Squirrel Appreciation Day is an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate your tree-climbing, nut-gathering neighborhood squirrels. This January 21 holiday is held in mid-winter when food sources are scarce for squirrels and other wildlife. Sure, squirrels spent all fall gathering and “squirreling ” away food. But, their supplies may not be enough. And, the variety of food is limited. So, give them an extra special treat today to supplement their winter diets.

Not everyone likes squirrels. While they are fun to watch skirting around the yard and trees, they are aggressive at bird feeders. Squirrels tip almost any bird feeder and spill the seeds in search of the particular seeds they want. In the fall, they attack pumpkins on front porches in search of the seeds inside. Gardeners consider them a pest, as they dig up and steal flower bulbs, and may eat some of the veggies in your garden.   

When you think about it, mid-winter is the best time to appreciate squirrels. In the winter they provide a little entertainment. Even gardeners may like them on a cold winter’s day when they are not feeding upon flower and vegetable gardens.

According to Christy Hargrove, the founder, “Celebration of the event itself is up to the individual or group — anything from putting out extra food for the squirrels to learning something new about the species.”

Spouse’s Day is a time to enjoy and appreciate your better half. On this January 26 holiday, show your spouse the love! You can use this day as a prelude or warm-up to Valentine’s Day if you’d like. But, note it is not really a gift-giving event. Rather, use it as a time to show your spouse that you care and appreciate all of the things that he/she does for you and the household. In other words, take a minute to be thankful for what you’ve got.

You’re in it for life. Over the long years of a relationship, it’s easy to take for granted the many things your spouse does. He/she is always there. They do so many big and little things as routine activities and events. Take today to notice those things, and to say thanks. As for the “enjoyment” part of the day…we will leave that up to you to enjoy your spouse however the two of you desire.

If you are raising children, it’s hard to find time for each other. However, try to save just a little time and energy for your partner. After the kids go to bed, at least spend some time cuddling with your cutie 

Happy National Rubber Ducky Day, a January 13 holiday. Children and adults just love rubber duckies. It’s a bathtime favorite, that puts a smile on everyone’s face. Toddlers and young children play with rubber duckies in the bathtub and toddler swimming pools. Parents, and grandparents joyfully play along. For adults, it brings back fond memories of childhood baths and pool time.

Did You Know? Chances are you know that the muppet Ernie on Sesame Street, first sang the Rubber Duckie song, and it became an infamous childhood song. The year was 1970. That year the song reached #16 on the Top 100 Chart. It remains one of my favorite childhood songs of all time.

It’s so easy to celebrate National Rubber Duckie Day. Simply hop in the tub and bring your rubber duckie along. Don’t forget to sing the Rubber Duckie song as you play. Another wildly popular thing to do is hold a rubber duckie race.

Are you an adult who owns a rubber duckie? If so, you’re in good company. Rumor has it that Queen Elizabeth II had a rubber Ducky in her bathroom, complete with an inflatable crown!

There is nothing puzzling about this January 29 holiday. National Puzzle Day celebrates puzzles of all sizes, shapes, and forms. Crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles are by far the most common. Sudoku, a number puzzle, is the most recent puzzle rage. And, don’t forget the ever-popular picture puzzles. There are easy puzzles, and there are puzzles for experts. They fit the needs of every person and every skill level. And, if that’s not enough you can do and say puzzling things today.

Puzzles are a favorite pastime of millions of people, young and old. So, what’s with this fascination over puzzles? There are numerous reasons for its popularity. For many, doing puzzles is fun. Some people just like the challenge of completing them, and graduating to evermore complex and difficult puzzle-solving levels. For others, it is a way to kill time and eliminate boredom. Others still, do puzzles to keep their mind sharp or to learn new words.

Whatever the cause for your interest, spend National Puzzle Day doing puzzles. On this day, you can do crosswords, picture puzzles, Sudoku, or any other kind of puzzle that you prefer.

Did You Know?  Doing puzzles helps to keep your brain sharp. It helps improve memory. It also helps to avoid Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Every once in a while, you come upon a special day that just defies definition. Punch the Clock Day is one of those days. Despite all of our research, we found no content information on the Internet to define the purpose or meaning of this January 27 holiday. And, you won’t find information about today in an old Encyclopedia either. So, we assume this holiday celebrates the time clock many of us use to officially record our time on the job. Without it, you don’t receive a paycheck. As a result, this is a very important piece of equipment.

Do you want to get paid? Of course, you do! Many of us punch in and out of work on a time clock.  This records how many hours we worked down to the minute. It allows our company to calculate our wages and to pay us. (I’m all for getting paid.) That makes punching the clock a day worth celebrating.

Not ones to give up easily, we put our thinking caps on regarding the creation of this special day, and we pondered the meaning of this holiday.  We quickly determined that this day is not intended to encourage people to punch their clocks or their watch. This is destructive, serves no logical purpose, and may result in personal injury. But, it just might be a fun thing to do.

Smart as we are (tee hee), we quickly surmised that Punch the Clock Day is a day to celebrate the punch clock or time clocks we use at work. Now, we wondered why celebrate the punch clock at work. This left us bewildered and dumbfounded.

Here’s a fun holiday that will turn your world upside down. Opposite Day is today. This January 25 holiday is a topsy, turvy day where everything you say, do, see, and hear is the opposite. Look into a mirror. You are looking at your opposite image. If you say go left, you mean to go right. When you say look up, it means to look down. If you see your left foot…is it your right?Now that you know when is Opposite Day, it’s time to partake in the wacky fun of this holiday.

Yesiree, Bob. Opposite Day can be a whole lot of fun. It can also be very, very confusing. This special day is celebrated primarily among schoolchildren. Sponge Bob Square Pants even got into the act, with an episode containing the whimsical nature of this day.

Today’s Motto: Opposites attract.

National Pie Day is today, a January 23 holiday.  Today is a special day that is set aside to bake all of your favorite pies. On this day, you are also encouraged to bake a few new pie recipes. And most importantly, it’s a day to eat pies! The American Pie Council created this day simply to celebrate them.

A great way to celebrate National Pie Day is to bake some pies and give them away to friends, neighbors, and relatives. You never know, you may be starting a tradition of pie giving between your friends and family.

The American Pie Council sponsors the National Pie Championships. Some of the best pie makers in the world enter their pies.  Perhaps you will enter and win the “American Pie Council’s Best Pie in America” award.

It is very fitting that the Tin Can has its very own special day of recognition. Made of tin-coated steel or aluminum, the humble tin can is perhaps one of the greatest inventions in history. It revolutionized the storage of perishable foods. Tin cans are part of virtually everyone’s lives. It changed the way we store food and allowed for safe, long-term storage of so many foods. So, enjoy National Tin Can Day, a January 19 holiday.

The tin can was invented in the early 1800s. Several people claim to be the inventor and/or the holder of the first patent. The first tin cans were produced in England. Philippe Henri de Girard of France is the original creator. French Inventor Nicholas Appertin came up with the canning concept in 1809. Peter Durand of England patented the tin can in 1810. On January 19, 1825, Ezra Daggett and Thomas Kensett received the U.S. tin can patent. The celebration of National Tin Can Day is in recognition of this event.

While the tin can was invented in early 1800, it wasn’t until 1858, nearly 50 years later, that Ezra Warner invented the can opener. Before that, tin cans were hacked, chopped, and chiseled open. 

The Tin Can Day Motto: Yes, we can!!

For many decades, the tin can was used and then discarded. A precious few cans had a second use as target practice. Today, the tin can receives the respect it is due. It is a valuable commodity that is now recycled, keeping it from the waste stream.

Did You Know? Tin cans were once sealed with lead, causing many cases of lead poisoning.

Celebrate National Tin Can Day by enjoying meals that come from tin cans.

Just look around at all of the people you see today. It’s pretty clear that Americans are not getting enough exercise. Would you like to get into peak shape and improve your health? Do you want to live longer? Are you looking for an amateur sport that you can participate, in and even compete in? Then, National Take the Stairs Day is for you!  If taking the stairs is a little foreign to you, set an initial goal to always walk up one flight and down two flights. While you get the most benefit from walking upstairs, walking downstairs is good for you, too. 

The primary goal of this special day is to encourage you and me to improve our health, by leaving the elevator behind, and walking up the stairs. Walking up and down stairs, instead of using the elevator or escalator, is a non-impact activity that most of us can do. It helps us tone our muscles, maintain or even lose weight, and contribute to cardiovascular health.

Most smartphones have an app that counts stairs. If your phone does not have it, you can download a stair-counting app.

Stair Climbing Factoid: A 160-pound person who climbs for 3 minutes, expends approximately 30 calories.

Did You Know? Stair Climbing, either walking or running, is an organized, amateur competitive event!

Discover and enjoy the health benefits of taking the stairs today. Then, make it a daily habit.

Today is National Spaghetti Day, a January 4 holiday. Grab a big bowl, fill it with spaghetti, and top it with a generous helping of your favorite sauce. Then, dig in. And, don’t forget the meatballs and parmesan cheese! Spaghetti is one of over 600 shapes of pasta. It is by far, the most popular shape. Spaghetti is topped off with any one of 15 types of sauce. Marinara sauce is the most popular.

Of course, many people think of Italy and Italian cuisine, as the birthplace of spaghetti. In reality, pasta or macaroni dates back to ancient times. Ancient cultures were cooking pasta noodles well before they were introduced to Italy and other parts of Europe. Marco Polo is erroneously credited with bringing spaghetti and pasta to Europe. But, records show Europeans cooking pasta well before Marco Polo began his travels. Peering even farther back in time, Arab cultures were selling dried spaghetti-like noodles in open markets in the early 1200s. The Chinese were cooking pasta noodles as far back as 5,000 B.C.

While ancient cultures were making and eating spaghetti and other pasta well before it came to Europe, it’s the Italians who popularized it in cuisines. It was introduced into the United States through the travels of Thomas Jefferson, who brought it back from Naples, Italy in 1789. Italian immigrants also brought it over with them to the U.S., where its popularity quickly spread. 

Spaghetti in Italian means thin string or twine.

On a National Spaghetti Day, we hope you thoroughly enjoy your bowl of Spaghetti today. To more completely enjoy this special day, make the spaghetti noodles yourself. It’s a cinch. All you need is flour, water, and a pasta maker.