Month: October 2020

October 31st Halloween

October Holidays

You know, there might have been a time when Halloween was considered bizarre but not really so much anymore. What is bizarre is if you don’t know October 31st is Halloween. It originally was a day set aside for driving evil spirits from your life but today it’s really all about the candy and the costumes. This Halloween is likely to be different from past Halloweens but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be fun. And as long as we keep it fun, not taking it too seriously, everybody can enjoy letting their hair down a little. Maybe this year we need Halloween to break up the routine.

How to celebrate – Get a costume ready. Go trick-or-treating. Decorate your house for Halloween.

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October 30th National Candy Corn Day

October Holidays

Did you know that over 9 billion pieces of candy corn are eaten a year!?! Did you know that since it is made from corn syrup, honey and sugar it contains no fat? Did you know that candy corn was originally named “Chicken Feed”? Does any of this really matter to you? George Renninger created candy corn for the Wunderle Candy Company sometime in the 1880’s in Philadelphia, PA. Today Candy Corn is manufactured by the Jelly Belly Company, producing 1,200 kernels per second.

How to celebrate – Get some candy corn. Try planting your candy corn. (I bet you grow ants) Find your own candy to celebrate fall with.

October 29th Frankenstein Friday

October Holidays

Ron MacCloskey of Westfield, New Jersey placed Frankenstein Friday on the last Friday of October in 1997 to have some fun. To, in a way, start Halloween before Halloween starts. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley wrote Frankenstein back in 1818 at the age of 21. Her creature was different from the one we now celebrate, it’s up to you whether the newer version is better or the older one. Either way, today, or maybe tonight, you should celebrate Frankenstein because it would be a monstrous shame if you didn’t.

How to celebrate – Dress up like Frankenstein. Read “Frankenstein”. Watch old Frankenstein movies.

October 28th Plush Animal Lover’s Day

October Holidays

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love Plush Toys. Naturally if there are thousands of them in your house laying all over the place they can be annoying but still… you got to love them. They are friends to a lot of kids, they make the child feel relaxed and they will often talk to a stuffed animal when they won’t to an adult. Plush is, of course, a brand name. But it’s hard to deny that they have created a product that has many uses and nearly all of them are good. Do you name your plush toys? Do you give them a personality? Do you think they can hear you when you talk to them? Maybe they can hear you…

How to celebrate – Buy a Plush Stuffed Animal. Make sure your stuffed animal gets a lot of sun. Make a Plush Stuffed Animal a friend.

October 27th Black Cat Day

October Holidays

Talk about being born bad. Most of the world considers the black cat as an omen of bad luck and with Halloween coming on, if you are a black cat you’d better be careful! Not all places believe black cats are unlucky, Great Britain, Egypt and Japan consider the black cat a sign of good luck. I wonder if cats even know what color they are? And if so, do they even care? A cat is a cat no matter what color they are. Any luck they bring, good or bad, is not because of the cat. Don’t abuse animals. They don’t care what color you are so why should you be worried about what color they are.

How to celebrate – Adopt a black cat. (They are the least likely to get adopted). Defy superstitions today! Have a Happy Halloween.

October 26th National Mincemeat Day

October Holidays

Now most of us don’t have mincemeat anymore, usually served in pie form. It was very popular during the Medieval times when meat was served chopped up, mixed with suet and fruit and baked into a crust. Now I had no idea what suet was, in case you don’t know either it’s raw, hard fat. I was with it until I found out what suet was. The fruit generally use to be raisins or apple pears but it could easily be any fruit you prefer. To get past the suet part, sometimes you add brandy or rum. You can also use any type of meat you prefer but generally beef is used.

How to celebrate – Go Medieval for supper tonight! Add Mincemeat pies to your holiday tradition. Visit a castle.

October 25th International Artists Day

October Holidays

What is an artists to you? A painter? A musician? A poet? In fact, they are all artists and since they are in every country of the world, they are international. Hence International Artists Day. In truth, even a good auto mechanic is an artist. Anyone who does their job well with dedication is an artist. The day was created by Chris MacClure in 2004, an artist in Sully, BC, Canada. (A painter) I suppose to be International your work needs to be available across borders, and continents. So, are you an artist? Is your work available anywhere in the world? If so, then today is your day!

How to celebrate – Who do you consider an artist? What do you consider art? Visit a museum or gallery.

October 24th Make A Difference Day

October Holidays

Today always falls on the 4th Saturday of the month, probably because most people are off on the weekends and it is the perfect time to go out and make a difference in your community and neighborhood. You will always find retired President Jimmie Carter out with his hammer or saw today, even at 95 years of age. Most of us are guilty of talking a good game but not actually participating in it. Make this year different, get busy helping people instead of talking about it. Imagine that you are the only one that can get the job done and then get out there and do it. Your community needs help, every community does

How to celebrate – Find organizations in your community that help people. Ask your neighbor if there is anything you can do for them. Organize your own community service group.

October 23rd TV Talk Show Host Day

October Holidays

Okay, so the picture is of a talk radio guy but same difference (Or sort of anyway) Today is the day we celebrate all those TV talk show hosts that fill our screens with a never ending stream of generally entertaining but useless information. That’s not a slight, it’s their job to entertain us, not educate us. (Though some throw some educational things in there as well.) The “King of Late Night Television” is Johnny Carson, who entertained us from 1962 to 1992. 1,859 episodes. I have had the pleasure of coming to know one of his producers, Rick Traum, and if he is any example of the show it must have been a real class act, I have met few men more honorable than he.

How to celebrate – Make a list of all the tv talk show hosts you can name. Watch old Johnny Carson clips on You Tube. Decide who your favorite TV Talk Show Host is.

October 22nd National Nut Day

October Holidays

Before we go any further lets understand that peanuts are not nuts, they are legumes a member of the “pea” family. Okay, that done… the Liberation Food Company created today in the UK sometime in the early 2000’s. Nuts provide protein to your diet as well as fiber and are considered a healthy food. They contain vitamin E and B2 and are a good snack treat as well as an added flavor in many popular dishes. There are eleven kinds of nuts, each one promoted by the Fair Trade Organization in the UK. Apparently there are a lot of nuts in the UK!

How to celebrate – See how many types of nuts you can name. Determine what your favorite nut is. Try adding some kind of nut to your favorite food dish.