The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences award the Oscars annually for the very best in Motion Pictures over the past year. On Oscar Night, Hollywood puts on the best, most lavish show of the year. They roll out the red carpet and the ladies walk along it dressed to the “Nines”. Their fabulous dresses are made by the world’s best designers. To watch the show, many of us dress up, too. And, our parties are filled with food and drinks. While there are many awards ceremonies over the year, the Oscars are the most coveted.

Many people make a television party for the evening, preparing food and snacks, boning up on the nominees, and friendly guessing and betting as to who will be the winners. Historical facts of past Oscars and winners become popular “Did you Know” conversations at work, on radio talk shows, and at home.

People watch the awards to see what the actors and actresses will wear as much as they do to see who wins. The next day there will be lists and talk about the best dresses, the worst dressed, and the least dressed.

Old Rock Day is an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate old stones, boulders, and fossils. Perhaps you can start a rock collection. You can use this January 7 holiday to go on a field trip in search of old fossils (the stone kind).  Or, if you choose, you can just play with old stones, pebbles, and boulders.

There are a lot of fun-filled, yet ill-defined, wild, and wacky holidays. This is one of them. There is little information available on what this day was truly meant to mean. So, the interpretation and the means of celebration are left up to you. Although we offer several ideas later in this article. 

Interestingly, you are standing on an old rock. The earth is a huge and very old one. So too are planets, moons, comets, and meteors. The earth is estimated to be over 4.6 billion years old. But the earth is just a baby compared to other rocks in a universe that are 13.8 billion years old, give or take a few hundred million years. So, if you prefer, you can celebrate the big boulder we call earth today.

By definition, fossils and jewelry stones are old rocks. Undoubtedly, diamonds are a girl’s best friend and favorite stone. But, if she’s already got diamonds, she will never turn down other precious gemstones. And, coal is one, too. You can celebrate and have fun with any or all of these today.

Today is Old Maids Day, a June 4 holiday. This day is dedicated to those single ladies and childless women who are still searching for “Mr. McDreamy”. Still haven’t found “Mr. Right”? Are the years are beginning to pile up? Don’t worry or fret. Think positive. Certainly, the perfect mate is just around the corner.  This day is for you. Old Maids Day brings awareness to those of us who have not yet found (and caught) our soul mates.

Old Maids Day exists to put into the spotlight all of the fair maidens who have yet to find their Prince Charming.

Ladies, celebrate this day by getting out and getting noticed. Guys, open your eyes.” Mrs. Right” may be right under your nose. Hopefully, this is the last year that you will celebrate Old Maids Day.

There’s no shortage of holidays for the women and men who provide medical care and comfort with a healthy dosage of TLC.

• May 6-12: National Nurses Week. It ends on the birthday of Florence Nightengale.
• May 8: National Student Nurses Day
• May 6th: National Nurses Day
• Wednesday of Nurse’s Week: School Nurses Day
• May 12: International Nurse’s Day
• November 14: Operating Room Nurse Day

World No Tobacco Day brings awareness of the health issues and dependency issues related to tobacco use. It includes both chewing and smoking tobacco. This May 31 holiday stresses the importance of making people all over the world aware of the health dangers of using tobacco. It also stresses the addictive nature of tobacco use.

Medical organizations around the world promote and support World No Tobacco Day. Many groups and organizations use this day to encourage individuals to quit smoking. They promote education about the issues and dangers of using all forms of tobacco.

The bottom line: If you smoke or chew tobacco….kick the habit today. Your life depends on it!

Wouldn’t it be nice if every day was a No Tobacco Day!?

National Nothing Day is quite simply… a day for nothing. This January 16 holiday is an “un-event”. The expectation is that we do not create or otherwise promote this day. In other words, we do nothing, too. And, to say anything more would contradict the purpose of this day. Why, those who literally follow the theme for this day cannot even get out of bed. 

