February 3rd Feed The Birds Day

Since we are deep intro winter and in many parts of the world the ground is covered in snow, birds need out help getting enough to eat. In the southern areas it’s not as hard, though still surprisingly a little difficult, but up north birds can easily starve to death if not for human help. I am not sure what happened to flying south for the winter but I suppose that doesn’t really matter. Good for Bob Matthews of New York for thinking this one up in 2016. (Along with many others) All sorts of animals need our help, please don’t forget them.

How to celebrate – Help any starving animal. Enjoy birds if you have them in your area for February no matter where you are. Be kind.

February 2nd Ground Hog Day

Ground Hog Day seems to have started back in the 1800’s by German immigrants who wanted to know if winter was over. So naturally, they checked with a ground hog! (Wouldn’t you!?!) In theory, if the ground hog saw it’s shadow then there would be more winter, if not… spring was just around the corner. (Which it would have been either way) Punxsutawney Phil got started in 1887 in Pennsylvania. He has been a tradition ever since and it is said that 9 out of 10 times, he sees his shadow. Naturally, that all depends on which way you hold him up but then… who can argue with science.

How to celebrate- Go outside and check your own shadow. Go outside and see if there is snow on the ground. Look at the calendar.

January 31st National Hot Chocolate Day

Most of us think Columbus brought back the cocoa bean to Europe and maybe he did. The fact is, the Mayans were making hot and spicy cocoa in 500BC, long before Columbus ever set sail. It was Explorer Cortez who actually took the beans back, in numbers, to Europe in the 1500’s and, of course, it was Swiss Daniel Peter who added milk to the chocolate to make it milk chocolate, the way most of us have our cocoa today. It’s nice to have a hot drink that sweetens up our day and makes our outlook on life a little better, and we owe it all to the Mayans from so long ago.

How to celebrate – Have some cocoa. Visit Mexico. Crush your own cocoa beans like you do coffee to make your own cocoa!

January 15th World Snow Day

If you live in the northern climate there’s a reasonably good chance you will see snow soon if you haven’t already seen it this year. Today was created by the International Ski Federation and placed on the 3rd Sunday in January, I bet you can’t figure out why!?! Well, at least they got the season right, if they put it in July, they might have to call it World, Wish it Would, Snow Day. Obviously, snow is needed to go skiing, it’s hard, though not impossible, to ski on grass.

How to celebrate – Go skiing. Visit a northern state to see snow. In the south visit your freezer and pretend like it just snowed.

January 1st Polar Bear Plunge Day

What better way to start off the year than jumping into freezing cold water! It does help by boosting the immune system, creates a natural high, improves circulation, burns calories (from all that shivering), reduces stress, and you might just make a new friend or two while doing it (maybe not friends you’d want to keep but still friends). It also makes your butt smaller as you tend to freeze your a** off! Oh, and it is recommended that you wear shoes… Lord knows why!

How to celebrate – Take a Polar Bear Plunge. Turn on your shower to cold to get a general idea of what it will feel like. Chicken out at the last moment and lose all those friends you thought you’d made.

February 3rd Feed The Birds Day

If you want to have birds visit you in your backyard you need to feed them. This is particularly true if you live in colder climates where birds find hunting for food very difficult on the snow covered ground. The day was created by Bob Matthews of Holiday Insights and The Gardener’s Network in order to ensure our feathered friends have enough food to survive the winter.

How to celebrate – Feed the birds. Learn what birds eat. Take pictures of the wildlife that makes your backyard a home.

January 21st Squirrel Appreciation Day

Here is an animal we tend not to think a lot about until they run out in front of our cars causing us to slam on the brakes. Yes, they are a rodent but they are a cute rodent so I don’t think that counts. We should show our appreciation for them today, in the middle of winter, because it’s hard for them to find food…. we can provide that and make them happy. Today was created by Christy Hargrove in 2001 as a part of the Western North Carolina Nature Center.

How to celebrate – Let a squirrel entertain you today. Leave some food out for the squirrels. Enjoy nature, even if it is covered in snow.

December 27th Make A Cut Out Snowflake Day

Snowflakes, no two are alike… unless you cut them out of paper and make them yourself! When I worked for a school this use to be a favorite activity to keep kids quiet but as we never had kids on December 27th, we never celebrated this day. So maybe this is a day for parents to find something to do with their kids after the newness has worn off the gifts they got for Christmas. In the south they can remind us of what snow looks like and in the north… well, they may not need any more snowflakes but who cares, it keeps the kids busy! If you didn’t get snow for Christmas this year maybe you can cover your yard in these kinds of snowflakes! Probably not a real good idea.

How to celebrate – Cut out some snowflakes. Figure out what you are going to do with all those snowflakes. Come up with other winter symbols you can cut out just for something different.

September 22nd Autumn Equinox

Today is the first day of Autumn in 2021. The date does vary so you have to be on the watch for it. The Equinox means that we have exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours night. There have been many, many festivals to celebrate this over the years, most are pagan, and most have something to do the harvest. We can look to cooler weather coming in the northern countries, the approach of winter and shorter daylight hours. Naturally this brings the changes in colors in nature and some of the most breathtaking views on earth.

How to celebrate – Throw an Equinox party. Check out all the celebrations held today. Get ready for winter.

February 2nd Ground Hog Day

Punxsutawney Phil is probably the best known ground hog in the world. He has served Punxsutawney, PA since 1887. The general idea is that if the ground hog comes out of his hole and sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter, if he does not see his shadow, and stays out for a while, then spring is just around the corner. None of this is scientific of course. February 2nd is traditionally halfway through winter so there will be six more weeks of winter, though they may be milder than those that preceded it.

How to celebrate – Visit Punxsutawney (Either the town or the ground hog) Watch for ground hogs living in your area. Go outside and look for your own shadow, it will do practically the same thing.