Saturday, October 15, 2016

#49 - Happy National Cheese Curd Day

I’m not sure why I never thought of this before. A friend recently pointed out to me that there are many more national holidays than we actually celebrate.

For example, did you know that February 3rd is National Carrot Cake Day? July 30th is National Cheese Cake Day, and October 19th, a few days from now, will be National Seafood Bisque Day.

These holidays are all real. You can look them up on nationaldaycalendar.com. It turns out that anyone can submit an application to have a new holiday designated. Well, almost anyone. The website currently says that due to backlog they can only accept submissions from companies and organizations. So, sorry Freddy, you can’t apply on your own to have September 5th become National Freddy Day.

I’m intrigued by this new world opening up to me. I want to know more. There are a lot of days that have multiple things designated to celebrate.

January 2nd, the day after New Year’s Day, 2017, will be all of the following: National Buffet Day, National Cream Puff Day, National Personal Trainer Awareness Day (I will be sure to be aware of Personal Trainers on that day), National Science Fiction Day, and National Thank God It’s Monday Day (because it will be the first Monday in January). Not to be outdone, Friday, January 13th, a couple weeks later will be: National Peach Melba Day, National Rubber Ducky Day, National Sticker Day, Stephen Foster Memorial Day, and National Blame Someone Else Day (because it is the first Friday the 13th of the year).

December 16th, interestingly, is Barbie and Barney Backlash Day.

I am beginning to work on a list of my own holidays that I want to apply for. Everyone knows I am a huge soccer fan, and I think we need a day each year – even years when there is no World Cup….ESPECIALLY years when there is no World Cup) designated as Celebrate The World Cup Day. The world is descending into a frightening state, these days, and I am convinced that the promise of upcoming World Cups might be the only thing keeping the world from blowing itself up. Maybe we should designate International Play Soccer Instead of Blowing Up The World Day.

I just now realized that the month of my birthday, April, is National Humor Month. April is also: International Guitar Month, National Soft Pretzel Month, National Straw Hat Month, and National Welding Month.

I’ve been hitting the stand-up comedy open mics again recently, after not being on stage for a long time. I have been in and out of open mics a lot during my lifetime. Even when a comic is working clubs and getting paid, he or she will still use open mics to try out new material or just to ‘work out.’ We need a stand-up comedy open mic celebration. Too often open mic-ers have to do their jokes in front of an audience that consists mostly of other comics, rather than real audience members. I want to submit National Stand-up Comedy Open Mic Awareness Day (“appreciate the half-written joke – applaud the idea – encourage a rewrite of the punch line”).

The possibilities are endless. We might have an explosion of new holidays to celebrate.

Oh, just one last thought. November 8, 2016, will be National Don’t Run For President If You’re a Jackass Day.

-Peter Wick
October 15, 2016