Vickie Fee

Make up your own holiday

My calendar is pretty open these days. It’s summer, after all. And I’m waiting on a much-needed knee replacement surgery, so I try not to walk much.

I’m obsessed with made-up holidays, so I decided to look up what’s on tap for August.

I’m hoping for some chocolate in my life on Aug 20: Chocolate Pecan Pie Day. (Image by Pixabay)

I’m talking to the right crowd to let you guys know: Today (August 9) is Book Lovers Day! Start reading or writing a new book. Go book shopping (online shopping is easy on the knees). Reread a favorite book. You know what to do here.

If you wear yourself out reading— or book shopping, you’re in luck. August 10 is National Lazy Day. This is a floating holiday.

My mom sometimes made matching dresses for my little sister and me growing up, or as I prefer to call her “the middle child.” (Image by Pixabay)

August 12 is Middle Child Day. I’ll call my sister (the middle child in our family). And she has opinions on this to be sure. My husband, an only child, still remembers one of the first family dinners he attended at my mom and dad’s house. My sister was complaining about how middle children  have deep-seated emotional issues because they were ignored as children. My brother, the baby of the family, helped himself to another serving of mashed potatoes and, without missing a beat, said, “Maybe they were ignored as children because they had deep-seated emotional issues.” In our family, this kind of repartee passes for good-natured teasing, but it was new to my sibling-less husband, who was just my boyfriend at the time. He married into the family anyway.

August 20 is Chocolate Pecan Pie Day. I will not be baking a pie. My pies never turn out well, although I can manage a cake mix. I may ask hubs to pick up something of the baked chocolate variety at our favorite local bakery. I do, on occasion, milk my painful bone-one bone knee pain for sympathy. He’s kind, and he loves me. My sister says he humors me. I’ll take it, either way.

August 22 is Be an Angel Day. Be nice to a friend, or enemy, for no particular reason — just to score some karma. (Image by Pixabay)

August 22 is Be an Angel Day. Since it’s a made-up holiday, you can celebrate however you wish. I see it as a chance to do something nice for a friend or co-worker for no particular reason.

August 24 is Pluto Demotion Day. In 2006, Pluto was demoted from its status as a full-size planet to a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union. Why? I felt a little sad when they took Pluto down a notch. It seemed unfair, somehow. Science was never my best subject, but I had memorized the planets as a kid. While it is large enough to have become spherical, Pluto is not big enough to exert its orbital dominance and clear the neighborhood surrounding its orbit. This is NASA’s story and they’re sticking to it.

August 3 was Watermelon Day. Summer is short, use any excuse to enjoy watermelon.

Floating holiday: Forget to post on your group mystery blog. That one was July 29 for me this year. Oops! Fortunately angel Chick Kathy Valenti stepped up and covered for me on Monday.

August 4 was Sisters Day. I should probably send my sister a belated card. You know, for that whole middle child thing.

How is your August going? Any special holidays. Special celebrations, or travel plans? Please share in the comments.

36 thoughts on “Make up your own holiday”

  1. my fav is looking up food holidays. My birthday is National Maple Syrup Day.

    and guess who hates maple syrup? 😂

    you should make up a holiday and make a murder mystery involved.

    hestia

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    1. Hestia, back when my knees still worked, hubs and I would go on walks and I’d point to a location and say, “ that would be a good place to get rid of a body!” Hubs didn’t enjoy this game as much as I did. I think we should make it a holiday! Walks to look for good places to bury a body Day!

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  2. All the best for the knee replacement. I had mine quite a few years ago. Here’s what I tell people–it’s VERY hard and very painful, but TOTALLY worth it! Do your PT, and you will eventually have a pain-free, functioning joint. You’ll love it!! Eventually.

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  3. The Hubby is a middle child. I should tell him there’s a day all for him. He’ll get a kick out of that.

    I’ve been eating watermelon regularly (summer), so I’m sure I celebrated National Watermelon Day.

    Vicki, if you lived closer I’d make and deliver a chocolate pecan pie. I make a good one, but The Hubby finds them way too sweet, so I don’t do it often.

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  4. Yesterday was International Cat Day. That’s a big one in my house. Though, Maria would probably say that every day should be Cat Day, which in my house, it is. 😸

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  6. One of my fave movies of all time is A Thousand Clowns, starring Jason Robards, Jr. as the inimitable Murray Burns. Burns is a free spirit who wants to live his life his way, for whom every day must have a name. He invents the holiday Irving R. Feldman’s birthday, which gives him an excuse to celebrate something whenever he wants to. But why do we even need an excuse to celebrate life?

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  7. I had a double knee replacement some years ago, I remember how bad the bone on bone pain was. Once I had recovered from the surgery Life was so much better! I hope your surgery and rehab goes well.

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    1. Thanks, Judith! I got an infection that went into sepsis after the hip replacement — but I’m still SO ready for the knee surgery! (New surgeon, different hospital just to be on the safe side!)

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  8. Vickie, I refer to my middle child (a daughter) as my “center” child. (I think I heard the term in a 1990s-era parenting article). It has become something of a family joke, because she thoughtfully and skillfully keeps everyone on track and is our busy activities and social director. We’re having a big, extended family reunion next weekend, so we will celebrate National Quinn Day on the 17th.

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    2. Lisa, My sister is the one who keeps up with and holds everything together! Middle children may be unfairly maligned. But, don’t tell my sister I said so!

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  9. Being a pecan pie purist – and lover – I will not be celebration the abomination known as chocolate pecan pie.

    But I think I’ll designate June 18th as National Cammie Came Home Day. It’s the day we adopted her last year.

    Where do you find these holidays, Vickie? I want a calendar that tells you all of them!

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    2. El, Jen lists one below. There are several. I don’t know if one is definitive, since the holidays are made up!

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  10. I think I celebrated Watermelon Month this summer–yum! August is a whirlwind because all the back-to-school stuff starts happening so quickly. I’ll be enjoying that Lazy Day holiday and relaxing!

    Wishing you the very best on that knee replacement surgery, Vickie!

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  12. I’m adding all of these to my Google calendar, Vickie. I had been accidentally celebrating National Book Lovers Day by power-reading through a series, but this makes it official.

    Sadly, I missed National Licorice Day back in April. I plan to spend the next eight months stocking up in preparation.

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