It’s early August and the weather is still sizzling hot. The humidity is up there, too. We’ve got a great way for you and your friends to chill out. All you need is your bathing suit, a bunch of latex balloons, and water. With these few essentials, it is time to get wet as you celebrate National Water Balloon Day. Let the water balloon war begin!

The summertime fun continues. This is a day that people of almost all ages can participate. The littlest tykes and often elderly folk are among the few who may opt out of participating. However, moms and dads, aunts and uncles, as well as plenty of grandparents are often full participants in the fight. If you are having a water balloon war, once Grandpa tosses a water balloon at a participant, he becomes a fair target!

Mamma always said, “Don’t leave home without clean underwear.” If someone saw yours, would you be embarrassed? It’s National Underwear Day. On this August 5 holiday, we celebrate undergarments. I’ve got a feeling this day is going to be a lot of fun. Put on a clean bra and panties, tighty whities or boxers, and go out to celebrate this very special and unique day.

 Freshpair, Inc., the founder of this day, promotes and celebrates this holiday in a big way. According to their website, every year they “hold New York City model events, massive underwear giveaways, a pop-up shop in Columbus Circle, and a Times Square runway show.” It’s all in good taste.

In 2013, Freshpair Inc. organized over 800 people scantily dressed in their underwear in NYC’s Times Square, to break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people in their underwear. Believe it or not, this was not enough to break the record. But, thanks to this event, a new holiday was born.

Today is a great opportunity to show off what you’ve got. Strut around in your favorite lingerie and underclothes. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face. However, we do recommend you enjoy this holiday in good taste. 

On National Underwear Day you can also choose to “go commando”. However, please put street clothes on first.

Italian Spumoni Ice Cream is a real treat on a hot summer day or any day. And it’s August, so of course the weather is still hot. If you need another reason to enjoy some Italian ice cream, then you’ve got it. Today is National Spumoni Day, an August 21 holiday.

Spumoni is an Italian ice cream, originating in Naples, Italy. It was brought to America by immigrants in 1870. While it is enjoyed any day of the year, many people consider it a Christmas-time dessert or treat.

Spumoni is made of layers of ice cream (usually vanilla, but sometimes chocolate) candied fruits, cherries, and nuts. Pistachios are commonly used. Whipped cream is included in some recipes.

Did You Know? Canada celebrates Spumoni Day on November 13.

Certainly, you know how to celebrate National Spumoni Day?  Have some Spumoni ice cream! 

National Potato Day is today, an August 19 holiday. This a day to celebrate and enjoy a few potatoes. The versatile spud can be enjoyed in some way for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and as a snack. While it can be eaten raw, it is usually cooked, boiled, baked, mashed, or fried. It is used in countless recipes. What really makes the potato stand out, is the many things you can put on or in it, as demonstrated by the loaded baked potato. Regardless of how you cook it, or what you put on it, Americans can’t seem to get enough of the starchy spud. And, we just love to cook with potatoes, as they are very ap-peeling!

Potatoes are one of the largest vegetable crops in the world. They were first cultivated in Peru, around 5,000- 7,000 BC. Pardon the broad estimate, but records were sparse back then, often written on the inside wall of a cave. While most potatoes grow to about the size of your fist or less, the largest potato ever grown, weighed in at 18 pounds, 4 ounces. Now, that’s a whole lot of French fries!

In celebration of National Potato Day, make certain to include potatoes at every meal today, and for snacks, too!

Did You Know? Potatoes were not at the first Thanksgiving. They are native to South America. Potatoes were first domesticated high in the Andes mountains near Lake Titicaca in Peru. 

Happy National Potato Day!

The world is filled with aspiring artists, in particular those who want to become world-renowned poets. Just about everyone is exposed to poetry in high school. In class, young future poets compose their first limericks and haikus. Some students are instilled with a fervor to pursue a career in this field. National Poets Day recognizes and celebrates both aspiring and accomplished poets. On this August 21 holiday, we recognize these artists and show appreciation for their work. 

Being a poet is a difficult career field. Fame is fleeting and earning a living is a difficult task. Like other art fields, fame and fortune are all too often attained only after the artist is dead. And only a few again national or worldwide recognition. That’s not much of an incentive for those who choose this field. As a result, we encourage you to use this day to encourage poets and support them financially. 

Did You Know? Poetry is one of the oldest forms of communication. It dates back to pre-historic times. 

Break out the Mahjong game board and tiles. There are two separate holidays referenced on the internet to celebrate this popular game. You can celebrate National Mahjong Day or Chinese Mahjong Day. If you love the game of Mahjong, why not celebrate on both days!?

The game of Mahjong originated in Shanghai, China. Mahjong is and has been played by millions. Many people speculate that Confucius created Mahjong thousands of years ago. Over many centuries, Mahjong become popular in many countries in Asia, including, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore, to name a few. The game arrived in America in the early 1920s. It took the country by storm and quickly became the rage.

