What to Celebrate January 28 to February 3, 2019
Celebration Ideas for January 28 – February 3, 2019
Welcome to the end of January!
We hope the cold & snow aren’t too bad where you are. Although if you’re near us it is. Sorry!
But there’s always ways to make even cold, gray days better. And we highlight some of them for you every week.
As usual we’ve found some deliciousness, some fun, and even some weirdness. So come on, and take a peek to plan your week.
And remember to …
Enjoy!
Celebrate All February Long
You still have time to enjoy some of January’s month-long celebrations, like training your dog or walking your dog. Also hot tea, soup, mail-order gardening & more.
But let’s get a head-start on February’s celebrations, beginning next Friday. For this week we’re highlighting some food-themed celebrations …
Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month: It’s strawberry season in Florida, and if you’re planning on indulging in chocolate-dipped strawberries for Valentine’s Day well, that’s probably where they’re from. Did you know strawberries could help lower your blood pressure?
National Grapefruit Month: Grapefruit is another delicious, healthful food (well, unless you’re on certain medications. Then you might have to be careful about when you eat it). It can be a bit tart, but some varieties are much sweeter than others. And you can add it to a ton of different recipes for an intriguing flavor twist. Get some inspiration with these recipes.
National Cherry Month: Peak season for cherries may be in the summer, but February is when we celebrate them. And while they’re perfect for snacking and pie-making, you can do much more with them. Try some of these recipes during February. There’s jam & salsa, mojitos & more.
Sweet Potato Month: February isn’t only about fruits & berries. It’s also about sweet potatoes! Learn a bit more about these spuds & a few ideas for preparing them here. This month is apparently different from Sweet Potato Awareness Month in November.
Weekly Celebrations for Jan. 28 – Feb. 3
The weekly celebrations this week run the gamut from protecting your identity to injecting some joy into the iciness of winter and celebrating all things cowboy & American West. Depending on where you live you may have to settle for celebrating iceworms & cowboys in spirit only.
Tax Identity Theft Week (January 28 – February 3, 2019): So in theory Tax ID Theft Week is supposed to start on Monday. But the website hasn’t been updated for the 2019 event. The FTC is one of the agencies affected by the partial federal shutdown. But even if there’s no official events for the week, it’s still an important topic. And one worth learning about.
Cordova Iceworm Festival (January 26 – February 2, 2019): Celebrate the iceworm by having fun in the ice, just like it does! Ok, no not really. The worm is real, but the festival is actually a way to brighten up the Alaskan winter. The festival’s mascot is a worm, and activities range from a parade and variety show to arts & crafts, a food fair, paper airplane contest, and more.
National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week (January 28 – February 2, 2019): Every year cowboys & anyone who loves the American West gather in Eldo, Nevada to learn about life on a ranch, listen to poetry about that life, and just generally have a good time. Workshops include things like rawhide braiding, various cooking styles, and of course writing. There’s also open mic sessions, dancing, demonstrations, & more.
Celebration Days coming up for Jan. 28 thru Feb. 3
For this week we appreciate bubble wrap while playing the kazoo. Then we try to be curmudgeonly while doing puzzles & eating corn chips … that’s just impossible!
We also enjoy croissants, working naked, and doing things backward. Plus much more.
So what are you waiting for? Make your plans for another fun-tastic week!
January 28:
Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day: Who doesn’t love bubble wrap?! It protects fragile items for shipping or storage. But even better, it’s fun to pop! And for creative crafting. So grab some bubble wrap & get popping, crafting, or packing.
National Kazoo Day: Do you kazoo? These musical instruments are more than kids’ toys. They can make real music if you know what you’re doing. Why not give it a try?
Thank a Plugin Developer Day: This day refers specifically to WordPress plugins. WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg announced it in 2009, when the WP repository reached 4,000 plugins. These days you have more than 10x that many to choose from. And anyone using WP has no doubt installed at least a few of these little beauties to customize a site or 2. If that describes you, thank those developers who have worked so hard to make your life a little easier.
January 29:
Curmudgeon’s Day: Do you know a curmudgeon? You probably do; most of us do! Or maybe you are a curmudgeon? Either way, this is the day to celebrate the curmudgeons in your life (or in your mirror ;) ).
National Puzzle Day: Puzzlers, this day is for you! Whether you like number puzzles, word puzzles, brain teasers, or just all puzzles doesn’t matter. For this day you must take time out of your busy schedule to enjoy some puzzles. The official website has free puzzles to download, so you have no excuse not to participate!