Celebrate this day by doing….nothing. It is a day of idleness and inactivity. Of course, that assumes that doing nothing is okay with your boss.

When we first documented this page, we thought about creating a page with just the title “National Nothing Day” on it…. nothing else. There would not be anything to see, read or do. You would be unable to navigate backward or forward….. nothing. Then, our sanity returned. 

Seriously though, columnist and humorist Harold Pullman Coffin proposed an “Un-Event” in 1972. His stated objective is a day with no celebrations, observances, or other events. We wonder what the folks who created Appreciate a Dragon Day have to say about the stated objective of National Nothing Day. Appreciate a Dragon Day is also celebrated on January 16.

Did You Know? In 1992, a Seinfeld television episode titled “The Pitch” aired. George Constanza proposed the creation of a TV show about Nothing.

No Housework Day is today. This April 7 holiday is your chance to do anything, except housework. Better still, have someone else do the chores for a day. Housework is a daily, seemingly endless, and repetitive group of tasks. It often goes unrecognized and worst of all, is often taken for granted. But, watch out! If the dishes aren’t done, or there are no clean towels, somebody notices.

We think it’s important to plan for this holiday. For example, if you’re going to need clean clothes on this day, do the laundry the day before. If you fail to do so, and you find there’s no clean underwear, you’re going to have to “go commando” on No Housework Day.

If you normally do the housework around the house, cease and desist for this day. Instead, kick back and enjoy the day. Relax and do anything, except housework. There is one exception. If you are a spouse or significant other, and you always do the housework for your mate, let them do the housework today. It gives you a break from the routine. And, they just might get an appreciation of how much work it takes to keep up the house.

New Year’s Eve is when all the fun and festivities are. There are many New Year’s Traditions to participate in, including the champagne toast at the stroke of midnight.  We see out the old year and ring in the new. While it is often thought of as a time to drink and be merry, many people take it as an opportunity to eat and be merry. Drinking is not as much a part of the event as it was decades ago, if only because of tougher drunk driving laws. New Year’s Day, on the other hand, is a time to relax and enjoy the start of a bright and promising new year. It’s a new beginning. It is a time to be with family. After all, you haven’t seen your mother-in-law since last year.

So, enjoy everything about New Year’s….it only comes once a year.

To many Americans, the ball dropping at Times Square in New York City signals the start of the new year in this country. The ball was first dropped in 1908.

New Year’s Trivia: Did you know that a raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top?

Did you make a New Year’s resolution? Millions of people do. It’s easy to make resolutions, yet much harder to accomplish them. As you get well into January, those unaccomplished New Year’s resolutions hang over your head. Lucky for you, there is a Ditch Your New Year’s Resolutions Day in January.

An Uplifting New Year Quote: Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering “it will be happier”. – – Alfred Lord Tennyson

Today is Native American Day. Originally, it was called American Indian Day. This September holiday day is exists to honor and celebrate Native Americans, the first Americans to live in the U.S. Still commonly referred to as American Indians, the term “Native Americans” has been used in recent years as a sign of respect and recognition that they were indeed the first indigenous people to populate our great and wonderful nation. However, it is important to note that they are not the only native society in North America. American Eskimos are also native Americans. And, Mayans are indigenous to the Americas, too. They are native to Central and South America. 

By the time the first explorers and settlers arrived from Europe, Native Americans had populated the entire North American continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the northern reaches of Alaska and Canada. Meanwhile, native Mayans populated Central and South America.

Today is Mother-in-Law Day. If you missed Mother’s Day in May, then here’s another chance to honor your beloved Mother-In-Law. Often the source of many jokes, a she doesn’t usually get the praise and appreciation she deserves.

Most likely, you honored your Mother-in-Law on Mother’s Day. As a result, you shouldn’t feel compelled to pull out all the stops on this day. It might make your own mother feel slighted. Rather, spend a little time with your mother-in-law and show your appreciation. Small gifts or flowers are certainly appropriate, too.