“Seize the day, every day.” That’s the slogan of Carpe Diem Day. It’s straight and to the point. The message is:  Live today like there will be no tomorrow. Don’t take anything for granted. Celebrate this February 26 holiday by enjoying today to the fullest. You can celebrate this day 

Carpe Diem comes from the Roman poet Horace. Literally translated, it means “Pluck the day”. Over the years, this saying has morphed into “Seize the day”, making the meaning much clearer. The intention of this expression is indeed quite clear. It means you have today, so make the best of it and enjoy life while you can. You have today, don’t hold back until tomorrow which is not guaranteed to come. While you’re at it, encourage others in your life to make the most of the present.

A little poem for Carpe Diem Day:

Yesterday is history,
tomorrow is a mystery,
and today is a gift…
that’s why they call it the present.

By Bill Keane

Carnival Day, a February 26 holiday, celebrates a popular entertainment venue. Each year, millions of Americans flock to these fairs and expositions. They put down big bucks to see death-defying acts, clowns, elephants, lions, animal acts, and much more. Often, they are preceded by a parade. It’s a way to let the townspeople know that they have come to town. They feature a midway with games of chance, a Ferris wheel as well as other thrill rides.

When the spring weather arrives, so does the “Carnies”. They bring with them rides, games of chance, and all kinds of foods, including funnel cakes, cotton candy, and hot dogs, to name a few. Don’t limit your thinking about this event to professional carnivals. Any group or organization can hold one. There is a wide range of summer and winter carnivals. Schools, towns, and even businesses hold all types of them.

The best-known carnivals are the Rio Carnival and Mardi Gras, both held just before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent.

Did You Know? The Western cowgirl Annie Oakley was a circus carnival performer.

Whoever said, “it is far better to give than to receive?” As for me, I sure enjoy receiving greeting cards and reading them. That’s because you can’t read a card until you receive one. That makes today the perfect day, as it is Card Reading Day, a February 21 holiday. It’s a day to read and send greeting cards. In the cards, we express our emotions and feelings towards someone.

We send greeting cards for many reasons. Those reasons include:

• To express our love
• To cheer someone who is ill
• To celebrate a holiday
• To celebrate an event like the birth of a child
• To thank someone 
• And, for countless other reasons

Beyond a doubt, the stationery and Ecard companies love this day. It encourages you to send cards. They like that.

As we did our research, we thought we’d find some history that suggests it is a day for Tarot card readings. It very well could be. But, we found no written evidence to support our theory.

What we can tell you, is that it’s very popular to send and receive cards today. In order to read a card, someone has to send one. So, get the ball rolling and send out some cards today. Chances are good that you will receive a few back in return.  

Did You Know? Americans exchange more greeting cards than any other country. 

Today is Bubble Gum Day. On this day, kids bring 50 cents to school and donate it to a good cause. In exchange, they can chew bubble gum in school today. The school selects in advance, what cause the donations will go to. Ruth Spiro, the creator, wanted to have a day where kids can simply participate in donating, without constantly selling things. She says that since its creation, this day has become a sweet success!

Bubble Gum Day was originally established for schools. But, libraries, clubs, and community groups can and do participate. Even businesses are encouraged to hold a Bubble Gum Day event.

The date of this event was established on the first Friday of February, rather than a set date. This is so it will occur on a school day. Some websites, that have not researched this day, erroneously report it on a fixed date.

Bubble Gum Trivia: Ancient Greeks used the resin from mastic trees as chewing gum. However, bubble gum wasn’t invented until much later.  In 1928, Walter Diemer was the first to perfect the right ingredients needed to make chewing gum that can make big bubbles. After coming up with the fright ingredients, he almost immediately lost the recipe. Then, he spent four months of experimenting to re-create the recipe.  At the time of his invention, Diemer was a young accountant at Fleer Chewing Gum Company.

We hope you have a successful fundraiser on this day.

Boy Scout Day celebrates the birthday of Scouting in America. On February 8, 1910, Chicago publisher William Dickson Boyce filed incorporation papers in the District of Columbia to create the Boy Scouts of America. Boy scouts, leaders, and the whole scouting family celebrate this February 8 holiday. 

Scouting groups across the country celebrate this day. Often a cake will be served at the weekly meeting or on a campout. Scout Sunday, the Sunday nearest the 8th of February, will often be marked with a church service, followed by a pancake breakfast. 

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts offer a tremendously valuable program of life skills and values for millions of boys. It has been popular ever since Lord Baden-Powell founded Boy Scouts in the early 1900s in Great Britain. Eagle Scout is the top award in Boy Scouts. It is an accomplishment that reaps recognition, rewards, and benefits for a young man throughout his life.

Cut yourself a big slice of humble pie, as today is Be Humble Day, a February 22 holiday. Today is not a day to brag or boast. It’s not a time to talk about your success or accomplishments. It is absolutely taboo to be a braggart today. Rather, act modestly in everything you do and say.

This holiday can and should be a humbling experience. That’s exactly the intent of today. Humbleness is a good thing, a virtue. People much prefer a humble person to a braggart.  Practice humbleness today, and every day. It will serve you well in life.

Important Exception: While you can’t brag about yourself today, it is very appropriate to brag about your kids today, or any day.

Song for Today: Humble and Kind, (2015) sung by TIm McGraw

People get a charge out of National Battery Day. We are absolutely energized by their many uses and applications. This February 18 holiday is an opportunity to celebrate a vital and useful invention. We use batteries everywhere, from our cell phones and electronic games to flashlights, smoke alarms, and countless remote-control devices. Batteries are everywhere, too. And, they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and power capacities, to fit a wide array of needs.

Just imagine where the world would be without batteries. We’d still be using a hand crank to start our automobiles. Then, we’d have to cart around long extension cords to bring a boombox to the beach. More and more electric cars are hitting the roads every year. And, they use big batteries.

The downside to all of the batteries we use, is we are sending billions of them to the waste stream. Yet, they are harmful to the environment. As a result, we suggest you participate in this day by making an effort to convert to rechargeable batteries.

Yesiree, batteries are electrifying!

Today is a good time to appreciate the real power of batteries in our everyday lives.

Did You Know? The energy needed to create a fully charged battery is 50 times greater than the actual power output capability of the battery.