World Freedom Day is a U.S. federal observance, marking the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was known as the “Iron Curtain”. This special November 9 holiday also commemorates the end of communism in Eastern and Central Europe. The Berlin Wall was very much a symbol of communism and the lack of basic freedoms. The Berlin Wall separated communist East Berlin from West Berlin, keeping apart family and friends from each other in their own city! Can you imagine not having the freedom to go where you pleased?

In the late 1980s, communism was weakening in Europe. The communist grip on many countries was slowly failing, and democracy was returning to several eastern European countries. In 1989, after weeks and months of unrest, the communist government of East Germany finally relented. On November 8, 1989, they announced that East German citizens could freely visit West Berlin and West Germany, throwing open the Berlin Wall. People responded with joyous victory celebration at the wall. Many people chipped away pieces of the wall as souvenirs. Demolition of the wall began in December 1989. It was completed in 1990.

As Americans, we seldom take the time to consider just what freedom is or to appreciate that we live in a country where we are indeed free. Unlike millions of people in many other countries, we tend to take freedom for granted. Communist countries and dictatorial regimes all repress even some of the most basic freedoms. Can you imagine the thought of speaking your mind in any way against one of these forms of government? It can have dire and even fatal consequences.

Happy World Freedom Day!!

World Diabetes Day is today, a November 14 holiday. It is an annual event that brings awareness to the scope of this global illness. Millions of people are inflicted with it. Here in America, it is getting increasingly worse, driven by poor diets and lack of exercise.

Diabetes has two forms. The first is Juvenile or Type 1 Diabetes. You are born with it or develop it in your youth.  The second is Adult Onset Diabetes. This is known as Type II Diabetes.

Diabetes is a growing problem in children and adults. Many see it as a looming crisis in America, due to our diets, and more sedentary lifestyles. In the case of Type 2, it usually can be avoided or delayed with diet and exercise.

There are several goals for this special day.  They include:

• To raise awareness of Diabetes -causes, effects, and complications.
• To provide conferences and educational programs about Diabetes, treatment, and management.
• To promote fundraising for treatment and cures. Bike hikes are a popular fundraising event for this day.
• To encourage people to make lifestyle changes to fight the onset of this disease.
• To seek a cure.

USMC Day celebrates the birth of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps was created during the Revolutionary War. This November 10 holiday celebrates and honors those who have served in the Marines.

The Continental Congress of the newly created United States of America authorized the creation of the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775. It was later renamed the U.S. Marine Corps. It is often abbreviated as USMC.

The Marine Corps has proudly participated in every war that has involved the United States.

If you see a Marine today, thank them for their contributions to protecting our country. Active or retired, they deserve our thanks and appreciation.  

Do You know what Semper fi means? It means “always faithful”.

Today’s Motto: “Leave No Man Behind'”

The objective of National Tie One on Day is likely something other than what you were thinking. It is not a day to indulge in copious amounts of alcohol. And, it’s not a day to tie something onto something. Rather, it’s a day of kindness and encouragement. The tradition for this day is to bake a fresh loaf of bread. Then, wrap up the bread and a new apron together. Give this anonymously to someone less fortunate or in need of cheering up.

According to the Apron Memories website, National Tie One on Day is a day to “give from the heart”. Tomorrow, we will give thanks for what we have. Today, you get the opportunity to put the “Give” back into Thanksgiving, by doing one small good deed for someone less fortunate.

Take a Hike Day is today, a November 17 holiday. Walking, and hiking are excellent ways to exercise and get into shape. Hikes are distinguished from walks, in that they are taken in the woods, hills, mountains, or somewhere else in a natural setting. Hikes not only give you exercise, but they also provide scenic sites and vistas, that are good for the relaxation of the mind and soul.

There is some reference to this as National Tell Your Boss to Take a Hike Day. It likely evolved out of Take a Hike Day. We have found no factual information whatsoever, on this derivation of Take a Hike Day. Also, we believe that telling your boss to “take a hike”, may not be healthy for your employment situation.

Some people have suggested that this day be used to tell someone to “take a hike”. We leave this use of this interpretation up to the reader!

