National Popcorn Day

Cover of Baby Boom

We all know that January 1^st is New Year's Day. Almost everyone also knows that we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. during this month (it's on the 21^st this year). Many people, especially those of us living in San Francisco, know that Chinese New Year falls on January 29^th this year. But did you know that almost every day in January offers something to celebrate? Groups both big and small have set aside certain January dates to honor something that they're passionate about or just something that interests them.

Here are some of the more off-the-wall holidays that you'll find happening in January 2008:

• Baby Boom Birthday - January 1^st
• Bean day - January 6^th
• Beer Can Appreciation Day - January 24^th
• Bird Day - January 5^th
• Blame Someone Else Day - January 13^th
• Bubble Bath Day - January 8^th
• Chocolate Cake Day - January 27^th
• Cuddle Up Day - January 6^th
• Customer Service Day and National Get To Know Your Customers Day - January 17^th
• Ditch New Year's Resolutions Day - January 17^th
• Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day - January 12^th
• Festival of Sleep Day - January 3^rd
• Fruitcake Toss Day - January 3^rd
• Fun at Work Day - January 28^th
• Hot and Spicy Food International Day - January 16^th
• Humiliation Day - January 4^th
• Inspire Your Heart with Art Day - January 31st
• International Skeptics Day - January 13^th
• Man Watcher's Day - January 8^th
• Measure Your Feet Day - January 23^rd
• National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day - Janaury 22^nd
• National Dress Up your Pet Day - January 14^th
• National Hugging Day - January 21^st
• National Inane Answering Message Day - January 30^th
• National Kazoo Day - January 28^th
• National Nothing Day - January 16^th
• National Popcorn Day - January 19^th
• National Puzzle Day - January 29^th
• National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day - January 11^th
• Opposite Day - January 25^th
• Peculiar People Day - January 10^th
• Penguin Awareness Day - January 20^th
• Play God Day - January 9^th
• Run Up The Flagpole and See if Anybody Salutes It Day - January 2^nd
• Spouse's Day - January 26^th
• Squirrel Appreciation Day - January 21^st
• Thesaurus Day - January 18^th
• Trivia Day - January 4^th
• Winnie the Pooh day - January 18^th

And it's not just the days that get celebrated. Some celebrations deserve to happen all throughout the entire month. January is the month for Financial Wellness, Blood Donors, Braille Literacy, Poison Prevention Awareness and Cervical Cancer Awareness. It's also the month for celebrating Hot Tea, Oatmeal and Soup.

There are also a few celebrations that need more than a day but less than a month. They get just a week in January for recognition. The first week (January 1-7) is for Women's Self-Empowerment. The final full week (January 20-26) is the National Hunt for Happiness Week.

Every day is a day to celebrate! I'm not planning to do something for all of these holidays, but it wouldn't hurt to celebrate just a few. I'm all for recognizing that we need more hugs and more art in this world. And I'll take any excuse I can to eat more spicy foods, drink hot tea and stay in bed with some oatmeal in the mornings

Which January celebrations catch your fancy?

This information was obtained from combining the following resources; you can learn more about these holidays by following the links provided on those sites: