Do you know the old saying “If the shoe fits, wear it”? Well, ignore it. Put on Your Own Shoes Day is today, a December 6 holiday. There isn’t much to say about this holiday. The message is clear…. wear your shoes. But, don’t you do this every day? You sure wouldn’t want to intentionally put your stinky toes into someone else’s shoes. And, the opportunity to make this mistake is pretty infrequent.  

We understand the meaning behind Wear Brown Shoe Day, celebrated just a few days ago.  But, what could possibly cause someone to create Put on Your Own Shoes Day….hmmmmm. Perhaps, it was created by young mothers teaching their children how to put their shoes on for the first time!?

Well, regardless of what you think of this special day, we celebrate all of the holidays and special days. We are going to put our best foot forward as we put our own shoes on today. And we will enjoy doing so. As for you…. please put your stinky toes into your own shoes!

Have a happy Put on our Own Shoes Day.

National Violin Day is today, a musical December 13 holiday. Pick up your Stratovarius, and let’s play make some sweet music together. The violin is an elegant musical instrument, a classy musical instrument. 

If you are thinking about playing a stringed musical instrument that is a member of the violin family, then you have a lot of instruments to choose from. They each sound a little different and play a little different. There are so many types of violins that you may consult the opinion of a musical instructor to help you determine which specific violin is best for you.

Those who play this instrument can create some awesome music. The sound is fantastic when played as a solo. And, in a concert band or orchestra, the sound blends well with just about any musical piece. If you are a violinist, we salute you.

Unlucky Day is today, a December 31 holiday. Unfortunately, not every day can be a lucky day. We sincerely hope that today is not unlucky for you. However, it will be unlucky for some of us. It seems fitting that Unlucky Day is the last day of the year. You get the chance to get all the bad things out of the way, so next year will be happy, healthy, prosperous, and above all a lucky year. And, look for things that will change your luck. Pick up a lucky penny off the ground. But remember, heads bring good luck, while tails bring bad luck.

Friday the 13th: Any day when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday, it is considered an unlucky day. This happens from 1 to 3 times in a given year. You would think that’s enough unlucky days for a year.

Do you have….  Paraskevidekatriaphobia? If you are afraid for Friday the 13th, an unlucky day for most, then this is the diagnosis.

Get all the unlucky things out of your life. And do it early, so you can celebrate the new year tonight. It’s going to be a wonderfully lucky year!

On this last day of the year, we hope that you have a very lucky Unlucky Day, and that the new year is a very lucky, healthy, and prosperous one!

What’s for dinner tonight!? Who would have ever thought we’d ever be celebrating a pig of any kind or for any reason? And, not just any pig, specifically a suckling pig. National Roast Suckling Pig Day is a delicious December 18 holiday to enjoy and remember. While everyone is running around, frantically preparing for the holidays, mom or grandma is busy in the kitchen. She has taken a break from the hubbub to cook a fancy meal…. a roasted suckling pig. As you read this, how many of you thought to yourselves… “Yeah, right… fat chance that will happen.”

In case you didn’t know….  a “Suckling Pig”, also called “Sucking Pig”, is a young piglet that has not yet been weaned from its mother. One might argue “how cruel”. This author would not disagree.

Roasting a whole pig takes a long time and is a fair amount of work, even a small one. But, the result is well worth it. If you are too busy to roast a pig today, take a well-deserved break. Go out to a local restaurant and order a roasted suckling pig dinner. It’s quicker and easier!

Have a happy and delicious National Roast Suckling Pig Day!!!

St. Nicholas Day is today, a December 6 holiday. Yes, there really was a Christian Saint Nicholas. He lived in the country of Greece, just a couple hundred years after the birth of Christ. This day is in honor of Saint Nicholas and his life. Saint Nicholas became a priest, and later, a Bishop of the early Catholic Church. True to the Christian concept of giving up belongings and following Christ, St. Nicholas gave up all of his belongings. He was well known for giving to needy people, especially children. There are many stories and tales of him helping out children in need.

The practice of hanging up stockings originated with Saint Nicholas. As the ancient legend goes, Saint Nicholas was known to throw small bags of gold coins into the open windows of poor homes. After one bag of gold fell into the stocking of a child, news got around. Children soon began hanging their stockings by their chimneys “in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there”.

It wasn’t until the 1800’s that the spirit of St. Nicholas’ life evolved into the creation of Santa Claus. And, this happened in America. Santa Claus emerged (or evolved) from the stories and legends of St. Nicholas. Santa Claus was kind and generous to children. Unlike “St. Nick”, Santa Claus is largely a non-religious character. Although hs does have roots in Christianity.

The three pictures on this page, are a good example of the evolution from St. Nicholas and his practices, through to the arrival of Santa Claus and the traditions of modern-day Christmas.

Have a happy St. Nicholas Day.

Make Cut Out Snowflake Day is here and now. Aren’t you happy that this December 27 holiday has finally arrived!? Here’s a day to show your crafty skills, as you make paper snowflakes. Cutting out snowflakes is a great project for kids. However, you don’t have to be a kid, to have fun making paper snowflakes. It’s a skill that is practiced by many people. They say no two snowflakes are alike. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, that there are seemingly countless different snowflake designs. Templates abound, from fast and easy patterns to intricate time-consuming designs to challenge the most practiced snowflake maker.

This is a great after-Christmas project for your kids. After all the excitement, the kids settle down, if only for a few minutes, and work on a fun art project at home. Most of the winter is ahead of us. So, the snowflakes make a great decoration for your home or your child’s room. The holiday decorations will soon be stored away until next year. But, you can leave the snowflakes p until spring.

So, if you like snow…bring it on! Bring out the paper and scissors and cut out some paper snowflakes on this very special Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day.

Today is Santa’s List Day a December 4 holiday. Santa Claus has a “Nice List” and a “Naughty List”. You never want to get on the naughty list. Have you been good all year? Have you been naughty? Or, have you been nice? Santa knows the answer. He always knows. Santa, with the help of his elves, creates the first draft of these lists by December 4 each year. Thanks to the hard work of his elves, Santa Claus creates and updates the two lists. The short list contains the names of a few children who have been naughty. A much longer list is filled with the names of children who have been good all year long.

Santa’s Elves are everywhere, checking up on children all over the world, to see who has been naughty, and who has been nice. Don’t try to see them, they are very clever in hiding as they watch to see who is naughty and who is nice. They are watching all of the time. The elves help Santa Claus to update the “Naughty List” and the “Nice List”.  Changes are made to the list as needed, all the way up to about an hour before Santa leaves in his sled to deliver toys to children on the “Nice List.”

Which list are you on, Naughty or Nice? Kids….. make sure to be especially good around the holidays. That’s when parents need children to be on their best behavior, as they are busy preparing for the holidays. The ever-present elves will take notice and report your good behavior to Santa Claus at the North Pole. 

We hope you have a joyful and Happy Santa’s List Day!!!!

Are you who you think you are? What exciting, fascinating, and famous people are in your family tree!? Were any of your ancestors involved in historic events? Celebrate your genealogy, as today is Roots Day. This December 23 holiday is a great day to celebrate your heritage. Many of us are returning to our roots today, as we head home for Christmas. Returning to our roots is a warm, cozy, and comfortable feeling. It’s a sense of belonging.

A hobby and a quest: Many people get caught up and become captivated with researching and uncovering their family roots. This hobby is the study of Genealogy. Genealogy can take interesting twists and turns. We often discover our ancestors come from exciting and fascinating places. We find we are related to famous people in history. Sometimes, we come upon dead ends in our genealogical family tree. Other times, we find a distant relative who has performed some of the very same research. The result of the encounter could provide you with huge sections of the family tree, literally handed to you.

Be prepared to find amazing facts about your roots. Some will be wonderful, like having a World War II hero in your family tree. Or, you may discover and correspond with distant relatives on your family tree. Sometimes, you find disturbing things like a murderer or criminal among your ancestors. Either way, use Roots Day to learn about your roots. And find out more about who you are and who your ancestors were.

Today’s Reading: Roots, by Alex Haley