Yup, There's a Day for That! By Rosalie Spielman

A couple weeks ago, I saw on Instagram that it was “National Bubble Bath Day.” I saw this at 9 pm. My first response was okay, couldn’t you have told me earlier? A bubble bath would’ve been so great today.

So, I wanted to do a little research to make sure I wouldn’t miss a Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (4 August) or a Take a Nap Day, (14 March, apparently to help us recover from the time change.)

So down the Rabbit Hole I went. Interestingly enough, the day for that is 27 January, Lewis Carroll’s birthday.

Google led me to nationaldaycalendar.com which gives us some explanations, as well as an extensive list. For example, today, 12 February, is Global Movie Day and National Plum Pudding Day. Global movie day was apparently established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka those Oscars people) to celebrate…themselves. No clue where Plum Pudding Day comes from. I mean…when’s the last time you had plum pudding? Why exactly does plum pudding get its own day, while dark chocolate truffles don’t? 

Okay, well, Dark Chocolate day is 1 Feb and 2 May is Truffle Day. But I’m offended that there isn’t a dark chocolate truffle day!

Yesterday’s “days” are sweet as well. National Make a Friend Day, National Visit a Shut-in Day, and National Peppermint Patty Day. How sweet! And in a somewhat ironic move, it’s also National White Shirt Day and National Don’t Cry Over Spilt Milk Day. Can I cry if I get milk on my white shirt?

National white shirt day is actually pretty cool to this history nerd. It is to commemorate a historic auto worker strike on 11 February 1937. I read up on that one, but I won’t regurgitate it here since it’s a writer blog, not a history blog. But Don’t Cry Over Spilt Milk Day? *shrug*

Don't do it...*sniffle*

Prepare yourself for the 14th. It’s not just Valentine’s Day. It’s also National Cream-Filled Chocolate Day as well as National Organ Donor Day. (Though I imagine celebrating too much of the former will cause less of the latter.) It’s also National Clean Out Your Computer Day. Do what you will with that information.

I needed to focus, so since we are writerly-and-readerly type folks, I next visited a list atbuildyourlibrary.com/calendar-book-related-holidays, which in addition to useful holidays, also listed the birthday of pretty much every Harry Potter character with a speaking part. Though I love the wizarding world of Harry Potter, I am not willing to bake a cake for Professor Sprout.

But I also learned that today is Judy Blume’s birthday. So many memories with her books!

1 November is National Authors Day, possibly because it is Agatha Christie’s birthday. Also in November is High Five a Librarian Day. I wonder how many librarians know that? Can you imagine their confusion when everyone starts high fiving them? (Though it should be “Elbow Bump a Librarian” these days.)

National Grammar Day is 4 March, which should go hand in hand with National Punctuation Day (24 September). I suppose this can excuse the bad grammar and punctuation we see on social media—it’s just not the right day!

23 April is William Shakespeare’s birthday, so naturally, it is also National Talk Like Shakespeare day. But I shalt moveth on ere thee becometh annoy’d and call me a jack-a-nape.

The first full week of March is Read An eBook Week. (Regular books only get a day—6 September is National Read a Book Day.) March also has World Book Day (2 March) and National Write Your Story Day. (14 March) And once you’ve written the book, September is Be Kind To Editors and Writers Month.

Last but not least, since this is a mystery blog, mystery gets not just a day, but a week and a month! May is National Mystery Month. The first full week of October is Mystery Series Week. 15 September is Cozy Mystery Day. Not sure who decided all these...but I’ll take it. 

While you’re writing your mystery, remember that whatever your choice of liquid fuel, there is a day for it. In fact, if you’re a coffee drinker, there is a long list of days to celebrate the magical bean in different countries.

One last interesting one (aka random) is that in New Zealand, there is a National Chocolate Fish Day on 11 May. According to the internet, there is a saying that gave rise to chocolate fish having their own day: When someone has done a good job, New Zealanders apparently say, “Give that kid a chocolate fish.” Though I am a fiction writer, I did not make that up, although someone else may have.

I could go on. And on and on. But right now I need to go prepare for 16 February. It’s Do a Grouch a Favor Day, and I need to get started on a list of favors I need.