WASHINGTON 鈥斕鼳h, September.
The meaningless NFL preseason is finally over, the kids are finally out of our hair, and the heat index has finally dropped below 95.
As we turn that page on the calendar, we dust off some difficult memories (9/11). We also honor our military on V-J Day (Sept. 2), POW/MIA Recognition Day (Sept. 15), American Legion Day (Sept. 16) and VFW Day (Sept. 29).
In addition, we celebrate the random 鈥� and delicious.
Did you know, for instance:
- That Sept. 7 is National Beer Lover鈥檚 Day?
- That Sept. 15 is Make a Hat Day?
- Or that Sept. 9 is Teddy Bear Day?
September is full of unknown and obscure 鈥渉olidays鈥� that merit celebration, introspection and/or overingestion. Here are a few noteworthy ones.
Mark your calendars accordingly … and good luck making that hat.
9/2
International Bacon Day听
It will probably hack a good 10-15 years off your life span, but it鈥檚 delicious, so live and let live. Here鈥檚 a legitimate excuse to eat a bunch of it. Go wild: Put it on a sandwich. Put it on a salad. Put it on a cake. Put it on a pie.
Heck, you don鈥檛 even have to eat it: Put some on your cat. Use some in a mixed-media art piece. Mail some to your mom. Or just make a bacon mask and wear it to work. The boss should be fine with it.
(草莓传媒/Colleen Kelleher)
9/3 Skyscraper Day听 Wherein big-city types honor those monuments to ambition and high population density. Here in D.C., of course, you can only appreciate skyscrapers that don鈥檛 top 160 feet. Fair to say that it鈥檚 a high holiday across the river in Arlington.听Wherever you mark this special day, celebrate with an elevator and some binoculars. Stairs are also acceptable. (AP/Richard Vogel)
9/6 Procrastination Day (Can also be recognized on the 7th or 8th or whenever you get around to it.) Read a book day So does this mean you have to read the entire book? Unless it鈥檚 鈥淕o, Dog. Go!鈥� it might be hard for some of us to swing it, which is technically kosher because it鈥檚 also Procrastination Day. National Coffee Ice Cream Day This one鈥檚 pretty obvious. Just don鈥檛 get any on your book. (iStock/Thinkstock)
9/7 National Beer Lover鈥檚 Day Indulge your inner undergrad 鈥� but this time, spend the extra few dollars on some good stuff. Neither Rain Nor Snow Day 听 Also take a moment to honor the men and women of the Postal Service, who ensure our cards, love letters and Amazon shipments arrive in a timely fashion. National Salami Day The modest salami is comfortable with its place in life. It doesn鈥檛 mind if you slice it up thin or thick, or if you serve it on a Triscuit instead of a sandwich. Just take a moment to acknowledge its dignity, and honor all the joy it brings into this world. (Then double that joy with more beer.) (草莓传媒/Ginger Whitaker)
9/9 Teddy Bear Day So how exactly does one celebrate Teddy Bear Day? Cuddling one seems to be at the top of the list. Perhaps give it a tattoo with a permanent marker. Or take it out to lunch. It鈥檚 the bear鈥檚 call, really. National I Love Food Day You love food, too? It鈥檚 become quite trendy this year. Some people reportedly eat as many as three meals a day 鈥� consistently. Others eat even more than that.听Celebrate it at Ruth鈥檚 Chris with the bear. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/eranicle)
9/10 Grandparents Day Most parents鈥� parents are a chill bunch: They like naps. They bake a mean pumpkin bread. They remember your birthday. What鈥檚 not to like? Celebrate the grandparents in your life with a card, a hug or even a sweet high-five. 听Swap Ideas Day Perhaps your grandparents have a better idea of how to celebrate Teddy Bear Day in a way that鈥檚 not creepy. (Thinkstock)
9/11 Make Your Bed Day This holiday is unrealistic. Research shows that beds do not obey people. Time and again, they鈥檝e proven to be stubborn and lazy. Mine even refuses to leave the bedroom.听 …听Hold up. I鈥檓 told this is all about straightening the covers and tucking in the sheets and stuff.听 Disregard. (AP)
9/12
Chocolate Milkshake Day
Or as we coffee drinkers call it, 鈥淥verly Complicated Starbucks Order Day.鈥澨�Am I right, people?
National Video Games Day
Video game fun pretty much peaked with 鈥淣BA Jams,鈥� but don鈥檛 let that stop you. Crack open a cold one and have some fun 鈥� even if that involves wasting five hours learning how to call audibles on 鈥淢adden 18.鈥�
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
9/13 National Peanut Day A few fun facts about peanuts, courtesy of the National Peanut Board: -A 12-ounce jar of peanut butter is made up of about 540 peanuts. -It takes fewer than 5 gallons of water to produce 1 ounce of peanuts (1 ounce of almonds, in contrast, requires 80 gallons). -Jefferson (not Carter) was the first peanut-farming president. (Thinkstock)
9/13 Uncle Sam Day He could be called America鈥檚 informal avatar. And this day commemorates the birthday of Uncle Sam’s inspiration: Samuel Wilson. The Troy, New York, native was instrumental in feeding soldiers during the War of 1812 鈥� long before the听, which defined the iconic image that we now see in so many cartoons, recruitment posters, used car ads, etc.听A presidential proclamation made this noteworthy day an official thing in 1989. (AP Photo, File)
9/14 National Cream-Filled Doughnut Day This day is sufficient excuse to get up early and beat those crowds to Dunkin or Krispy Kreme so you can snag a few dozen chocolate cream- filled. It鈥檚 worth the hassle.听After all, they鈥檙e nature鈥檚 Twinkie. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/Artfoliophoto)
9/15 Make a Hat Day Felt Hat Day Kudos to the hat lobby for locking down this date. That said, a few questions: -Must the hat be made out of felt? -Can the hat be made of any material as long as it鈥檚 been touched (i.e. the hat has been felt)? -Wouldn鈥檛 it be easier to buy a hat (or felt hat) that was made professionally? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers here. You鈥檙e trusted to figure this out on your own. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
9/22 Businesswomen鈥檚 Day First, a salute to the women who have to sit through those stupid conference-call discussions on best practices for leveraging听those swim lanes. These women handle it all in robust听fashion 鈥� and for salaries that are about 22 percent less than The Boys Club鈥檚. Round of applause, please. Elephant Appreciation Day Next on today’s agenda: elephants.听Did you know they鈥檙e, like,听? They鈥檙e so smart, in fact, that they don鈥檛 randomly sprinkle 鈥渓ike鈥� into their conversations.听Celebrate by visiting the National Zoo鈥檚 six Asian elephants: Ambika, Bozie, Kamala, Maharani, Shanthi and Swarna. You can even check in on them via their . (Thinkstock)
9/25 Comic Book Day Celebrate by enjoying one of the 17 comic book movies in theaters now. Or you could read an actual comic book like a grown-up. (Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
9/28 National Drink a Beer Day How is this different from National Beer Lover鈥檚 Day (Sept. 7)?听Trick question. It isn鈥檛. It鈥檚 another excuse to drink too many on a Thursday night. Celebrate responsibly. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
9/29 National Coffee Day A few java fun facts while you’re waiting in line at Starbucks to order: -Eight ounces contain a calorie. -Espresso (NOT 鈥渆xpresso鈥�) is Italian for 鈥渆xpressed.鈥� -According to , New Yorkers drink seven times as much coffee as the rest of the U.S. -It won’t cure the hangover from all that beer yesterday. (Thinkstock)