  Mahjong is a 4 player game of strategy. There is a solitary version as well. While the original version is Chinese, there are other varieties, most notably Japanese and American. The game has 144 beautifully decorated, domino-like tiles made of ivory or bamboo (newer, American game pieces are plastic). There are five categories of tiles: simples, winds, dragons, flowers, and seasons.  

Other Names: This day is also referred to as Mah Jong Day, Japanese Mahjong Day, and Mah Jongg Day. 

Do you like to play games? That’s great, as all you need to do today is find three friends and play Mahjong. You are also encouraged to teach someone how to play the game.

We are so glad that someone declared today to be National Kool-Aid Day. It gives millions of us a chance to reminisce back to the days of our childhood and remember just how much we enjoyed Koo-Aid on a hot summer day. It was our favorite sugary soft drink. For decades Kool-Aid was the summer drink of choice for kids of all ages. Never mind the fact that a pitcher of Kook-Aid contains a cup of sugar. Back then, kids burned off calories faster than they could consume it. But, let’s not limit our thinking to days long past. Kool-Aid continues to be enjoyed by millions upon millions of today’s kids, as they build their own future memories. There are plenty of “not so young” kids who frequently drink it as well, bringing back fond memories of fun-filled summer days.

During the Great Depression, the company cut the price in half. As a result, Kook-Aid remained popular throughout the Great Depression. During WWII packages of Kool-Aid, minus the brand name, were included in soldier’s rations. Here’s a little trivia for Monkees fans, Davey Jones appeared in the Kool-Aid commercials during the 1960s.

While summer is the peak time to drink Kool-Aid, it is consumed for 12 months of the year. Kool-Aid is great for everyday consumption and is a whole lot cheaper than healthier choice juice boxes. It is also popular at birthday parties and all kinds of kids’ events. You can also enjoy Kool-Aid in freeze pops, cakes, and other recipes.

Memory Flashback: Do you remember the 1960’s cartoon Kool-Aid Kids”?

Did You Know? Kool-Aid is the official soft drink of the state of Nebraska.

Chances are, it’s hot and muggy outside. Don’t let National Kool-Aid Day go by, without having a drink or two of Kool-Aid under a shady tree.  Are you ready for a sugar high? Make a pitcher for the kids, and have a tall glass yourself!

What is your favorite condiment? Move over ketchup and salsa. Many of us like mustard best of all. Today is National Mustard Day. On this special food holiday, we celebrate the “King of the Condiments”. While we think of it more as a condiment, mustard greens are popular in fresh garden salads.

Mustard is a must-have for hot dogs, sausages, and a wide range of sandwiches. It’s great on top of big pretzels. Both dried and prepared mustard is also an important ingredient in many recipes, too.

When it comes to condiments, Mustard is among the most popular. When it comes to longevity, mustard is unrivaled. It has literally been in use to spice up meals for thousands of years. To retain its status, mustard has not stood still. Rather, it has diversified. It’s not just yellow anymore. There’s a growing selection, including Honey Mustard, Bold, and Spicy, Sharp, and Creamy, and of course Dijon Mustard. Take a trip to your refrigerator, and you will probably find two or three different types of mustard. A trip to the grocery store will reveal even more selections.

Have a happy National Mustard Day.

What’s the Buzz?! Why today is National Honey Bee Day! Let’s celebrate and show our appreciation for the hard-working honeybee, who works so hard to produce the liquid sugary treat that both bees and humans love so much.

Speaking of hard-working, did you know that many bees have to travel 55,000 miles to produce just one pound of honey? To get that pound of honey, those bees need to gather nectar from two million flowers. A single bee will gather just a 1/2 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. After all of this hard work, honeybees deserve this special day of recognition.

This day was first established in 2009 for beekeepers, as a way to promote honey and to encourage educational programs. But, this is too special a day to limit to the beekeepers. We appreciate hard-working honey bees, too. After all, they produce honey that we enjoy, and they are vital to the pollination of a wide array of our fruits and vegetables. Now, that’s certainly something to appreciate!

Other Names: This special day is sometimes called National Honeybee Awareness Day and World Honey Bee Day.

For some sweet, sugary fun, see Honey Bee Trivia

Did You Know? Are you afraid of bees? If so, you have Melissophobia.

Ladies, today is a very special day for you and your BFFs. It’s National Girlfriends Day. This August 1 holiday is a day for you to cherish just as much as you cherish your best friends. It’s a time to spend time together, to share your deepest secrets, and to enjoy the special, life-long bond of love and caring. Today we celebrate all of our girlfriends, and especially our BFF.

They say friends come and go. And, to some extent that’s true. But, we don’t let them go easily because they are precious. There’s a history we share, too. From the time we begin to crawl, we meet new friends to play with, go to school with, and share our dreams. Our BFFs are with us through thick and thin, in the good times, and the bad ones, too. They’re present during our happiest moments. And they are there to console each other when that rotten boyfriend breaks up with us.

So, use National Girlfriends Day to reinforce the bond, to share memories, and to just be together.