Use this special day to take a hike, alone or with others. Make it a goal to hike today and work off a little excess weight so you can put it right back on during Thanksgiving. You’ll be glad you did.

Stay at Home Because You Are Well Day is today, a November 30 holiday. Do you feel okay? If so, it is a good day to take off from work.

According to  Wellcat.com, the creators of this special day, the objective is to call in “well” to your work. It’s as simple as that.

Caution: We recommend you use extreme caution and good judgment. Following the concept of this day could get you a reprimand or cost you your job. Participating in this day might not be the right thing for you to do. 

You may be hesitant to call in “well”. Certainly, the boss could become perturbed. And, you don’t want to lie. We suggest you tell the boss you are “under the weather”. This isn’t a lie, as we all are constantly under some kind of weather.  Hopefully, you are under sunny weather.

Have a happy Stay at Home Because You Are Well Day.

Small Business Saturday is held each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. And, it’s a really important day for your neighborhood retail shops, helping them to get a slice of the huge holiday market.

Small Business Saturday is the much smaller kid brother to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Small businesses participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday. However, their efforts are dwarfed by the big, national chains, and the monster-sized Amazon. Small businesses do not have the advertising budgets and brand awareness to compete with the big stores on these two mega-shopping days. Sales numbers on these two days can be lower for small businesses, as consumers focus upon the many deals the big stores offer and advertise over every media outlet in existence.

Small Business Saturday is a hugely important day for small business owners. On this day, the focus is solely on these small, hometown shops. It brings awareness to the presence of these small shops. Before today, you just might have driven past these shops, without really seeing them as you head to a big box store. Small Business Saturday drives shoppers to local stores in big numbers, if only for the day. It builds awareness that there is indeed a shop right in the community, that offers a plethora of different and unique holiday gift ideas. This day can have long-term, positive effects on your local businesses well beyond this one day. And, it has a positive impact on your local economy.

On Small Business Saturday, these quaint little shops offer promotions and sales. Free samples are sometimes given out. You might find a sweet treat of chocolate or a cookie, as you enter the store. This day has seen consistent year-over-year sales growth rates, but not as big as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Shopping Reminder Day is today, a November 26 holiday. On your mark. Get Set. Go Shop!

If we all heed this reminder, there is no doubt the malls and stores will be mobbed. And, the internet will slow down. But, wait a minute!? Isn’t the holiday season already in full gear? Aren’t we being blasted with ads on television, radio, newspapers, and billboards? How could we not know that it’s time to shop for the holidays?

There is no shortage of fun, crazy, wacky, and special days. Some of them are a little “wackier” than others. As we pondered this special day, we realized if you need a special day this time of year, to remind you to do your holiday shopping, then it’s not just this special day that’s a little wacky.  

So, just in case you weren’t thinking about it, please remember to do your holiday shopping.

Also see Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.

Saxophone Day is today, a November 6 holiday. The Sax is a classical brass wind instrument. It is an essential instrument in jazz bands, symphonic bands, marching bands, and more. It’s only fitting that this great instrument has a day of recognition all to its own.

The Saxophone was invented around 1840. It was created by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian musical instrument maker.  The sax is made of brass.

Adolphe Sax invented 8 types of saxophones: Sopranino, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Contrabass, and Subcontrabass. The first Saxophone ever created was the Bass Saxophone. The 9th type of Saxophone, the Soprillo Saxophone, was invented in 2004. It is the smallest Sax.

Some famous Sax players (Alphabetical order):

• John Coltrane
• Stan Getz
• Coleman Randolph Hawkins “Hawk”
• James Moody
• Charlie “The Bird” Parker
• Lester Prez Young

Happy Saxophone Day!!!

We invite you to bite into your favorite sandwich, for today is Sandwich Day., a November 3 holiday. This is a day you can sink your teeth into. The sandwich is truly a great creation. They are a daily luncheon staple for millions of Americans. As a matter of fact, they are so popular, that there are endless varieties for you to make. There is a huge choice of bread and condiments. Then, the things you can put in between the bread offers countless variety.