The rest is legend. As we celebrate the Air Force Birthday, may we honor the men and women who follow the path carved by this flying ace, who demonstrated the “right stuff” that is still emulated to this day.

Some foods are just plain perfect. And when that happens, everyone wants to take credit for inventing them.  In the case of the cheeseburger we aren't gonna argue and so, for National Cheeseburger Day here are some honorable mentions.  In 1926, Lionel Sternberger was working at his dad's restaurant, The Rite Spot in Pasadena, CA when he dropped a slice of cheese on a sizzling burger.  He claims to have been the first.  Both Gus Belt of the Steak n’ Shake and Louis Ballast of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In filed for a trademark on the word ‘cheeseburger,’ and the winner in 1935 was Louis Ballast from Denver, Colorado. We still think everyone’s a winner on National Cheeseburger Day, especially if you celebrate it with grilled onions!

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How Do You Celebrate A New Season Of Apples?

Welcome to September 17th, 2020 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate foods baked, steamed and fried in tradition.

If you’ve read The Count of Monte Cristo  you might think of sword fights, adventure, and swashbuckling. The Monte Cristo sandwich, on the other hand, has nothing to do with adventure or revenge, but it does resemble a croque monsieur sandwich. Made with white bread, ham, turkey and swiss that is dipped in batter and fried in butter, the Monte Cristo became popular in the 1950's. And while it might have been content to live out its days as a French knock off sandwich, the Monte Cristo swung its way onto the menus at Disneyland in the 1960's, where it grabbed up a sidekick of jelly and vaulted into stardom.  Okay, it's still just a sandwich. On National Monte Cristo Day, find your own adventurous side as you order up one of these classics for lunch.

As soon as the air turns crisp, we look forward to a new season of apples. To savor the fresh taste that signals Fall we celebrate with apple dumplings.  There are many variations from Bavaria to England, and while they all include apples and some kind of dough, the key difference is how they are cooked. The word dumpling in German means steamed, which is why their apple dumplings are boiled and steamed.  Our recipe comes from Pennsylvania and in the Amish tradition they are baked with cinnamon and sugar to a golden crusted perfection.  On National Apple Dumpling Day, celebrate the sweet flavor of Fall that tastes like home no matter where you live.  

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Did You Play With Play-Doh As A Kid? And Did You Know That It Had A Whole Other Purpose Before It Became A Toy?

Welcome to September 16th, 2020 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a fiesta worthy food and a dough with two careers.

Avocados are a known super food, but here’s the breakdown on that.  They have more potassium than bananas, a whopping 7 grams of healthy fiber (yes that’s a whopping amount for a small fruit) and while 77 percent of their calories come from heart healthy fat, this has been known to lower cholesterol in our bodies.  Holy Guacamole!  Break out the chips and let’s get to celebrating.  On National Guacamole Day we dive into a healthy fiesta that’s been around since the Aztecs called it  “ahuaca-molli.” No word on how they celebrated in the 16th century, but you know what to do.  

Fun is in the eye of the beholder.  Take wallpaper cleaner for example.  When Joe McVicker first invented his clay, it was useful for picking up soot.  But when the fuel in our furnaces changed from coal to oil, wallpaper cleaner was on the outs. That’s when Joe saw a new life for his compound and in the hands of some preschoolers, an idea took shape.  Renaming it Play-Doh and adding some color, the toy showed promise, but it took a certain Captain to move it up the ranks. When Captain Kangaroo featured Play-Doh on his new CBS show, the clay became a household name. Inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 1998, it’s hard to imagine a world without this creative invention.  On National Play-Doh Day, celebrate the spirit of fun that still fuels our kids imagination.  

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Are You Mad As A Hatter or Modish As A Pork Pie? What's Your Chapeau Style?

Welcome to September 15th, 2020 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the “top of a season” and the geeks who’ve got our back.

As Summer turns to Fall, most of us swap out our closets for cool weather clothes and for the fashion forward among us this means felt hats.  Not into sporting a chapeau?  Not so long ago people wouldn’t dare be seen in public without one.  More than a fashion statement, hats have identified our status, our military rank and even our religion.  Think Quaker hat or the stovepipe kind worn by a beloved President.  These days, most people love the vintage styles of a pork pie or bowler, and no Kentucky Derby would be complete without the over-the-top creations worn by women on and off the race track.  On National Felt Hat Day, sport your own style, whether you’re mad as a hatter or conservative as a cloche. 

Now more than ever the world is held together by information technology.  If IT makes you crazy as a business owner, then rejoice in the fact that IT professionals can tackle the heavy lifting. From desktops to laptops no one untangles your tech issues like an IT professional.  And while you may not have hung out in high school, you're going to want a nerd in your corner when your server goes down.  End-users can celebrate too, as that quality experience you enjoy is no accident. It's likely the evolution of a whole host of geeks, who work hard to create and maintain our virtual experiences.  On National IT Professional Day, celebrate the unsung heroes who keep the digital world safe and humming.   

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Is It A Hero, A Grinder Or A Sub?

Welcome to September 14th, 2020 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate mixing things up, from our own routines to a popular sandwich.

If you think you’re not creative, think again.  Most of us spend at least a little time each day thinking outside the box. On National Live Creative Day, it’s all about changing things up to give your conscious brain a break from trying to keep it all in check.  Try tuning into a show that is halfway finished and let your mind fill in the missing plot info or back story. Or consider taking a different route along the way to doing errands.  Whenever you can break up your routine, you give your brain a chance to explore some uncharted territory, before it can give you the same excuses for why you’re not an artist or musician.  On National Live Creative Day, expand your perspective on what it means to be creative.

Most foods are known by just one name, but the submarine sandwich varies widely by region. Depending on where you live, you may call it a sub, hero, or grinder. But did you know the name hoagie goes back to World War I? During that time in Philadelphia there were a lot of Italian immigrants working the shipyards on Hog Island and they were known for packing delicious sandwiches for lunch. The sandwiches became known as hoggies in honor of the island where they worked. Though the Philly accent probably explains how 'hoggies' became 'hoagies', a sandwich by any other name will taste just as delicious.  Celebrate National Eat a Hoagie Day with a sandwich of your own, but be prepared to change up the name depending on where you live. 

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Was Uncle Sam A Real Guy?

Welcome to September 13th, 2020 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a fair swap and how our nation got its uncle.

If you remember the movie Freaky Friday then you already know this cautionary tale for parents and kids: the grass is not always greener. If parents could step into the life of their kid they would discover that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.  And vice versa. Why not meet in the middle by celebrating National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day?  It’s a great way to encourage young chefs in the making and take a day off from the dreaded question: what’s for dinner?  Sure it might be pancakes or mac n cheese, but it could also be delicious and when kids get to stretch their legs a little, they may just find their calling.  Be sure to agree ahead of time on who gets to do the dishes.  After all that’s where things could get a little freaky.   

When we hear the name, Uncle Sam we immediately picture the man in the star-spangled hat, decked out in red, white and blue. But did you know that Uncle Sam is based on a real person? During the War of 1812, Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York worked in a meatpacking plant, providing American troops with food for the war effort. It was his job to stamp barrels and crates with the letters U.S., which of course stood for “United States.” But his coworkers began calling the food “Uncle Sam’s,” as they poked fun at their fellow employee. The joke was on them, however, as the name stuck and today Uncle Sam personifies our nation’s strength and idealism. On Uncle Sam Day, celebrate  your own patriotic spirit and be aware of what your nickname says about you.  After all, it could last for centuries.  

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