National Seeing Eye Dog Day: This day honors those specially-trained dogs that help visually-impaired people live normal lives. But don’t thank the dogs themselves (it’s best not to pet a service dog who’s working). Instead consider thanking an organization that trains these important dogs, like The Seeing Eye], with a donation. (Please do your own research before donating!). This day is different from Guide Dog Day in April.
National Corn Chip Day: Enjoy corn chips while doing your puzzles & learning more about seeing eye dogs for this day. We suspect it could be hard to celebrate this day and Curmudgeon’s Day, though. ‘Cause how can you be curmudgeonly while eating corn chips?!??
If you’re going to make croissants for National croissant Day, consider starting them a day ahead so you have plenty of chilling time.
January 30:
Inane Answering Message Day: Although this sounds like it should be about recording an inane outgoing voicemail (or answering machine!) message, it’s actually the opposite. Tom & Ruth Roy ask you to stop with the inane messages & record a clear, concise one instead.
National Croissant Day: Ahhh … light, flaky, & buttery croissants. Yes, they do deserve their own day. And this day is it! So head out to your favorite bakery & pick some up. Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, try making some yourself. But you’ll need to plan ahead for all the chilling time (each time you fold & roll the dough you chill it again to make all those layers).
January 31:
National Backward Day: Do everything backward to celebrate this day! Or should that be … yad siht etarbelec ot drawkcab gnihtyreve od ? Yikes! No. Walk backward. Wear your shirt backward. Eat meals backward (dessert first!). Those things we can handle. But if you can read and/or write backward, go for it!
Inspire Your Heart with Art Day: Let art touch you emotionally for this day. It can be your own art or someone else’s. And it can be any kind of art: Music, dance, a play, painting, drawing, etc. Go admire it, watch it, or create it. Just do whatever touches your heart.
February 1:
National Serpent Day: Celebrate snakes & sea serpents! Or if you prefer more mythical beasts, celebrate dragons. If you have a pet serpent, consider giving it a bit of extra love in honor of the day.
National Wear Red Day: Help raise awareness of heart disease in women by wearing red & learning more about this disease, including heart attack symptoms in women.
Bubble Gum Day: On the 1st Friday in February, kids can pay 50 cents to chew gum at school. All the money collected that day then goes to charity. The idea is to have a fun & easy way to raise money. Other organizations & even businesses can also join in the fun. Adults like bubble-gum too … right?
Working Naked Day: So … no, you don’t get to go into the office naked for this day. It’s actually about celebrating the joys of working from home. Where you can in fact work naked if you choose. If you work from home, why not try the naked working thing for at least a little while? But maybe keep the curtains closed …
Change Your Password Day: Back in 2012, shortly after a hack at Zappos.com, Matt Buchanan (at the time an editor at Gizmodo) decided we need a day to change our passwords. Sadly hacks have only become more common, so we still need this day. Consider updating your passwords & maybe making them a bit harder to guess (PAsswOrd is not it) for this day.
February 2:
Hedgehog Day: In parts of Europe the hedgehog gets the honor of predicting how long winter will last. But even if you’re in the Americas you can celebrate these adorable, if slightly prickly, little critters.
Take Your Child to the Library Day: So do as the name of the day says & get your butts to the library! While you’re there you might want to research some of the topics of the other celebrations for this day, like hedgehogs, crepes, and wetlands. However you choose to spend your time at the library, make it fun!
Crepe Day: It’s a whole day just for crepes! And there’s so many different ways to dress ‘em up you can have ‘em for every meal of the day! See how to make them here. And enjoy!
Ice Cream for Breakfast Day: Another deliciously fun idea! And versatile too. Have a scoop (or 2 or 3) in a bowl, or cone, or put it on your crepes. Add sprinkles or sauce. Fruit or candy. However you like it. It’s the perfect day for kids of all ages.
World Wetlands Day: Support wetlands conservation and learn how & why wetlands are vital to our planet.
February 3:
The Day The Music Died: This day pays tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. The 3 musicians died in a plane crash on this date in 1959.
Feed the Birds Day: Why should humans get all the food days? After all, birds need to eat too. And if February is winter where you are (as it is here), the birds are probably having a hard time finding food. So give ‘em a hand! Suet cakes are especially welcome to many birds.
National Women Physicians Day: Celebrate women doctors on the birthday of the 1st woman to get a medical degree in the US. Her name was Elizabeth Blackwell, and she got her degree in 1849.
